She’d rather not be hanging out with them, but after her friend’s cousin sexually assaults her at a gathering, she needs to get out of town. We first meet Janna, wearing a burkini, while she’s in Florida with her dad and his family. Ali does a great job of weaving the big and little things together as we watch sophomore Janna Yusuf learn, grow, and find her voice. This excellent book manages to be both about BIG things (faith, family, sexual assault) and about very everyday things (friendship, tests at school, crushes). People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask.

Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories. Same planet, different worlds.īut sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right?ģ. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Like me-the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad.Īlso, there’s Jeremy and me. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose.Ģ.

Saints, those special people moving the world forward. There are three kinds of people in my world:ġ. Saints and Misfits is an unforgettable debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life…starring a Muslim teen.

Saints and misfits by sk ali