Yes, No, Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
- lucysbookishbabble
- Aug 24, 2020
- 2 min read
Back at it again with more praise for Albertalli, but this time with another AMAZING author, Aisha Saeed. Let me tell you; this duo was phenomenal in Yes No Maybe So. Yes No Maybe So has the typical coming-of-age and first love narrative, but stands out in its focus around teenage activism and political involvement.
The book switches between the narratives of Jamie Goldberg, an Ashkenazi Jew who struggles with anything girl-related, and Maya, a Pakistani American Muslim, dealing with her parent’s recent separation. The former childhood playmates reunite at age 18 to find themselves canvassing for a local election. Throughout the summer, the teens navigate activism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and cross-cultural romance.
I am not sure how the work between Albertalli and Saeed is divided, but the book read seamlessly. Both Jamie and Maya felt like characters from Albertalli’s Creekwood Series. They have the lovable relatability that makes the book. My heart broke for Maya when her best friend leaves, or when her parents split. But I also felt for Jamie throughout his awkward struggle to leave the friend zone.
An issue I typically have with YA is the characters not thinking/acting like teenagers. Still, Albertalli and Saeed were able to embody some of the emotions and thought processes of teenagers quite accurately. I found Jamie’s naivety to be an essential point in the story; he sometimes has a hard time wrapping his head around the implications of the election or his action. His consequences and though processes allow the authors to explain the issue to the reader.
While the authors can get in the teenage mindset, at times, it felt that they lost focus on the cultural aspect of the story. After Ramadan ends, we rarely see Maya at the mosque, and her religion is only addressed in terms of her mother’s hijab and her relationship with Jamie. Jamie’s plotline revolved around his sister’s bat mitzvah, but that is the most we see of his religious practices. Religion is wishy-washy to both characters, and I would like to see a narrative where a Muslim girl doesn’t have to fall in love with a white boy. I think that representation of cross-cultural relationships is essential, but I’ve seen a lot of it recently (Love, Hate, and Other Filters and A Very Large Expanse of Sea).
Overall, I enjoyed this read and would recommend to teenagers interested in activism and politics. I think if you can get past some of the religious issues, it has some significant points for voters and teenagers today. I hope you enjoy it!
Check Yes, No, Maybe So out on Goodreads:
Commentaires