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Book details

The Henna Wars

The Henna Wars

Published in
2020
3.94
on Goodreads (29,298)

Description

When Dimple Met Rishi meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in this rom com about two teen girls with rival henna businesses. When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.
Age
14-17
Text complexity
intermediate
Length
400 pages

Why to read

  • Explores complex themes of identity and culture
  • Promotes understanding of LGBTQ+ issues
  • Features strong, relatable characters
  • Addresses the topic of cultural appropriation thoughtfully