Call Me Adnan

I saw Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi on a list of new-ish books written in verse, and it caught my eye since I've enjoyed other books by the other. The book description says, "Adnan Zakir loves table tennis. He's also colorblind and left-handed and has a fondness for the aviation alphabet. He's super close with his sister, Aaliyah, who is a great dancer and memorizer of the Quran, and he loves his little toddler brother, Rizwan, who only wants to grow up and play table tennis like his big brother. All Adnan dreams of is making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis Championship in Florida, and if he qualifies for the tournament, he knows he will get to spend the Eid holiday with his cousins. But when the family travels there, unthinkable tragedy strikes, and Adnan swears he'll never play table tennis ever again. Slowly, he and his family must learn to make peace and move forward, as a family."

I really liked this book. Adnan was a great character, and the story kept me interested. The book took a heavy turn in the middle that I wasn't expecting, which was very heartbreaking. But I liked the messages the book taught, and the author's note made me appreciate the author's own personal experiences with many of the circumstances in the book.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)