#MPReadingRoad : She Wore Red Trainers

  READING REVIEW : She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert

BOOK’S NAME:

She Wore Red Trainers

AUTHOR:

Na’ima B. Robert is descended from Scottish Highlanders on her father’s side and the Zulu people on her mother’s side. She was born in Leeds, England, Grew up in Zimbabwe and went to… 

EDITIONS :

KUBE PUBLISHING – CHILDREN’S BOOKS

TYPE

Fiction, Romance

SUBJECT(S):

Love, Faith, Youth, Family, Siblings

MAIN CHARACTERS:  

Amirah (a young muslim girl who’s trying her best to be a good muslimah, an artist, a good sister who’s not very close to her mum) & Ali (a young muslim boy who came back to the deen) and try to maintain the “family’s spirit” with his own family after his mum’s death)

SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

Umar (a problematic teen) and Jamal (a kind sweet little boy): Ali’s brothers

Zayd (a good brother, good muslim, a bit much) and Abdullah (a sweet and warm little boy) Amirah’s bothers and Taymeeyah, Amirah’s sister (an ordinary little girl)

Usamah ( this man!! what a friend 🥰) Mahmoud etc. : the boys band

Rania Samia, Yasmin etc. : the girls band

RESUME:

When Ali first meets Amirah, he notices everything about her – her hijab, her long eyelashes and her red trainers – in the time it takes to have one look before lowering his gaze. And, although Ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his identity as a muslim, and although Amirah has sworn never to get married, they can’t stop thinking about each other. Can Ali and Amirah ever have a halal “happily ever after”?

IMPRESSIONS:  

Ali and his family went to London for a year. After the death of his mum, his family had to go a lot and his dad was broken to lose his wife. There's his brother who can’t handle the death of their mom and putting aside the deen. On the other side, there is Ali who came back to the deen. He wanted to be a better muslim.

In London, they live in a muslim neighborhood. Near their home, lives Amirah and her family. Ali fell in love at first sight with Amirah. But, he had to lower it and stay away from her. And his brother seemed to not have a good esteem for him.

This book is my favorite muslim romance. Amirah is like a lot of hijabi girls. She is young and has to live like any other girl without putting aside her faith. She wants to please Her Lord. So she is trying her best to do anything in her life in the halal way. And one day, she sees this handsome guy joining his brother’s band. She must keep her feelings because it seems like Ali loves another girl. 

Like I said before, Ali was not really in the deen. But after the death of his mother, he began to practice. When they moved to London, he met other young muslim boys in the neighborhood who were trying to practice their deen in a better way, and they had a good influence on him. 

Amirah is the sister of a member of the band, Zayd, and lives near his home. He falls in love but has to lower his gaze and stays away from her. And Zayd seems to not appreciate him a lot.

I like the way the author describes how the muslim youth lives struggling between their faith and the society, the fitna etc. Both Amirah and Ali have their past, far away from the deen. Because of some things in their life, they came back to it But their past, like a ghost, haunted their present. Sometimes you can go through your past but society doesn't allow you to take a step. 

Also they both have to struggle with their family problems. Ali and his rebellious brother Omar, Amirah and her mother.

Amirah never understood why her mother was so dependent on men even though her relationships were unsuccessful. She always fell back into bad relationships. This conversion made her understand her mother's life even if she didn’t agree with it. She stopped judging her. Understanding her mother allowed her to break down the barrier between them. Also, hearing compliments from her mother was a great help to her. It was just wonderful, emotional and pure.

MARK :

18/20 with all my heart 🥰🥰🥰