Review: Love, Hate & Other Filters
I saw that LOVE, HATE, & OTHER FILTERS by Samira Ahmed had great buzz from educators on social media, and I was able to get a copy donated to my classroom through DonorsChoose. (Thanks, internet, for supporting my students' literary adventures!)
The title and cover had me thinking that this would be a light-hearted rom-com. I was unprepared for the stress that this book would put me through. In between each chapter is a vague vignette, with two stories unfolding at the same time: Maya's, and that of the stranger in the vignettes. Eventually, their stories come together, in a chapter that shook me because it felt so real, hitting all of our worst fears at once.
Lovely and heartbreaking... this books puts the reader in the shoes of families who have been targeted by xenophobic hate after 9/11. It was difficult to read at times, because the hate was so real and hurtful.
Everyone should read this - it will make them more compassionate, and more willing to step up as a defender of justice for all.
I'd also like to add that I lost sleep because of this book. I tweeted at Samira Ahmed, because her author's note was one of the most moving things I had ever read. Unbeknownst to me, this tweet would go viral, waking me up during the night with notifications of likes and retweets. I had to learn to mute my notifications so that I could sleep! (The tweet was deserving of attention, though - her words are so comforting in these politically scary times.)
