A New Book Asks, 'Are You There, Allah? It's Me, Cindy' - TIME

Sign Up for Our Ideas Newsletter POVSubscribeSubscribeSections

• Home
• U.S.
• Politics
• World
• Health
• Climate
• Future of Work by Charter
• Business
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Ideas
• Science
• History
• Sports
• Magazine
• TIME 2030
• Next Generation Leaders
• TIME100 Leadership Series
• TIME Studios
• Video
• TIME100 Talks
• TIMEPieces
• The TIME Vault
• TIME for Health
• TIME for Kids
• TIME Edge
• TIMECO2
• Red Border: Branded Content by TIME
• Coupons

Join Us

• Newsletters
• Subscribe
• Give a Gift
• Shop the TIME Store
• TIME Cover Store
• Digital Magazine

Customer Care

• US & Canada
• Global Help Center

Reach Out

• Careers
• Press Room
• Contact the Editors
• Media Kit
• Reprints and Permissions

More

• About Us
• Privacy Policy
• Your Privacy Rights
• Terms of Use
• Modern Slavery Statement
• Site Map

Connect with Us

By Sarah BegleyApril 14, 2016 6:53 AM EDT

Two years ago, there was an uproar in the usually quiet children’s-book world: frustrated by the overwhelming whiteness of kids’ books, readers took to social media to protest with the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Publishers took note. In 2013, children’s books featuring black, Latino, Asian or Native American characters accounted for only 8% of those released in the U.S., according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2015, that number rose to 15%. There’s still a long way to go.

One group that could perhaps especially use some fictional representation these days: Muslim-American kids. As fear about ISIS has stoked hostile rhetoric in certain quarters, these kids have felt the effects. Muslim-American parents have reported a spike in schoolyard bullying in recent months, with kids getting taunted for having “terrorist names.” According to the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune, some have wondered if they’d be deported if a so-called Muslim ban were put into effect. Who can be these kids’ fictional hero? Enter Zomorod “Cindy” Yousefzadeh, the lovable protagonist of It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel.

Iranian-American author Firoozeh Dumas previously wrote about her life experiences in the best-selling memoir Funny in Farsi, and she’s applied some of those biographical details here, for younger readers. Falafel opens in 1978, when sixth-grader Cindy (her chosen name) and her parents move to Newport Beach, Calif., straight outta Compton, where her dad was previously assigned on an oil project, and before that, straight outta Abadan, Iran. She faces certain expected struggles in her first year in a new school and neighborhood: teachers can’t pronounce her name, kids ask if she rides a camel, and neighbors think her mom’s cooking looks like mud. But when the Iran hostage crisis begins, the Yousefzadeh family encounters a new level of nasty incidents, from a dead hamster left on their doorstep to a visit from a plumber whose T-shirt says Wanted: Iranians for target practice.

Yep, history will repeat itself. But Dumas depicts each hurdle with compassion and laugh-out-loud humor. She has created an endearingly plucky character–any kid who’s felt like an outsider could relate to Cindy. Through it all, the young girl keeps in mind advice from her father: “Kindness is our religion and if we treat everybody the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a better place.”

More Must-Reads from TIME

• Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
• Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
• The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
• Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer? 
• Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
• How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
• Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness

Contact us at [email protected]

Edit Post

• Home
• U.S.
• Politics
• World
• Health
• Business
• Tech

• Entertainment
• Ideas
• Science
• History
• Sports
• Magazine
• The TIME Vault
• TIME For Kids
• TIMECO2
• Coupons

• TIME Edge
• Video
• Masthead
• Newsletters
• Subscribe
• Digital Magazine
• Give a Gift
• Shop the TIME Store
• Careers
• Modern Slavery Statement

• Press Room
• TIME Studios
• U.S. & Canada Customer Care
• Global Help Center
• Contact the Editors
• Reprints and Permissions
• Site Map
• Media Kit
• Supplied Partner Content
• About Us

© 2024 TIME USA, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy (Your Privacy Rights) and Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.