Huda F Wants to Know? - Huda Fahmy - ★★★★.¾
AUTHOR: Huda Fahmy
SERIES: Huda, #3
GENRE: Graphic Novel
PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2025
RATING: 4.75 stars.
In a Nutshell: Wow! The third graphic novel in the Huda series and the best one so far, which is saying a lot in such a high-performing series. Tackling two serious topics but handled with a balanced amount of lightheartedness. Absolutely loved this OwnVoices work for its sensitive portrayal of such a tricky personal issue. Much, much recommended!
This is the third graphic novel of the Huda series, or as I like to call it, the Huda F series. While each book works perfectly as a standalone, it helps to go through the series in the right order. Considering the high quality of the storytelling (I’ve rated all three books 4.5+ stars), you are in for a sensory delight.
The book begins with Huda being in her junior year and now prepping for college. She has a detailed plan charted out for the next two years: do everything possible to get into her dream college with a full scholarship. Easy-peasy for such an achiever, right?
Right!
Until Mama and Baba throw a spanner in the works: they announce that they are getting a divorce.
After this announcement that comes out of nowhere, Huda and her sisters are devastated. Huda in particular is worried about what this means for her future. Will her carefully planned year be thrown awry after her grades and her relationships with her family and friends start tanking?
I must admit that I was a bit sad when I read the GR blurb of this book. To learn that this book was about Fahmy’s parents’ divorce was shocking. I have read four of her graphic novels so far, and though her father doesn’t make as much of an appearance in her books as her mother does, I have come to love both of their characters, even with their shortcomings. As the book series is semi-autobiographical, I can only hope that the author has made her peace with this heartbreaking event after all these years, and that writing this book has been a cathartic experience. Sending her loads of hugs!
Divorce is fairly common in many countries these days, but this doesn’t make it less painful for the family, especially the kids. However, in conservative cultures and religions, divorce is still frowned upon and many elders still look at divorced couples (particularly at wives) with disdain. This orthodox outlook towards separations is present in India as well. (Which is probably why only 1% of marriages in India end in divorce as against 43% in the USA. Couples here either don’t have the choice of separating due to family pressure or they are afraid of the “scandal”.) Some scenes in this book that might appear exaggerated to Western eyes are conversations I have actually heard in real life. (Older Indian women are notorious for their bitchy gossip. Fingers crossed I don’t turn into one in my senior years!) So to truly understand why this Arab Muslim family struggles so hard to get through this change, you must keep their cultural background in mind and know that it is much, much tougher to deal with something as personal as a divorce in the face of such intense and judgemental public scrutiny.
A story of divorce is guaranteed to be an emotional read. Divorce plots are never just about a couple deciding to split. Every decision comes with repercussions. In this case, we get to see the impact of this momentous announcement on the five Fahmy sisters, each of whom seems to tackle the uncertainty in their own way. As such, a great chunk of the story also tackles the important topic of mental health. It doesn’t show a standardised narrative but highlights various ways by which such issues manifest, whether through coping strategies or escape mechanisms, and how this can be tackled realistically. I appreciate the author’s sticking to realism and not showing a magic-wand solution by which all problems disappear after one therapeutic session.
As you might have guessed, this is the most serious and the most emotional of the three Huda books so far. Yet, somehow, the author also manages to make it the most uplifting. I love how she ends the story on a ray of hope instead of trying to portray an overly shiny rainbow of happiness. Divorce is always messy, and this sanguine ending works so much better for the story.
Does all this mean that the book doesn’t contain any humour? Au contraire! I am SO impressed at how the author managed to insert comical scenes even through what might be tough emotional moments to go through in reality. The funny scenes never jar, nor do they take away from the intensity of the situation. As these books are aimed at readers teen and above, such lighter moments help keep the book from getting too depressing.
All of the above is handled from the OwnVoices Muslim viewpoint. The author always begins with a disclaimer that her story doesn't represent all Muslims or Muslim experiences. But her grasp of her faith and the way her family follows religious requirements help add a genuineness to her storytelling. The writing clearly depicts the role that religion and religious beliefs play in tackling major life changes. I love that their approach is balanced between using religion for emotional support and using external practical assistance such as speaking to a therapist. I respect the author for never ever dissing her faith but always showing it in a positive light and correcting public misconceptions about Islamic beliefs.
Two wonderful stylistic choices that continue from the earlier two books are the “Huda F” pedestal declarations about who “Huda F is”, and Huda’s constant companions: her shoulder angel and devil.
Don’t miss out the epilogue about mental health, which comes after the Acknowledgements section. The book even ends with a list of helpful free resources for mental health support, including a special helpline for young Muslims – a considerate and praiseworthy gesture.
All in all, this is one heck of an OwnVoices book, tackling a serious topic in just the right manner. By highlighting so many practical topics that many teens deal with, the book is easily a must-read, and the best of the series so far. I had rated the first two Huda books 4.5 stars, which itself is not a rating I give freely. To surpass even that high level is just an indication of how much this book touched me.
I am not sure if there will be more books in this series, but if there are, *Huda F* is gonna stop me from reading them? No one!
Recommended with all my heart to every reader aged teen and above who enjoys OwnVoices graphic novels offering a relatable and genuine story.
My thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours, Penguin Young Readers Group, Dial Books, and author Huda Fahmy for a complimentary digital ARC of 'Huda F Wants to Know?' via NetGalley, and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Also check out the first two books of this outstanding series:
Book One: Huda F Are You?
Book Two: Huda F Cares?
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Blurb:
In the hilarious and poignant follow-up to National Book Award Finalist Huda F Cares?, Huda's life and worldview is turned upside down when her parents announce they're divorcing.
Huda Fahmy is ready for junior year. She’s got a plan to join all the clubs, volunteer everywhere, ace the ACTs, write the most awe-inspiring essay for her scholarship applications. Easy.
But then Mama and Baba announce the most unthinkable they’re getting a divorce.
Huda is devastated. She worries about what this will mean for her family, their place in the Muslim community, and her future. Her grades start tanking, she has a big fight with her best friend, and everything feels out of control. Will her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know.
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Author Huda Fahmy:
Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America and was encouraged by her older sister to turn these stories into comics. Huda was a finalist for the National Book Award for her YA graphic novel, Huda F Cares?.
Huda and her family reside in Houston, Texas.
Website: https://hudafahmy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesimhotinthis/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesimhotinthis
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This has been a stop on the #HudaFWantsToKnow blog tour conducted by Colored Pages Book Tours. (@coloredpagesbt on Insta.) Thanks for stopping by!
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