Saints and Misfits discussion

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali describes a fifteen-year-old girl named Janna who is struggling to navigate her way through high school because of several changes. Her parents recently divorced, and her college-aged brother just moved back into the house. She was sexually assaulted by her friend’s cousin Farooq, and is re-traumatized any time she is around him. She feels like she can’t tell anyone about it because he is a respected member of the local Muslim community. In fact, she is pressured by her family to date Farooq, even though she has a crush on a non-Muslim boy at her school. When one of her classmates posts a picture of her without her hijab on Facebook, Janna worries about the responses of her family members. She finds herself stuck between what she wants, and what her family wants for her. Will she suffer in silence, hanging onto her trauma? Or will she step forward and confront her monster? The description of Janna’s encounter with Farooq is disturbing, but not very graphic, so I think the story could still be appropriate for ages 12 and up.


Janna’s view of what it means to be a “good Muslim” changes throughout the book. She discovers that her picture of the perfect Muslim (her brother’s fiancé Sarah) only recently started practicing Islam, and had dated a non-Muslim for two years before she met her brother. Her mother had always taught her that Muslim women should take pride in being resilient, even while carrying burdens. Janna felt that this was contradictory because her mother divorced her father, who was unfaithful. Her friend Sausun introduces her to a group called the Naqabi Ninjas that encourages her to confront her attacker and expose him so that he can’t hurt anyone else. Other inspiring figures in her life like her uncle and her friend show her that there is more than one way to be a good Muslim, which helps ease her feelings of confusion and frustration. The modern setting serves as a way to show the internal conflict between following tradition and forging your own identity.

This book can be a mirror for any young adult whose religion is important to them. Kids are aware that religion and social pressures can often be at odds with each other, and this book is an opportunity for them to see a character struggling with that conflict. As a hijabi Muslim, Janna sheds light on the daily struggles faced by Muslim girls in a predominantly white Christian school. She articulates the feeling of being “too Muslim” around some people and “not Muslim enough” around others. Saints and Misfits can also be a window into (or a mirror for) traumatic experiences like Janna’s assault. Janna describes the freezing feeling she gets anytime she sees Farooq, along with the fear and satisfaction of finally confronting him. Janna gets support from her friends and family, which empowers her to stand up against him.

One consistent theme of this book is the love and support of Janna’s friends and family. In fact, other than Farooq, Janna has a strong network of people who are there for her. The book would be a great way for students to reflect on the people in their own lives, and the role they have played in helping them become who they are. Students could make a list of important people, and create some representation of what they mean to them. Another way this book could be used in instruction would be in discussing what makes a person good. Students could brainstorm a list of traits, or discuss scenarios and talk about how a good person would react. They could even create their own advice columns like Janna’s uncle created for Muslim teens in his community.

Ali, S.K. (2017). Saints and Misfits. New York: Salaam Reads, Simon and Schuster