Hollow Fires, Samira Ahmed
Hollow Fires, Samira Ahmed
1 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
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Hollow Fires

Author: Samira Ahmed

Narrator: Samira Ahmed, Soneela Nankani, Amin El Gamal

Unabridged: 10 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/10/2022


Synopsis

This powerful, gripping thriller from a New York Times bestselling author shows the insidious nature of racism, the terrible costs of unearthing hidden truths—and the undeniable power of hope.
 
Safiya Mirza dreams of becoming a journalist. And one thing she’s learned as editor of her school newspaper is that a journalist’s job is to find the facts and not let personal biases affect the story. But all that changes the day she finds the body of a murdered boy.

Jawad Ali was fourteen years old when he built a cosplay jetpack that a teacher mistook for a bomb. A jetpack that got him arrested, labeled a terrorist—and eventually killed. But he’s more than a dead body, and more than “Bomb Boy.” He was a person with a life worth remembering.

Driven by Jawad’s haunting voice guiding her throughout her investigation, Safiya seeks to tell the whole truth about the murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs.
 
This gripping and powerful book uses an innovative format and lyrical prose to expose the evil that exists in front of us, and the silent complicity of the privileged who create alternative facts to bend the truth to their liking.
 
 

About Samira Ahmed

Samira Ahmed is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of young adult novels: Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know, Hollow Fires, as well as the middle grade fantasy adventure series Amira & Hamza. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in anthologies including: Take the Mic, Color Outside the Lines, Ink Knows No Borders, Vampires Never Get Old, and A Universe of Wishes.

She was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, Illinois, in a house that smelled like fried onions, spices, and potpourri. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Samira has taught high school English in both the suburbs of Chicago and New York City, worked in education non-profits, and spent time on the road for political campaigns.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rosh ~catching up slowly~ on May 11, 2022

In a Nutshell: Excellent intent. Needed slightly better execution. Will work well for its target YA readers. Story: Safiya Mirza is a journalism student. As an Indian-origin scholarship student who is also a Muslim, she finds herself facing biases on a regular basis but she tries not to let them affec......more

Goodreads review by ♥Milica♥ on May 10, 2022

Hollow Fires is based on a true story, one I'm not even sure I heard about. But you can bet I'll be reading up on it later, and starting with the book the author recommended in the historical note. That true case was "adapted" for modern times, and I think it was done very well. While reading I though......more

Goodreads review by gauri on May 12, 2022

Samira Ahmed weaves a story of mystery and Islamophobia in the most realistic way with hard hitting writing. rtc!......more

Goodreads review by tee on July 29, 2021

Wow. Just wow. How do I even write a review for this? It was just so good. So, so good.  When I tried to explain to people what this book is about, I sounded like a crazy person. It's part murder mystery, part ghost story, part romance, part exploration of how alt-right groups recruit teenage boys? A......more

Goodreads review by Amani on February 21, 2022

I just finished this book and it’s so haunting. It’s beautifully written and possibly my favorite Samira Ahmed book. Hollow Fires is an important book to read and it’s one that’s going to keep you up at night until you’re done. This book is a tear-jerker!! Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of......more


Quotes

"With Hollow Fires, Samira Ahmed offers us an impossible-to-put-down thriller that is both spectacularly haunting and deeply thoughtful. Safiya and Jawad are not narrators we usually see, and their harrowing story is a wholly original commentary on perception, community, and the way society weighs one life against another." —Sabaa Tahir #1 NYT bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes

"A powerful, timely, and relentlessly compelling read. Hollow Fires burns brightly with Samira Ahmed's trademark blend of thought-provoking social relevance, heartfelt coming-of-age, and whip-smart plotting."—Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"The book presents a ripped-from-the-headlines story that will be an easy sell both in terms of theme and topic."—School Library Connection

"A deeply chilling, inventive, and timely page-turner."Kirkus, starred review