In Case You Missed It – All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

ALL MY RAGE by SABAA TAHIR

A REVIEW by ALEXA DUNCAN

Gentle readers, please pardon my prolonged absence. I am back now, however, and ready to review a YA book for you. Today’s book is very long overdue and it is All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. Tahir is a well-loved figure in the YA space and it isn’t surprising why. She is a talented writer with a gift for characters, and really, contemporary is her forte. She’s know for her fantasy books (An Ember in the Ashes), yet she shines in All My Rage.

This book follows two Pakistani-American teens, Sal and Noor, as they struggle through life in Juniper, California. The third point of view character,  Misbah, is Sal’s mother, and she’s just as compelling as we read through her adolescence in Pakistan. I’m hesitant to spoil too much because I think everyone should read this book. There’s a reason it won so many awards.

Sal and Noor are great characters, with their own voices and struggles and failures. After a tragedy, these two have to pick up the pieces of their lives and try to live as best they know how. Life, as we all know, can be very messy. That’s how I’d describe this book in a word: messy. In a very good way. The writing is sharp and raw. Sal and Noor sound like real teens and function like real teens. The plot itself isn’t action-packed, but it’s full of emotion, the complexities of family, and so much more. Definitely give it a read. Some context warnings for drugs, grief, and some physical abuse.

Pick up All My Rage at the Argenta Library today!