Description
Description
Two Iraqi American best friends--a struggling teen father and the community's golden boy--confront dark truths about their families in the wake of a devastating crime in this heartrending YA debut. As a seventeen-year-old single dad and a soon-to-be high school drop-out, Yassir Al-Azzawi's lapsed Shia faith is just another thing convincing his parents he's a failure. One more mistake, and they'll send him back to their homeland, a war-torn Iraq. Khaled Al-Hakim is perfect on paper: devout in his faith, a straight-A student, and captain of the debate team. But beneath the surface, Khaled is no saint either, and his worst sin yet is ignoring his parents' command to stay away from Yassir. When their secret friendship is exposed, the consequences set off a series of events that cause family secrets from both sides to come to light, and neither Yassir nor Khaled are prepared to learn the stains that taint their family names. Told through multiple POVs across time, this authentic exploration of the Shia Muslim experience in the U.S. seamlessly combines classic YA themes of identity, coming-of-age, and relationships with timely social themes of racism, Islamophobia, and justice. This compelling, contemporary debut is perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir's All My Rage and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.
About the Author
About the Author
Alaa Al-Barkawi is a first-generation, Iraqi American Shia Muslim writer. She is the co-runner of QuillersSWANA, a literary organization dedicated to Southwest Asian and North African writers, and serves as a Literary Peace Ambassador for Threads of Peace. Alaa holds a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and has worked with refugee and immigrant students for nearly a decade. In the Country I Love is her debut novel. Visit her website at AlaaWrites.com and follow her on Instagram @AlaaAlBarkawi.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A heartrending and unforgettable novel written with texture and profundity, this debut is the next great read that fans of Sabaa Tahir's All My Rage (2022) and Tahereh Mafi's An Emotion of Great Delight (2021) have been waiting for.
--Booklist (starred review) A multi-layered, deeply vulnerable novel about three young protagonists reckoning with grief, family expectations, and their faith against a backdrop of bigotry and hate. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Al-Barkawi leads with a strong setup: flawed characters dealing with family tensions, lapsed religious observance, and the increase in institutionalized Islamophobia. The taut writing pulls readers in, and the surprise reveal is utterly devastating. The author explores the atrocities of the Iraq War in raw and unflinching ways. . . . A gripping debut about generational trauma that mirrors many present realities.
--Kirkus Reviews A textured exploration of Shia Muslim life in the United States and the pressures facing immigrant youth. Recommended for all collections.
--School Library Journal A moving exploration of the ties that bind us in community, and the engulfing heartbreak that ensues when they break.
--S. K. Ali, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Saints and Misfits and Love from A to Z An intricately woven story that proves just how important it is to fight for the ones we love: our community members, our friends, our families, and ourselves.
--Aamna Qureshi, bestselling and award-winning author of When a Brown Girl Flees With care, heart, and nuance, Alaa Al-Barkawi has crafted a story that delves into the tangled pain between two best friends and their families to lay bare the love worth fighting for.
--Randy Ribay, award-winning author of National Book Award Finalist Patron Saints of Nothing Truly the debut book of the year and a story our time desperately needs.
--Sarah Mughal Rana, bestselling author of Hope Ablaze and Dawn of the Firebird In the Country I Love shines as brightly as it aches, commanding you not to look away. Unflinching and heartfelt.
--Maria Ingrande Mora, award-winning author of Fragile Remedy and The Immeasurable Depth of You As heartfelt as it is heartbreaking, Alaa Al-Barkawi gracefully unspools decades of secrets and injustice into the light of modern day. An elegant debut with a place on any bookshelf.
--Amanda DeWitt, author of The Underwood Tapes Al-Barakawi's stunning narrative and lyrical writing kept me gripped long after I turned the final page. This book is three folds stunning, gutting, and haunting.
--Heba Al-Wasity, author of Weavingshaw
--Booklist (starred review) A multi-layered, deeply vulnerable novel about three young protagonists reckoning with grief, family expectations, and their faith against a backdrop of bigotry and hate. --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Al-Barkawi leads with a strong setup: flawed characters dealing with family tensions, lapsed religious observance, and the increase in institutionalized Islamophobia. The taut writing pulls readers in, and the surprise reveal is utterly devastating. The author explores the atrocities of the Iraq War in raw and unflinching ways. . . . A gripping debut about generational trauma that mirrors many present realities.
--Kirkus Reviews A textured exploration of Shia Muslim life in the United States and the pressures facing immigrant youth. Recommended for all collections.
--School Library Journal A moving exploration of the ties that bind us in community, and the engulfing heartbreak that ensues when they break.
--S. K. Ali, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Saints and Misfits and Love from A to Z An intricately woven story that proves just how important it is to fight for the ones we love: our community members, our friends, our families, and ourselves.
--Aamna Qureshi, bestselling and award-winning author of When a Brown Girl Flees With care, heart, and nuance, Alaa Al-Barkawi has crafted a story that delves into the tangled pain between two best friends and their families to lay bare the love worth fighting for.
--Randy Ribay, award-winning author of National Book Award Finalist Patron Saints of Nothing Truly the debut book of the year and a story our time desperately needs.
--Sarah Mughal Rana, bestselling author of Hope Ablaze and Dawn of the Firebird In the Country I Love shines as brightly as it aches, commanding you not to look away. Unflinching and heartfelt.
--Maria Ingrande Mora, award-winning author of Fragile Remedy and The Immeasurable Depth of You As heartfelt as it is heartbreaking, Alaa Al-Barkawi gracefully unspools decades of secrets and injustice into the light of modern day. An elegant debut with a place on any bookshelf.
--Amanda DeWitt, author of The Underwood Tapes Al-Barakawi's stunning narrative and lyrical writing kept me gripped long after I turned the final page. This book is three folds stunning, gutting, and haunting.
--Heba Al-Wasity, author of Weavingshaw
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Peachtree Teen
Pub date:
2026-05-26
Length:
384 pages
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