This is the first young adult novel in our collection, but surely not the last one.
The Henna Wars tell a story of teenage Nishat, a Bangladeshi Muslim and a lesbian. In a catholic school in Dublin, she is forced to deal with daily problems of ordinary teenagers – first love affairs, schoolwork, and conflicts with her peers – but also with discrimination and stereotypes. The reasons for exclusion are many: different skin color, cuisine of her family, faith… and on top of this, a rumor that Nishat is a lesbian.
The novel discusses a variety of serious issues, which come along with the story of teenage love and self-discovery. For me, the book was about the pressure, which the culture and society put on us and about how easy it is for us to label people who differ from us with stereotypical categories.
The books reads lightly, it is written in an approachable way, even when dealing with heavier themes. I recommend it to everyone looking for an alternative to young adult Netflix series.
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