On a hot spring day in San Antonio, my mom and I headed to the annual San Antonio Book Festival, excited to meet different local authors, find new reads, and check out the different booths and merchandise that celebrated reading.
As we perused the stacks of books, finding our old favorites as well as new novels, I came across a book called The Partition Project, a heartfelt middle grade novel written by reputable author Saadia Faruqi, that celebrated culture, history, and embracing your individual identity. We have written a blog post on one of Faruqi’s older books, A Place at the Table, which she collaborated with Laura Shovan to write in dual perspectives, and loved it, so I was excited to see another book from a great middle grade author.
Faruqi was actually at the book fair that day, talking about her newest graphic novel called Saving Sunshine, and I had the opportunity to meet her and talk to her about the Bookwanderers blog and the Girls For Books Initiative. I also had the chance to thank her for writing about the South Asian demographic, as I absolutely loved The Partition Project and the importance it places on recognized people of all different races, religions, and types. The Partition Project is about Mahnoor “Maha” Raheem, a twelve year old girl living in Texas with a burning passion for journalism. Maha isn’t that in touch with her Pakistani culture, and hasn’t seen her family in years, so her life gets turned upside down when her grandmother, or Dadi, arrives from Pakistan to Sugar Land, a small city outside of Houston.
Maha is forced to take care of her Dadi after school and on weekends, but what starts as a tedious job for Maha turns into a tight-knit, unique relationship between the two. As Maha starts talking to her grandmother more, she learns about her past, and the struggles imposed on India and Pakistan during British rule, India’s independence, and the tense Partition between India and Pakistan.
Maha is in a journalism class at her school, and decides that for her final project, she should make a documentary to teach people about the Partition, calling it the Partition Project. But, because she puts all her focus on the documentary, Maha’s relationships with her family, friends, and perhaps most importantly, her grandmother, start to waver. Can Maha figure out a way to tell the story of her past and remember her culture while staying close with the people she loves the most? Read the book to find out!
– One of my top five middle grade novels!
Thank you for reading, and thank you, Saadia Faruqi, for writing such an amazing book about the South Asian diaspora that I’m sure will resonate with many people.
Love,
Nidhi