#6: All My Rage
In this moment, I wish I were a poet. Not to speak beauty. But to speak pain.
All My Rage
Sabaa Tahir
Year Published: 2022
Pages: 374
Genres: YA fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, romance
Topics: Immigrant families, childhood trauma, addiction, debt, domestic abuse, drug abuse
Recognition:
Summary
Salahudin (Sal) and Noor have been best friends since first grade. They grew up as two of the only Pakistani kids in their California desert town. Sal's mother Misbah acts like a surrogate mother to Noor, connecting her to her Pakistani heritage after her parents' death forced Noor to move to America and live with her uncle Riaz.
But now Misbah is gravely ill, and Sal's father has spiraled into alcoholism as he struggles to cope. To make matters worse, Sal and Noor's friendship is thrown into question when Noor unexpectedly confesses her love for Sal at the beginning of their senior year. Sal recoils, and the ensuing fight casts a pall across their relationship.
As their time in high school draws to a close, Sal and Noor are desperate: Sal to save his parents' motel before the bank forecloses on it, Noor to get into college and move as far away from her bitter uncle as possible. Their desperation will bring them closer together but also change their lives forever and force them to share their darkest secrets.
All My Rage and Me
When I started hunting for interesting YA novels to read, All My Rage was one o the first on my radar. It's only the third book to win both the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Michael L. Printz Award, two of the most prestigious awards in YA literature, and it was strongly recommended to me by a middle school teacher, who said it was one of her favorite books she read in years.
Although it's only the sixth book I've read for this project, All My Rage was definitely my favorite so far. The three point-of-view characters (Sal, Noor, and Misbah) are so well defined, developed, and balanced that the narrative never slows or bogs down. And although the characters experience a great deal of tragedy, it always feels organic to the story and never descends into trauma voyeurism. Personally, I enjoyed the way Tahir characterizes Noor through her music choices (I even made a playlist of the songs she mentions), and the relationship between Sal and Noor feels truly authentic. I would recommend All My Rage to almost any teenager without reservation.
All My Rage also made me interested in learning more about the opiate epidemic in America, which plays an important role in the story.
Teaching Considerations
Young Adult: The main characters in All My Rage are high school seniors, and the maturity of the subject matter probably places it towards the higher age range for YA fiction. With Noor's strong focus on college admissions, the novel is probably most appropriate for 11th or 12th graders, although 10th graders could also enjoy it.
Small Group or Individual Read: All My Rage is charged with some pretty strong emotions, and teenagers might identify with the two main characters fairly strongly. I think letting them explore this novel on their own or in small discussion groups would be appropriate choices.
Poetry Analysis: Discussion of Elizabeth Bishop's villanelle "One Art" recurs throughout the novel, with Sal and Noor debating the meaning of the poem: Is Bishop hardened against grief, or is she encouraging readers to learn to leave the past behind? It's rare that a novel directly analyzes a great poem like this as a thematic element, and teachers could definitely include an analysis activity of Bishop's poem as part of a unit.
Sensitive Content: All My Rage covers a number of mature themes, including alcoholism, drug abuse, and child abuse. It also contains adult language and some racial slurs.
Read-Aloud Passages
- Back inside, Chachu flips on the classic rock station ... Noor + College = Never going to happen. (pp. 17-18)
- Noor recounts her rescue from the rubble of an earthquake by her uncle while also expressing her frustration with him. Parts of this passage are repeated throughout the novel at important moments, and it's a powerful read about Noor's past that also sets up an important theme of the narrative.
- I mutter goodbye and ride off. ... Fade out of this life. (pp. 138-140)
- After a visit with her imam and his wife, Noor wishes for a different life before encountering her angry uncle back home. This short passage is a strong encapsulation of Noor's character and internal struggle.
- It took me a long time to fit in when I was little. ... there has never, ever been anyone quite like Noor. (pp. 251-252)
- This short chapter, which comes at a pivotal moment in the story, summarizes Sal's relationship and feelings toward Noor in a brief episode from their childhood. Even though it comes about two-thirds of the way through the book, it's a good read-aloud introduction to the two main characters. The passage does contain one short Punjabi phrase.
Liked All My Rage? Try These:
- The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (2016)
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (2017)
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (2021)
Comments
Post a Comment