Reviews with content warning for Violence - Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab

This graphic novel felt short, but it really packed a punch. It is widely about the relationship Muslim women have to the hijab: what the hijab represents, why Muslim women might choose to wear the hijab or not, and also how outside forces can impact on how they experience this practice. I also loved the focus on relationships, especially on Nisrin and Firuzeh's relationship and the nuance that was given there. The art style was absolutely unique: colour and art were both used in a way I haven't really seen in graphic novels before. It was so emotive and expressive, and metaphoric as well. I think the best way to describe it is that it placed the importance on telling the story through art, not words. Finally the extra material of Nisrin's project on Bangladesh was a wonderful addition.

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knockoffrainbow's review

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challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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sallytiffany's review

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations! It’s absolutely stunning. The story is really well written and the characters engaging. The pictures were hard to follow sometimes though, and I often got confused on who was who.

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sabrinaxlim's review

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I wish I understood it more. The way the author and illustrator put together this story didn’t make any chronological or thematic sense to me. It felt like it was supposed to be profound and I just didn’t get the memo.

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therainbowshelf's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A beautifully illustrated story. Nisrin works to overcome trauma, seeks to find connections to her family's culture, faces racism, builds friendship, & showcases her excellent anime taste. I loved this, & the references were a treat. There's also an illustrated recipe at the end, & I love those! Warnings for racism, hate crime, references to rape, panic attacks, & remembering living in war/political upheaval.

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ashylibrarian's review

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challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

This is a powerful book.

Within the first handful of pages, Nisrin becomes the victim of a horrific hate crime. Nisrin is attacked while she and her friend walk home from their school's World Cultures Day presentations. There are not many words exchanged during this scene, but the illustrations give power to all that is not said. After this attack, Nisrin spends her summer isolated in her home, fearful of leaving its safety.

After visiting family before school started for the year, Nisrin decides that she is going to wear hijab and learn more about Islam. This initially outrages her grandfather and worries her mother and grandmother. Initially, her family does not tell Nisrin why her wearing hijab upsets them, and this leads to her feeling as though her voice is not being heard. Self-educating and asking questions, Nisrin becomes more and more confident in the person she is building herself up to be. As her family sees this, they start to tell her more about her family's history, including why they left Bangladesh.

Partnered with beautiful watercolor-style illustrations that bring so much to the words that are written as well as those that are not, this story is one that needs to be shared with young readers. Though this book can be extremely heavy during certain scenes, it brings light to discussions around identity exploration, familial history, and becoming happy in your own skin. Huq has crafted a beautiful story that will touch the lives of many readers in the future.

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