Fiction

The Bad Muslim Discount

The Bad Muslim Discount

  • Downloads：8045
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-16 09:51:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Syed M. Masood
  • ISBN：0385545258
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Following two families from Pakistan and Iraq in the 1990s to San Francisco in 2016， Bad Muslim Discount is a hilarious， timely， and provocative comic novel about being Muslim immigrants in modern America。 For fans of Hanif Kureshi， Mira Jacob， and Mohammed Hanif。

It is 1995， and Anvar Faris is a restless， rebellious， and sharp-tongued boy doing his best to grow up in Karachi， Pakistan。 As fundamentalists in the government become increasingly strident and the zealots next door start roaming the streets in gangs to help make Islam great again， his family decides， not quite unanimously， to start life over in California。 The irony is not lost on Anvar that in America， his deeply devout mother and his model-Muslim brother are the ones who fit right in with the tightly knit and gossipy Desi community。 Anvar wants more。

At the same time， thousands of miles away， Safwa， a young girl suffocating in war-torn Baghdad with her grief-stricken， conservative father will find a very different and far more dangerous path to America。 These two narratives are intrinsically linked， and when their worlds come together， the fates of two remarkably different people intertwine and set off a series of events that rock their whole community to its core。

The Bad Muslim Discount is an irreverent， dramatic， and often hysterically funny debut novel by an amazing new voice。 With deep insight， warmth， and an irreverent sense of humor， Syed Masood examines quirky and intense familial relationships， arranged marriage， Islamic identity， and how to live together in modern America。

Download

Reviews

Micheline ，

The author Syed Masood created a strong story that encompasses politics， immigration， relationship， love， violence against Women， a story sprinkled with a sense of humour。 Even if the violence against women in the Middle East seems normal， I had some trouble with it。

Corina ，

This is a great novel。 Anwar is a young man born in Pakistan。 His family leaves Pakistan to live in America。 Anwar has always been different than his family， he considers himself a "bad" Muslim。 What makes this novel so enjoyable is Anwar's sense of humor。 He is hysterical， no matter the situation， Anwar finds the humor。 I loved him so much， he makes the sadness of Safwa's life a little bearable。 Safwa is born in Iraq。 Her life is small since she is a woman。 How Safwa manages to survive such a s This is a great novel。 Anwar is a young man born in Pakistan。 His family leaves Pakistan to live in America。 Anwar has always been different than his family， he considers himself a "bad" Muslim。 What makes this novel so enjoyable is Anwar's sense of humor。 He is hysterical， no matter the situation， Anwar finds the humor。 I loved him so much， he makes the sadness of Safwa's life a little bearable。 Safwa is born in Iraq。 Her life is small since she is a woman。 How Safwa manages to survive such a small sad existence is heartbreaking。 She is a strong woman who will do anything to survive。 These two characters meet in America and tragedy happens。 I enjoyed this novel tremendously。 I liked Anwar's strange life it was the sweet in the novel。 The bitter is having to read Safwa's suffering at the hand of men。 。。。more

Lynn ，

Romance with a Pakistani-American BentA formulaic romance that includes Pakistani culture as well as American and a smattering of politics that affects Muslim Americans。 It goes along with clear pattern that is recognizable to romance readers。 It contains smatterings of culture， food， politics and slang。 A name or two is dropped to prove how knowledgeable and smart the characters are and a happily ever after ending with a touch of tragedy。

Tangled in Text ，

I would love to read more books like this！ This was both extremely educational yet entertaining。 I've been so interested in learning more about the cultures and religions highlighted in this book that I loved how open and intertwined it all was！ I appreciated the historical fiction element that had this paralleling so many events happening in the US from the 90s to the 2010s。This was such a strong and powerful story that it unexpectedly became a favorite。 I had no idea what it was about going in I would love to read more books like this！ This was both extremely educational yet entertaining。 I've been so interested in learning more about the cultures and religions highlighted in this book that I loved how open and intertwined it all was！ I appreciated the historical fiction element that had this paralleling so many events happening in the US from the 90s to the 2010s。This was such a strong and powerful story that it unexpectedly became a favorite。 I had no idea what it was about going into it but came out of it impressed。 This was a great read and almost a modernized historical fiction？ Like a badass Nightingale？ 。。。more

Clara ✨ ，

“How you begin things is important。 This is true in checkers and in life， because at the beginning of things you are freer than you will ever be again。 Once the game starts， every move you make is influenced by what someone else has done。 The longer the game goes， the messier the board becomes， the more that influence grows。 But the opening， Anvar， belongs to you。”I'm going to keep this review short。 I'm not an own-voices reviewer， so I highly suggested to look for those to be sure the represent “How you begin things is important。 This is true in checkers and in life， because at the beginning of things you are freer than you will ever be again。 Once the game starts， every move you make is influenced by what someone else has done。 The longer the game goes， the messier the board becomes， the more that influence grows。 But the opening， Anvar， belongs to you。”I'm going to keep this review short。 I'm not an own-voices reviewer， so I highly suggested to look for those to be sure the representation is good。 I've read reviews both saying it was great and real， as that it was a bad portrayal of Muslim people。What I can say is that I really appreciated how raw the story was， discussing different people who are Muslim， but have very different realities and approaches to religion and life in general。 The plot was interesting， but what really made me like the book was indeed the characters。Again， it may sound ignorant （and I apologise for that）， but I can't really comment on the representation。 I can assure you that I really cared for the characters， since they felt like real people。 Overall， it was a great story。 。。。more

Apurva Sawant ，

The book tells a story of two central characters， one born in Pakistan and other in Iraq， both to very religious families， and their path to America， and into each others lives。 Both characters are broken and imperfect in their own ways who shy away from asking the help they need。 The central theme of the book is love， friendship， religion， religion-based faith， and the hardships of middle eastern refugees - particularly women。 The portrayal of the central characters is extremely raw and packed The book tells a story of two central characters， one born in Pakistan and other in Iraq， both to very religious families， and their path to America， and into each others lives。 Both characters are broken and imperfect in their own ways who shy away from asking the help they need。 The central theme of the book is love， friendship， religion， religion-based faith， and the hardships of middle eastern refugees - particularly women。 The portrayal of the central characters is extremely raw and packed with all the emotions you would expect from a Karan Johar/Ekta Kapoor clan。 There is a love rectangle - pentagon and an eventual hexagon that collapses back into a triangle geometry。 Funny at times with some quote-worthy comebacks， the book is also painfully sad， that you can emphasize with if not relate to。 The book was personally difficult to put down as the story is so engaging， that I found myself curious to know what was happening next。 Nevertheless， the more I think， the more I realize that this book may not be for everyone。 Though the book is not about Muslims vs everyone or immigrants vs non-immigrants， there are some viewpoints that might offend the conservative faith-based ideology。 This book reminded me of the experiences of an immigrant in the US noted by Ayad Akhtar in his Homeland Elegies through the first half of the book， but took a turn into the fictional movie emotional drama through the latter half。 The book is definitely recommended and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets picked up for a movie！ 。。。more

Ginger ，

4。5 stars。 Excellent！！ Loved it！！！

Sabine ，

A very well written book about two recent immigrants to the US from two Muslim countries （Pakistan and Iraq， respectively）， a woman and a man， who have vastly different experiences。 Anvar， who is from Pakistan and who has a great relationship with his grandmother and father， but not so much his mother and brother， is a jokester--clever， honest， always pushing the envelope and questioning his mother's and brother's "perfection"。 Mother and brother live very rigid and structural lives without much A very well written book about two recent immigrants to the US from two Muslim countries （Pakistan and Iraq， respectively）， a woman and a man， who have vastly different experiences。 Anvar， who is from Pakistan and who has a great relationship with his grandmother and father， but not so much his mother and brother， is a jokester--clever， honest， always pushing the envelope and questioning his mother's and brother's "perfection"。 Mother and brother live very rigid and structural lives without much time for fun or beauty。 HIs grandmother is very memorable in the lessons she teaches him and in the fact that he notices， even as a child， that his grandmother is so happy since becoming a widow。Safwa， as a woman， has a very different experience。 Her mother dies while she is young and her father wants her to fulfil her filial duties but she feels very differently。 Her father goes through his own horror at the hands of no other than his US captors but ultimately they both end up in the US as illegal immigrants。 Safwa has a life of horror。 Describing it too much will give away part of the story but she cannot share warm hearted stories of playing checkers with her grandmother like Anvar can--she doesn't have happy memories。 Her memories are mostly of pain and suffering and trying to survive。The two eventually meet， of course， and there's a bit of a love triangle on the sidelines （it is not the most prominent thing in the book）。 What I really loved about the book were the chapters on Anvar。 They were very funny （I read and listened to it， depending on what I was doing and the narrator who reads the Anvar chapters is simply hilarious） but also very smart--clever humor on culture shock and what it means to be a Muslim in a country about to elect D。J。T。 as the 45th President。 Trigger warning: violence towards women， including rape and assault。 Not very graphic。 Do not let the cover fool you。 This book is really good and it is NOT a YA novel， definitely meant for adults。 。。。more

Janice ，

A great story imbued with the moral ambiguity of life and faith。 It is told from the point of overlap experienced by immigrants， and even some expats。 It is both solemn and light， and funny， with the wry humor that gets one in trouble with many people。 I love that。 A really good and illuminating read。

Erin Goettsch ，

I was expecting this to feel much heavier， and was pleased that it has a funny honest tone despite a somewhat stressful plot peak towards the end。 I liked these characters and I liked their variety of stories （and I also can understand why some actively religious Muslims find it annoying that there is such a personality divide in this cast between devout believers and less devout; the world really does have more nuance than that）

Meghan ，

While I thought it was a well-written book， I wouldn't have advertised it as a "funny" book。 Sure， it had some silly lines， the overall theme of the book wouldn't be classified as humorous。 While I thought it was a well-written book， I wouldn't have advertised it as a "funny" book。 Sure， it had some silly lines， the overall theme of the book wouldn't be classified as humorous。 。。。more

Sally-Ann Mikati ，

Relatable in many ways for someone growing up in the west with eastern heritage。 Enjoyed in many ways。 Grandmother nannieja was on point。 Characters very likable and real。 Funny at times and problems faced quite real for so many。

Jordan Shipley ，

This book wasn’t what I expected。 It’s beautifully written and I loved the premise: main characters who are grappling with their moves to America， their religion/faith， their relationships （romantic and otherwise， with other Muslims and with non-Muslims）。 However， it really veered away from where I thought it was going， plot-wise， and I wasn’t a huge fan of many of the characters （I realize them not being perfect was part of the story， but they were all quite aggravating and not nearly fleshed o This book wasn’t what I expected。 It’s beautifully written and I loved the premise: main characters who are grappling with their moves to America， their religion/faith， their relationships （romantic and otherwise， with other Muslims and with non-Muslims）。 However， it really veered away from where I thought it was going， plot-wise， and I wasn’t a huge fan of many of the characters （I realize them not being perfect was part of the story， but they were all quite aggravating and not nearly fleshed out enough）。 Plus， I was never quite sure what to make of the relationship between two of the main characters: why did it start？ What was the point of it in the plot？ （Simply to enable a development at the end？ Idk） If you’re looking for a rom-com sort of book， this isn’t it。 But it wasn’t bad， either， and at many points I laughed out loud。 The writing really is that good！ 。。。more

Jennifer Heckman ，

📚Book 16 of 2021: The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M。 Masood🗣Who is this for: Romance lovers and anyone who is down for a character growth journey💬Reader’s Digest Version: The Bad Muslim Discount details the Muslim immigrant experience in America。 The two main characters: Anvar and Safwa， both come to America under different sets of circumstances。 This book dives into the different ways these characters assimilate into American culture and the toll it takes on their beliefs， family life， and roma 📚Book 16 of 2021: The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M。 Masood🗣Who is this for: Romance lovers and anyone who is down for a character growth journey💬Reader’s Digest Version: The Bad Muslim Discount details the Muslim immigrant experience in America。 The two main characters: Anvar and Safwa， both come to America under different sets of circumstances。 This book dives into the different ways these characters assimilate into American culture and the toll it takes on their beliefs， family life， and romantic relationships。 When Anvar and Safwa’s journeys collide， fate takes them down a harrowing， enlightening， and healing path that no one could see coming。🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: I loved this book。 The Muslim immigrant experience is not one what I have read much about， and it’s an important one for everyone to dive into。 This quote summed up the experience that I think many immigrants and other marginalized Americans feel living in this country。 “We live on stolen land， I finally said， “in a country built on slavery and reliant on the continued economic exploitation of other people。 The oppressor always lives in fear of the oppressed。 Americans have always been afraid， first of people native to this continent， then of black men， then of the innocent Japanese citizens they interned and now of Muslims and immigrants。 So the real question， I think， is who is next？”This book is funny， sad， and romantic。 It’s a love story。 It’s a story about perseverance and faith。 Everyone has a story。 It’s important to listen to these stories before we cast judgement。 Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5🙏🏻🙏🏻Big thanks to @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for the ARC 。。。。。。。。。#thebadmuslimdiscount #syedmasood #bookofthemonth #arc #netgalley #immigrantstories #muslim #readersofinstagram #reader #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #whatimreading #readinglist 。。。more

Kristine ，

Portions of the book were jarring。 Masood doesn’t shy away from the issues the characters face， including rape， murder， torture， religion and the struggle of identity。 While many of the events are sad， the author adds humor throughout and keeps the story moving quickly。 I found his leads endearing。 The author grew up in Pakistan and now lives in California， leading me to believe he has first hand knowledge of how some events in the story would unfold。 However， I can’t personally speak to the acc Portions of the book were jarring。 Masood doesn’t shy away from the issues the characters face， including rape， murder， torture， religion and the struggle of identity。 While many of the events are sad， the author adds humor throughout and keeps the story moving quickly。 I found his leads endearing。 The author grew up in Pakistan and now lives in California， leading me to believe he has first hand knowledge of how some events in the story would unfold。 However， I can’t personally speak to the accuracy of the story with regard to cultural representation。 Almost every single character was Muslim， and within that， they were all extremely diverse in their personalities and their participation levels within their religion。 Many of his characters show kindness， acceptance， love， compassion， and empathy。 。。。more

Helene Maneri ，

4。5⭐️

Brynne ，

I loved this book！！ Definitely one of my top 10 of the year。 Highly recommend 🙌🏻🎉👏🏻

Riana Autumn ，

At first， I struggled to keep the stories straight and kept confusing which families and side characters belonged to which narrator。 But I think that's more a comment on my forgetfulness and the fact that I often picked up this book after midnight when my brain was foggy。 But I really became caught up in both Anvar and Safwa's lives and stayed up way too late to finish this book。 I loved that while the book is obviously about race and religion， it's also about relationships， family， identity， be At first， I struggled to keep the stories straight and kept confusing which families and side characters belonged to which narrator。 But I think that's more a comment on my forgetfulness and the fact that I often picked up this book after midnight when my brain was foggy。 But I really became caught up in both Anvar and Safwa's lives and stayed up way too late to finish this book。 I loved that while the book is obviously about race and religion， it's also about relationships， family， identity， belonging - universal themes that aren't specific to just immigrant stories。 I also loved that this book showed so many different versions of being Muslim and practicing Islam。 I am not Muslim nor an immigrant， so this isn't a lived experience I can comment on， but it was a very interesting read for me。  。。。more

Danielle ，

Really entertaining！ Because her story was so unrelentingly sad， I wish there had been more of an ending for the safwa character。

Bookphile ，

4。5 starsI really love a book like this。 It's very readable with an engrossing story and engaging characters， but it presents a whole heap of issues to digest。 Anvar's snark immediately pulled me in and made me love reading about him。 His passages are often hilarious even as they're deep and thought-provoking。 The tone is far different when the narrative turns to Safwa。 I can see how this might make for a jarring and possibly uneven read for some readers， but it didn't for me。 Anvar probably app 4。5 starsI really love a book like this。 It's very readable with an engrossing story and engaging characters， but it presents a whole heap of issues to digest。 Anvar's snark immediately pulled me in and made me love reading about him。 His passages are often hilarious even as they're deep and thought-provoking。 The tone is far different when the narrative turns to Safwa。 I can see how this might make for a jarring and possibly uneven read for some readers， but it didn't for me。 Anvar probably appealed to me more just because of the humor in his voice， but Safwa's story was heartbreaking and compelling， and she made me think a lot about privilege and how blind those of us with privilege are to it。For those unfamiliar with Islam， this book provides a lot of food for thought。 There are so many strong elements to the novel， but the way it tackles religion is possibly one of the strongest。 Masood presents many versions of Islam here， which I think illustrates a pretty much universal truth about religion in general: it's not a religion in and of itself that's a problem， it's the way human beings interpret that religion。 Cynics or megalomaniacs or xenophobes can twist any religion to suit their needs。This is a deeply human book。 These characters are not perfect， but human beings aren't perfect。 I got so much out of the way this book portrays how people deal with pain and trauma， and how much that pain and trauma can affect their lives， even without their knowing it。 It doesn't shy away from posing tough moral questions。 Grappling with those is something Americans could do more with， that's for sure。 。。。more

Becca ，

I didn’t love the main character， but it was an interesting storyline。 The two perspectives showed very different situations， and although I nearly gave up on this one about a quarter of the way in， I’m glad I finished it。

Katherine ，

I loved the main character's funny perspectives on things and also his painful and true insights。 I loved the main character's funny perspectives on things and also his painful and true insights。 。。。more

Keith ，

I laughed。 I wept。 This is my favourite book I've read so far this year！ I laughed。 I wept。 This is my favourite book I've read so far this year！ 。。。more

Melissa Mclain ，

3。5 ⭐️

Molly Cummings ，

Loved this book！Interesting， funny， great story， so well written。 I laughed， I shed a few tears， I had a hard time putting it down wondering what the characters would do next。

Hailey ，

This book was pretty boring until about halfway。 As a nonreligious person I found it hard to pay attention and connect with this story。 There was excitement and mystery towards the end that made it worth it。

Colleen Myers ，

3。5 stars so I rounded up。 The female POV felt hollow - the central male character is funny and gets the best lines， and the female character really just feels like she’s there to advance the plot and help Anvar figure out his life， which frustrated me。

Benedict Navarro ，

For such a great story， a lot of audience must read your book。 You can publish your work on NovelStar Mobile App。

Joyce Banzhaf ，

A gripping， thought provoking， funny and timely book。 I can't wait for more by Msood。 A gripping， thought provoking， funny and timely book。 I can't wait for more by Msood。 。。。more

Mona ，

4。5 stars， but I rounded up。 So， as a Pakistani born bad Muslim ， I found this book very relatable in terms of the self doubt and taking stupid precautions。 There were parts that seemed a bit unbelievable， but overall， the author capture the craziness perfectly！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Bad Muslim Discount

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Bad Muslim Discount&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Bad Muslim Discount&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0