Hollow Fires
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-01 07:51:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Samira Ahmed
- ISBN：0349003955
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A powerful， gripping YA novel about the insidious nature of racism， the terrible costs of unearthing hidden truths， and the undeniable power of hope， by New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed。 Perfect for fans of Sadie and Dear Martin。
Safiya Mirza dreams of becoming a journalist。 And one thing she’s learned as editor of her school newspaper is that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and not let personal biases affect the story。 But all that changes the day she finds the body of a murdered boy。
Jawad Ali was fourteen years old when he built a cosplay jetpack that a teacher mistook for a bomb。 A jetpack that got him arrested， labeled a terrorist—and eventually killed。 But he’s more than a dead body， and more than “Bomb Boy。” He was a person with a life worth remembering。
Driven by Jawad’s haunting voice guiding her throughout her investigation， Safiya seeks to tell the whole truth about the murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs。
This gripping and powerful book uses an innovative format and lyrical prose to expose the evil that exists in front of us， and the silent complicity of the privileged who create alternative facts to bend the truth to their liking。
Safiya Mirza dreams of becoming a journalist。 And one thing she’s learned as editor of her school newspaper is that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and not let personal biases affect the story。 But all that changes the day she finds the body of a murdered boy。
Jawad Ali was fourteen years old when he built a cosplay jetpack that a teacher mistook for a bomb。 A jetpack that got him arrested， labeled a terrorist—and eventually killed。 But he’s more than a dead body， and more than “Bomb Boy。” He was a person with a life worth remembering。
Driven by Jawad’s haunting voice guiding her throughout her investigation， Safiya seeks to tell the whole truth about the murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs。
This gripping and powerful book uses an innovative format and lyrical prose to expose the evil that exists in front of us， and the silent complicity of the privileged who create alternative facts to bend the truth to their liking。
Reviews
Olivia
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See my full review here: https://www。yabookscentral。com/hollow。。。HOLLOW FIRES is a potent， riveting， and emotional YA contemporary read。 The story is told from the perspectives of Jawad， a 14-year-old boy who was murdered， and Safiya， a teen journalist who is seeking what happened to him。 In between their perspectives are newspaper and social media listings relevant to the case， painting a chilling and accurate portrait of modern life。Jawad is known for a mistake he did not even realize he was m See my full review here: https://www。yabookscentral。com/hollow。。。HOLLOW FIRES is a potent， riveting， and emotional YA contemporary read。 The story is told from the perspectives of Jawad， a 14-year-old boy who was murdered， and Safiya， a teen journalist who is seeking what happened to him。 In between their perspectives are newspaper and social media listings relevant to the case， painting a chilling and accurate portrait of modern life。Jawad is known for a mistake he did not even realize he was making。 For a school club， he designed a jet pack for a costume and brought it to school to show off， when a teacher made assumptions and called the police。 His arrest became infamous， and he was targeted by classmates and the public， ultimately leading to his kidnapping and death。Safiya is the editor for the private school paper， and as part of the Muslim community， feeling the heat of the targeted letters and hate。 She is invested in learning what happened to Jawad， even when the police and others seem to have forgotten him。 Her persistence propels the case forward as she faces the cruelty of others and dark reality of the privileged world in which she attends school。What I loved: This is an absolutely consuming and visceral read。 The inclusion of Jawad's voice throughout the book really brings this tragedy to life and maintains a focus on the victim， something juxtaposed by the media coverage， particularly later coverage。 It is a really powerful story that challenges the way society currently runs and urges us to do better， for the Jawads who are around us。 Keep the tissues handy - Jawad becomes really tangible， even as he is fading away， and his connection with Safiya grows during the story。 His story is timely and resonates through history and current events。The novel also includes newspaper articles and social media posts， as well as podcasts and interviews throughout。 These samples of media coverage lead the discussion around bias， problematic exposures， and the conclusions drawn by society。 In places， it is really terrible， and this really brings home the need for thoughtful media consumption as well as the current state of affairs。 This theme is particularly powerful and captured throughout， not only with this format， but also with the truths， lies， and "alternative facts" laid out at the beginning of each chapter。Safiya herself is a really compelling character whose story includes sections of being a typical teenager， with worrying over crushes - but also the weight of carrying prejudices in the world around her， fighting for justice， and the challenges she and her family face as Muslims。 Safiya faces challenges with her school administration， the police， her classmates， and the world around her， who see her as one thing and allow their hate to pervade。 This focus and perspectives make her story even more potent。Themes around societal injustice and prejudice， white radicalism， biased media coverage， prejudice in crimes， and power structures that allow these to go unchecked are really forceful and powerful。 This is definitely a story that would lend itself to big and important discussions for book groups or in the classroom。 There is a lot to consider and delve deeper into。Final verdict: Visceral and riveting， HOLLOW FIRES is a YA contemporary that challenges the reader to critically examine the world around them and fight prejudice。 Highly recommend picking up this emotional and powerful book！Please note that I received an ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Gretchen
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Safiya Mirza is a Muslim-American， brown， high school senior attending a prestigious private school on a scholarship。 She aspires to be a journalist and is the editor of her school's newspaper。 When racist comments start appearing in her school and a 14-year old Muslim-American boy Jawad Ali is murdered， Safiya vows to find the Islamaphobe responsible。 I loved this book so much！ It shows just how easily hate can hide anywhere and shows how justice isn't always blind。 As a white female， I don't e Safiya Mirza is a Muslim-American， brown， high school senior attending a prestigious private school on a scholarship。 She aspires to be a journalist and is the editor of her school's newspaper。 When racist comments start appearing in her school and a 14-year old Muslim-American boy Jawad Ali is murdered， Safiya vows to find the Islamaphobe responsible。 I loved this book so much！ It shows just how easily hate can hide anywhere and shows how justice isn't always blind。 As a white female， I don't experience hate or racism like other groups do， but this book helped me understand what experiencing it can be like。 Everyone should read this book to experience life from a different perspective。 #Edelweiss 。。。more
Sarah
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 As books go， I am not going to diss it。 It was a very well thought out point and tackled many topics。 It was readable for both young and older kids， something as a young writer I know is hard to achieve。 I liked the idea behind the book。 I especially liked the beginning of every chapter where， facts， lies， truths， etc。 was listed。 I think it really made the book and I learned a lot。 So I give kudos for whoever gave you the idea。 However regarding characters， plot， and the way the story progresse As books go， I am not going to diss it。 It was a very well thought out point and tackled many topics。 It was readable for both young and older kids， something as a young writer I know is hard to achieve。 I liked the idea behind the book。 I especially liked the beginning of every chapter where， facts， lies， truths， etc。 was listed。 I think it really made the book and I learned a lot。 So I give kudos for whoever gave you the idea。 However regarding characters， plot， and the way the story progressed， I was honestly a bit confused。 Maybe it was just me because I suck at following times， but flipping between dates and people and format was a bit too much。 Also I wish that their was more um… depth and understanding as to why Jawan only appeared as a ghost to Safiya and not anyone else。 As I mentioned above， I was glad that this book tackled many topics， yet I feel it was a bit too much。 Parts of the time I was confused or not really following。Again， this is not to diminish the book。 It was well thought out， maybe needed a bit more execution help。 Just as someone who likes a book with more depth， I kinda hoped that this book had given me more insight and depth into the protagonist and the antagonist。 。。。more
Andy
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where to even begin with this amazing， amazing book？？？ the plot， the twists， the CHARACTERS… all 10/10。 when i say this book made me feel everything， it。 made。 me。 feel。 EVERYTHING。 i was so angry， i was so happy， i was so scared， i was so betrayed。 i think sometimes people don’t really see all the shit in front of them， but when you see it in a book， you see it reflected everywhere。 similarly， when you CAN see all shit in the world， in this country （america）， and you see it reflected in things where to even begin with this amazing， amazing book？？？ the plot， the twists， the CHARACTERS… all 10/10。 when i say this book made me feel everything， it。 made。 me。 feel。 EVERYTHING。 i was so angry， i was so happy， i was so scared， i was so betrayed。 i think sometimes people don’t really see all the shit in front of them， but when you see it in a book， you see it reflected everywhere。 similarly， when you CAN see all shit in the world， in this country （america）， and you see it reflected in things like movies and books （with accurate portrayal！！） it makes you ANGRY。 sometimes it makes you feel helpless and hopeless。that was just a few things i felt reading this book。 it referenced real life events， injustices， the whole bunch。 but it wasn’t all negative。 there’s glimmers of hope in there。 and they way samira puts them in all the right places， it’s perfect。 it isn’t a fix-all， of course， but it was realistic and honestly as perfect as you can hope for， as perfect as we’ll ever get。there’s way too many good things about this book and too little words ti describe it all！ definitely gonna be recommending this until the foreseeable future lol。 honestly the best book of 2022。 。。。more
Brianna
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Thank you to NetGalley and Little， Brown Books for the ARC。 This was a deeply emotional， powerful YA read。 Hollow Fires was my first Samira Ahmed book， but it definitely won’t be the last。 Safiya and Jawad’s story had me captivated from page 1。Jawad Ali is a 14-year-old high schooler excited about creating things。 When he brings his newly finished jetpack to school， he is unjustly labeled a terrorist by his teacher and arrested。 Though Jawad is exonerated， he is forced to endure continued bullyi Thank you to NetGalley and Little， Brown Books for the ARC。 This was a deeply emotional， powerful YA read。 Hollow Fires was my first Samira Ahmed book， but it definitely won’t be the last。 Safiya and Jawad’s story had me captivated from page 1。Jawad Ali is a 14-year-old high schooler excited about creating things。 When he brings his newly finished jetpack to school， he is unjustly labeled a terrorist by his teacher and arrested。 Though Jawad is exonerated， he is forced to endure continued bullying by classmates and teachers who have labeled him “Bomb Boy。”Safiya Mirza is the editor of her school newspaper with dreams of becoming a journalist。 Once Safiya learns of the disgusting profiling Jawad was victim to， she uses her investigative journalism skills to try to give him the justice he deserves。Ahmed calls out the alt-right conspiracists， “alternative facts，” and the heated political climate from the last few years in this novel， weaving elements from real life effortlessly into the story。 The unique format of the narrative will hook readers from the start—Ahmed alternates between Jawad’s and Safiya’s perspective， also including clips from news articles and interviews。 This writing style kept me engaged throughout， and I will 100% recommend this book to others。 。。。more
Meredith Miller
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This is absolutely the best book Samira Ahmed has ever written。 It's so relevant， it's so engaging， it's so unique。 She beautifully weaves together the genres of Owned Voices and Mystery to create this thrilling page turning- literally un-put-downable！ Between my desire to uncover all the evidence to reveal the truth， and my desire to dig deeper into the vial hatred that is perpetuated in our society， I simultaneously couldn't wait to finish and didn't want it to end。 I think this book is so imp This is absolutely the best book Samira Ahmed has ever written。 It's so relevant， it's so engaging， it's so unique。 She beautifully weaves together the genres of Owned Voices and Mystery to create this thrilling page turning- literally un-put-downable！ Between my desire to uncover all the evidence to reveal the truth， and my desire to dig deeper into the vial hatred that is perpetuated in our society， I simultaneously couldn't wait to finish and didn't want it to end。 I think this book is so important for anyone and everyone to read- Ahmed does an amazing job of ripping back the curtain on what so many in society turn a blind eye to or just simple don't understand enough to address。 As a teacher， I cannot wait to get my hands on hard copies of this masterpiece to give it to my students。 。。。more
Maddie Powell
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I liked Hollow Fires。 It is a good， clean realistic fiction novel that combines Ghost Boys with Monday's Not Coming。 This novel branches away from typical racial discrimination to tap into the often-overlooked Islamaphobia。 Hollow Fires is a great book but I like her previous novel Internment better。 I liked Hollow Fires。 It is a good， clean realistic fiction novel that combines Ghost Boys with Monday's Not Coming。 This novel branches away from typical racial discrimination to tap into the often-overlooked Islamaphobia。 Hollow Fires is a great book but I like her previous novel Internment better。 。。。more
On the Same Page
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ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 CWs: Islamophobia， racism， murderOne giant， endless conflict with a lot of nameless dead civilians。 Killed by drones， which somehow made Americans feel less responsible， because drones aren’t people。 But only a person can issue a kill command。 This is my first book by the author， and one thing is very clear to me: she has something to say。 She doesn't shy away from harsh truths， whether it's related to the politics ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 CWs: Islamophobia， racism， murderOne giant， endless conflict with a lot of nameless dead civilians。 Killed by drones， which somehow made Americans feel less responsible， because drones aren’t people。 But only a person can issue a kill command。 This is my first book by the author， and one thing is very clear to me: she has something to say。 She doesn't shy away from harsh truths， whether it's related to the politics within the US that cause suffering in other countries， Islamophobia， racism， and double standards， or the discrimination between Muslims based on what sect they belong to。 That's something I can definitely appreciate。One thing I learned by being invisible: People see what they want to see and decide it’s the truth。 But it’s not。 Let me show you。 Here are some things people thought were bombs:A backpack。A sack lunch。A loaf of bread in a brown bag。A camera。An e‑cigarette。A science project about circuits。A clock。 The story is told through two perspectives: Safiya， an aspiring journalist determined to get to the truth behind the string of threats and attacks on Muslims within her community， and Jawad， a young Iraqi boy who was murdered。 Jawad's chapters， while shorter， almost always landed like a punch。 Reading his perspective was honestly heartbreaking， and not only because we discover early on that he is dead， long before anyone thinks of his disappearance as more than a possible kidnapping。 The discrimination he faced made my blood boil， and I wish incidents like this were fiction。 Unfortunately， this is reality for a lot of Muslims living in the supposed lands of the free。The If a boy hits you， he probably likes you excuse。 The If he calls you a bitch， maybe it’s because you rejected him line。 Because it’s always， always the girl’s fault， right？ Safiya's perspective was focused more on trying to find the perpetrator behind the attacks， hampered by a school principal who staunchly denies that anything is wrong。 The pacing of the mystery is pretty satisfying， and although I called the twist pretty early on， that didn't detract from the story。There's a mixed media element here， where we get to see news articles and blog posts from different perspectives related to the Islamophobic attacks and Jawad's disappearance。 I thought they were interesting until the very end; the last chapter is mostly written in this style， and it became too much for me to enjoy。 Each chapter also starts with a mix of facts， truths， alternative facts， and lies。 Unfortunately， this didn't work for me。 Some of them were very vague， and others were too on the nose。As is often the case when it comes to books with Muslim characters， I was left wanting more from the representation。 There aren't a lot of references to the Muslim characters practicing their faith， and I've lost count of how many fictional Muslim girls end up dating a white， non-Muslim guy。 。。。more
Chelsea
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Overall a 4 star review for enjoying this book。 I feel this book would definitely be enjoyed by YA readers as I felt slightly too old to be reading this。 While it felt predictable as to who the murderer was， this almost added to the chilling undercurrent throughout the book as I felt I was just waiting for these characters to drop their act and reveal their true natures。 The social commentary throughout was well done and the characters felt authentic in their interactions with each other when di Overall a 4 star review for enjoying this book。 I feel this book would definitely be enjoyed by YA readers as I felt slightly too old to be reading this。 While it felt predictable as to who the murderer was， this almost added to the chilling undercurrent throughout the book as I felt I was just waiting for these characters to drop their act and reveal their true natures。 The social commentary throughout was well done and the characters felt authentic in their interactions with each other when discussing Islamophobia and other hate crime behaviours。 Reading the historical note at the end of the novel shed further horrors （view spoiler）[ when Samira Ahmed explained that the murder of Jawad is based on the murder of Bobby Franks。 The parallels were kept very similar which made everything feel so much more chilling， and I imagine a reread of this book with this knowledge would be interesting to spot the foreshadowing details that I had not known about。 （hide spoiler）]I felt the chapters were very choppy between Safiya and Jawad， at times barely being a page long before we swapped into the next character's POV which made it difficult for me to immerse myself into the correct narrative voice， however this may just be my personal preference。 I loved how other mediums were incorporated into the book， including news articles and interviews that broke up the book and gave us information。 I feel like it really added to the investigative journalism/documentary vibe。Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andrew Johnston
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Four stars， I loved the story but didn't like the format of the book。 There is normal linear narrative， jumps into the future and past， then interviews and statements and also academic style papers all contained within， to make it look like a case file。 This approach didn't transfer well to a kindle， it might be better in hard copy where it will be easier to see everything。 The middle section of the book where this approach calms down a bit was the best for me。 The actual story was excellent and Four stars， I loved the story but didn't like the format of the book。 There is normal linear narrative， jumps into the future and past， then interviews and statements and also academic style papers all contained within， to make it look like a case file。 This approach didn't transfer well to a kindle， it might be better in hard copy where it will be easier to see everything。 The middle section of the book where this approach calms down a bit was the best for me。 The actual story was excellent and even though you sort of know who is the murderer， there are several unexpected twists， and even right at the end， when the murderer is convicted you are still guessing what is going to happen next。 Plenty of social commentary too。 Netgalley ARC。 。。。more
umamah
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！trigger warnings: islamophobia， racism， bullying， anti-semitism and nazi ideologies， physical violence， kidnapping， murderHollow Fires is my favorite Samira Ahmed book to date！ This book follows Safiya Mirza， a high school senior， as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened to Jawad Ali， a 14-year-old boy who goes missing shortly after being falsely labelled as a terrorist and experiencing harsh bully Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！trigger warnings: islamophobia， racism， bullying， anti-semitism and nazi ideologies， physical violence， kidnapping， murderHollow Fires is my favorite Samira Ahmed book to date！ This book follows Safiya Mirza， a high school senior， as she tries to uncover the truth about what happened to Jawad Ali， a 14-year-old boy who goes missing shortly after being falsely labelled as a terrorist and experiencing harsh bullying。 As the mystery unfolds， Ahmed explores important topics such as Islamophobia， racism， and the corrupt system of the U。S。 that favors white supremacy over minority innocence。Firstly， I really enjoyed the format of the book！ It was dual pov， featuring both the perspectives of Safiya and Jawad， which I felt helped to really shape the story and bring it to its full potential。 It also included additional inserts， such as news reports， interview transcripts， and web article excerpts， which added an extra element to the story and clued the reader into things they didn't necessary get from Safiya and Jawad's narratives。 Plus， the book was set in both the present and near future， which was really unique！ With all of these different elements put together， Hollow Fires succeeded in being a engaging read。As for the characters， I adored both of them！ Safiya was the perfect leading lady！ So fierce， brave， and determined， it's no surprise she aims to be a journalist; she is everything a good journalist needs to be。 I loved seeing how much she cared about Jawad and making sure he and his family got the justice they deserved， and it was incredibly inspiring to see the amount and degree of risks she was willing to take to ensure that justice was delivered。 Jawad， too， was a wonderful character。 His chapters were my favorite to read！ While the media and the （*coughracistcough*） people in the book were relentless in their efforts to dehumanize Jawad， Ahmed made sure to humanize him through his chapters。 Jawad was so brilliant and sweet and imaginative， and it broke my heart to read about the suffering this innocent soul had to endure。 I also really liked the side characters， but I will say that I feel like Rachel and Usman kind of just disappeared towards the end？ I feel Usman especially deserved a bigger presence in the end given his significant involved throughout the rest of the book。 Other than that though， the characters were all great， and even with the antagonists， Ahmed did a great job with their characterization。I think the mystery was set up nicely and I liked the way it unraveled。 I also enjoyed the way Ahmed incorporated important themes in this book。 It made the book not only an enjoyable read， but an important informative one as well。ALSO， [REDACTED]'S CAMEO ？？？ THE GASP I GASPED OMG - did not see that coming， but omg i loved it。In conclusion， I would definitely recommend others to read Hollow Fires， especially for those who are fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson。 。。。more
Zoe Elizabeth （Booksatlunch）
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The reading experience for me on this one was closer to a 4 star， but I think I went in with some false expectations about the plot。 Once I got a handle on what was actually happening in the book， I really loved it！ The book centers about a school journalist trying to figure out if a local Iraqi boy whos gone missing is related to hate crimes that are happening at her private high school。 I love how this book deals with far-right radicalization in teenage boys。 The story feels incredibly realist The reading experience for me on this one was closer to a 4 star， but I think I went in with some false expectations about the plot。 Once I got a handle on what was actually happening in the book， I really loved it！ The book centers about a school journalist trying to figure out if a local Iraqi boy whos gone missing is related to hate crimes that are happening at her private high school。 I love how this book deals with far-right radicalization in teenage boys。 The story feels incredibly realistic （even with the slight paranormal aspect） and I think it's really important for teens to know that this is happening and be able to see the warning signs。 This isn't a super twisty mystery， it's more about the detective journalism。 The paranormal aspect and the multi-media pieces made for a really engaging book。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
TheseBooksAren'tMine
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Thank you to Little， Brown and Company and NetGalley for this eARC of Hollow Fires。 All opinions are my own。 To say Samira Ahmed held nothing back in Hollow Fires would be a massive understatement。 This book， which kind of feels like a sequel to her dystopian-tinged novel Internment （well， more text-adjacent， I guess， as this book very much takes place in a real present day）， Ahmed calls out white supremacy and privilege， Islamaphobia， and right wing media conspiracy theorists in what could be a Thank you to Little， Brown and Company and NetGalley for this eARC of Hollow Fires。 All opinions are my own。 To say Samira Ahmed held nothing back in Hollow Fires would be a massive understatement。 This book， which kind of feels like a sequel to her dystopian-tinged novel Internment （well， more text-adjacent， I guess， as this book very much takes place in a real present day）， Ahmed calls out white supremacy and privilege， Islamaphobia， and right wing media conspiracy theorists in what could be an all-too-real scenario—the death of a Muslim boy who was bullied and harassed after being arrested for bringing a bomb to school。 （In that regard， the book reminded me a bit of Jewel Parker Rhodes Ghost Boys—an innocent boy murdered for a misunderstanding that springs from hate and bias， and the dead wanting so badly to be understood。） Surprise！ It wasn't a bomb—just a Halloween costume。 Sound familiar？ That's because Ahmed takes several elements from the real-life news cycle and uses them as plot points for her book。 She mixes different media like transcripts of podcasts， text messages， and social media posts to give the book what I call "text features"—non-first person narrative elements。 The narrative itself is non-linear—she doesn't start at the beginning， flashing back and forth and weaving her narrative through time and perspective。Our main first person narrator， first-generation American， scholarship prep school student， and aspiring journalist Safiya Mirza， is a believable high school student。 She is precocious and outspoken—and very much targeted for her more liberal viewpoints that differentiate her from other students and the administrators at her nearly all-white private school。 When she discovers the body of the "bomb boy，" she is thrust headfirst into the mysterious death， discovering that maybe the truth is closer to her than she thinks。Samira Ahmed created a firecracker with this book。 As an educator， I've already adapted her book Internment into one of my book club units。 In this day and age where book challenges abound， even in liberal states and cities and towns， I would， however， have some trepidation about including this one in my classroom right now。 Individual students who are interested in social justice， cultural diversity， and a good mystery will adore this book。 And its message and power will remain long after this moment of our present has passed。 。。。more
Chris G。
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Safiya is a senior scholarship student at an elite Chicago prep school where she is trying to ”be the change” by writing for the school paper。 Amid anti-Islamic fervor， local public high-schooler Jawed is arrested when a teacher mistakes a school makerspace project for a bomb; though exhonorated， Jawad endures bullying and disappears after being seen getting into a car with persons unknown。 Though the police seem unmotivated to investigate， Safiya and her journalism friends are determined to dis Safiya is a senior scholarship student at an elite Chicago prep school where she is trying to ”be the change” by writing for the school paper。 Amid anti-Islamic fervor， local public high-schooler Jawed is arrested when a teacher mistakes a school makerspace project for a bomb; though exhonorated， Jawad endures bullying and disappears after being seen getting into a car with persons unknown。 Though the police seem unmotivated to investigate， Safiya and her journalism friends are determined to discover what really happened to Jawad。 Safiya and Jawad carry most of the narration along with interviews， texts， podcast transcripts， and timelines。 An engrossing， terrifying thriller。 EARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more
Lila （derricoreads）
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I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Safiya Mirza， future journalist， knows that the disappearance of Jawad Ali is more than just another runaway teen。 She knows it was more than just trying to escape the racist bullying of his peers and the Islamophobic prejudices of his teachers。 She knows because Jawad's ghost told her。 She knows because he led her to his body。 Disgusted by the police's apathetic handling of Jawad's case， Safiya pu I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Safiya Mirza， future journalist， knows that the disappearance of Jawad Ali is more than just another runaway teen。 She knows it was more than just trying to escape the racist bullying of his peers and the Islamophobic prejudices of his teachers。 She knows because Jawad's ghost told her。 She knows because he led her to his body。 Disgusted by the police's apathetic handling of Jawad's case， Safiya puts it upon herself to find out the truth of what happened to him and bring those who killed him to light。 With alt-right propaganda surfacing in her school and too many coincidences lining up， Safiya knows that Jawad's murder was a hate crime。 And being part of the silent， complicit majority is not how she was raised。I love the way Ahmed bends the realistic fiction genre。 Real-world events become the backbone of speculative storytelling。 She takes no prisoners and calls out our world and its injustices the way they are。 This book was a scathing commentary on "alternative facts，" white coddling， and the way racism is ingrained into and justified by our society。 The way fact and fiction combined to make this novel made it incredibly real and haunting。 This happens。 This is not fiction。 Young， impressionable， white boys are regularly recruited by alt-right algorithms。 Young， innocent children of color are regularly harassed， attacked， and unjustly killed。 Our kids are not all right。Ahmed never misses for me。 I love that she writes books for teenagers and encourages them to see their power。 Teens are told time and time again to shut up and wait。 Wait to grow up。 Wait to mature。 Wait to see what their parents do first。 Wait to see what their teachers are allowed to teach them in school。 These books are a reminder that the youth does have power。 They know what is wrong and what is right， and they CAN do something about it。 Ahmed's books should be in every classroom library。 。。。more
Jen
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** I read an advance reader copy of this book。 **This book was amazing。 Heart-breaking， disturbing， hopeful， wrenching， and beautiful。 All at once。 It was all too real with a slight fantasy/paranormal element that made the story more accessible and beautiful than it would have been otherwise。 This is a book that should definitely be in all school libraries and should be read by book clubs everywhere。
Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader
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RTC for blog tourThank you to the publisher and netgalley for my earc。
Stacee Sawyer
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Safiya Mirza is a 17-year-old desi Muslim with Indian immigrant parents。 She is also the editor for her school paper at DuSable Prep， a “limousine liberal” private school that pretends to be “woke” because it makes them look good。 Jawad Ali is a 14-year-old Muslim son of Iraqi immigrants in a Chicago public school。 He is also an aspiring inventor who loves to build things。 When he wore a “jet pack” he made for a Halloween costume to school， his English teacher called the police。 Although he was Safiya Mirza is a 17-year-old desi Muslim with Indian immigrant parents。 She is also the editor for her school paper at DuSable Prep， a “limousine liberal” private school that pretends to be “woke” because it makes them look good。 Jawad Ali is a 14-year-old Muslim son of Iraqi immigrants in a Chicago public school。 He is also an aspiring inventor who loves to build things。 When he wore a “jet pack” he made for a Halloween costume to school， his English teacher called the police。 Although he was not arrested， he was treated like a criminal and called “bomb boy，” after the incident。 When he disappeared a month later， he continued to get bad press。 The book starts when Safiya find’s Jawad’s dead body and pursues her own investigation into his murder。 The story is told in alternating chapters from Jawad（as a ghost） and Safiya。 There are also news articles and other sources mixed in。This novel is a compelling story that reflects the racism， propaganda， and general division between sides in the United States today。 The author clearly researched all aspects of the topic and I learned a great deal that I am still processing。 This powerful story with its authentic characters and Chicago setting kept me engaged through all 300+ pages as Safiya investigated Jawad’s murder and other racist incidents happening at her school and mosque。 It is a murder mystery， an eye-opening social justice exploration， and a heartbreaking， but hopeful story of two teenagers who long to be seen as much more than their race， religion， and skin color。 Mature middle schoolers could handle this book， but it would be a great classroom novel at the high school level， if our political climate allows it to be。 Most people will be fired-up in a good way after reading this novel。 。。。more
Chelsea Bashore
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To begin with ， thanks NetGalley for this chance to read Hollow Fires Early。 Samira has been one of my favorite YA authors for quite sometime。 Her work is always like someone just stealing your breathe and making you see the world more honest。 She’s also a fellow Chicagoan which is awesome。 This book is necessary。 This book is the heart wrenching story of 14 year old Jawad Ali， first racially profiled as a terrorist by a teacher thinking he built a bomb， when really he was just being a kid build To begin with ， thanks NetGalley for this chance to read Hollow Fires Early。 Samira has been one of my favorite YA authors for quite sometime。 Her work is always like someone just stealing your breathe and making you see the world more honest。 She’s also a fellow Chicagoan which is awesome。 This book is necessary。 This book is the heart wrenching story of 14 year old Jawad Ali， first racially profiled as a terrorist by a teacher thinking he built a bomb， when really he was just being a kid building a jet pack out of recyclables， then later found murdered。 This is the story of how high school senior Safiya uses the power of her words to solve what happened to him， while also dealing with an anonymous alt right targeting her family， community， and those fighting the light on injustices at school。 I think this is an incredibly powerful read in the aftermath of Kyle Rittenhouse and the way power is used to hand out simple slaps on the wrist to white individuals using societal “norms” （white， privileged， money， “just a kid”， looks good， etc） as cover ups for pure hate and racism。 I won’t give too much away but I also think this was important to show what an impact actions and choices can make in virtual worlds （Reddit etc） and how there really is such a technological science in hate finding and attracting hate。 You’re amazing， Samira。 Looking forward to buying and getting this in library shelves for students。 。。。more
Brechae’
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Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an eARC of Hollow Fires in exchange for an honest review。 Safiya Mirza is a 17 year old aspiring journalist and editor of her school’s newspaper。 Jawad Ali was a 14 year old high school student who was arrested and labeled a terrorist because his English teacher mistakenly thought he brought a bomb to class。 It wasn’t a bomb， it was a jet pack he built from recycled materials for a Halloween costume。 Safiya and Jawad’s families attend different mosq Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an eARC of Hollow Fires in exchange for an honest review。 Safiya Mirza is a 17 year old aspiring journalist and editor of her school’s newspaper。 Jawad Ali was a 14 year old high school student who was arrested and labeled a terrorist because his English teacher mistakenly thought he brought a bomb to class。 It wasn’t a bomb， it was a jet pack he built from recycled materials for a Halloween costume。 Safiya and Jawad’s families attend different mosques but their paths cross when an amber alert goes out that he is missing。 She starts to feel his presence and hear his voice， leading her to find his body。 With little to no help from the police， Safiya investigates Jawad’s murder and searches for clues to lead her to the killer。 She is determined to get #JusticeForJawad and ensure people don’t forget his name。 Hollow Fires is a poignant reminder that the lives of BIPOC men， women and children are not valued in this country and can be taken oftentimes with impunity。 It highlights the need to expose injustice and condemn the tacit duplicity of those in privileged positions who spout alternative facts to distract from the truth。 Samira Ahmed’s use of a dual POV through Safiya and Jawad’s chapters made for a more enthralling story than if we had only gotten Safiya’s POV。 I also enjoyed the blog posts， text messages， journal entries， transcripts， etc。 throughout that helped further give the reader a complete picture of what happened to Jawad。 There were many points during my reading of Hollow Fires where I had to take a break。 The break was needed because I was so enraged that Jawad was being dehumanized or Safiya was being gaslit。 I also had moments of sadness because of the poor treatment of BIPOC characters by authority figures or racist a-holes。 Although if I’m being honest that made me upset as well！ Even though I spent majority of my time wanting to toss my Kindle across the room， I truly loved this book！ The prose is phenomenal！ If you care about the safety/well being of BIPOC individuals it should stir up all kinds of emotions in you as well。 While I wish that Hollow Fires was just fiction， it sadly is an accurate reflection of the country we live in。 We have seen similar scenarios play out in the media time and time again。 Hollow Fires doesn’t hold the magic solution to how we solve the ills of the world （i。e。 racism， sexism， classism， Islamophobia， etc。） However， it does offer a way to start a dialogue about these important issues。 Through Safiya’s character it also teaches how to stand up for what you know is right even when you fear that no one will believe you simply because of how you look or where you “come from”。 。。。more
Monica Tolva
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So many elements of this book make it a must-read！ Safiya's passion as a student journalist hits very close to home。 Jawad deserved justice。 Readers see how it really is in the world - unjust， unfair， and demanding action。 Also loved the Chicago setting。 So many elements of this book make it a must-read！ Safiya's passion as a student journalist hits very close to home。 Jawad deserved justice。 Readers see how it really is in the world - unjust， unfair， and demanding action。 Also loved the Chicago setting。 。。。more
Sarah Ressler Wright
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Wow was this excellent。 Unique told and definitely authentic voices with enough suspense to keep readers interested。 I even liked it better than Internment。 Appropriate for mature 6/7th grade and on in my mind。 Fascinating listening to nonfiction Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming （a crime where two rich whire boys killed an innocent tween for sport in the Chicago 1920’s） and Samira has taken many details from that story and infused them into this story including the original names and inte Wow was this excellent。 Unique told and definitely authentic voices with enough suspense to keep readers interested。 I even liked it better than Internment。 Appropriate for mature 6/7th grade and on in my mind。 Fascinating listening to nonfiction Murder Among Friends by Candace Fleming （a crime where two rich whire boys killed an innocent tween for sport in the Chicago 1920’s） and Samira has taken many details from that story and infused them into this story including the original names and interests/personalities。 。。。more
Catalina
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All the stars because more books with this profound of a message and with this representation need to be written。 If this story doesn't ignite a fire inside you to get out and seek change in this world maybe you need to check your morals。 There were slight technical issues I came across， however with this being an early copy granted to me I understand and hope that those errors will be fixed by final print date。 Few structural and grammar mishaps as well as some fragmented sentences that didn't All the stars because more books with this profound of a message and with this representation need to be written。 If this story doesn't ignite a fire inside you to get out and seek change in this world maybe you need to check your morals。 There were slight technical issues I came across， however with this being an early copy granted to me I understand and hope that those errors will be fixed by final print date。 Few structural and grammar mishaps as well as some fragmented sentences that didn't flow well。 The story though is so powerful and needed。 We need to hear about the unjustified killings that poc are subjected to by white supremacists。 We need to hear it no matter how tough it is because it will invoke the change we need。 Sitting by quiet while poc are hurting is for the past and needs to stay there。 Be the change。 Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Jenni
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow！ This is easily going to be one of the top books for 2022。 A murder mystery thst focuses on Islamophobia and racism， readers will be on the edges of their seats trying to figure out who killed Jawad。 The best part of this story？ It's told by two different narrators: Safiya， a teen who wants to be a journalist one day and Jawad， the boy who has been murdered。 Do yourself a favor and preorder this book now。 Wow！ This is easily going to be one of the top books for 2022。 A murder mystery thst focuses on Islamophobia and racism， readers will be on the edges of their seats trying to figure out who killed Jawad。 The best part of this story？ It's told by two different narrators: Safiya， a teen who wants to be a journalist one day and Jawad， the boy who has been murdered。 Do yourself a favor and preorder this book now。 。。。more
Erin
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I can absolutely tell Samira Ahmed grew up in the Chicagoland area， the tone of literally everything， even the weather is so spot on。 It's a haunting book。 One that will stick with readers for a long time。 I can absolutely tell Samira Ahmed grew up in the Chicagoland area， the tone of literally everything， even the weather is so spot on。 It's a haunting book。 One that will stick with readers for a long time。 。。。more
Gayatri Sethi Desi Book Aunty
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The books is fierce & fiery & a #mustread & tell all your bookish people！That’s it。 Saying much more will give away the page turning thrills of a phenomenal story by a beloved talented writer we all so deserve。
Amani
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I just finished this book and it’s so haunting。 It’s beautifully written and possibly my favorite Samira Ahmed book。 Hollow Fires is an important book to read and it’s one that’s going to keep you up at night until you’re done。 This book is a tear-jerker！！Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book。
Lindsay Theaker
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Thank you to NetGalley and Sienna， Little， Brown books for this incredible digital ARC of one of my favorite and one of my students’ favorite authors。 Ahmed does it again with a timely， relevant， heart-pounding murder mystery。 Ahmed tackles Islamophobia and prejudice with delicacy and justifiable rage simultaneously。 Readers will be heartbroken and gripped by this fictional story inspired by so many true ones。
Kailey
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Samira Ahmed can’t write a bad book but she can break me open more and more with each new title she puts out。Her best work yet。 And that’s really saying something looking at how impressive her backlist is。
Cody Roecker
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this is Samira's best book yet and one you truly cannot miss。 this is Samira's best book yet and one you truly cannot miss。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hollow Fires
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hollow Fires&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hollow Fires&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0