Book Review: Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi

Ramadan written by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi is a non-fiction children's book, which presents factual information about Muslims and their Islamic religion, particularly the holiday month of Ramadan. The book uses some authentic Arabic language, and explains it's meaning in English. The book is meant to inform others about the many special customs of Ramadan and the Arabic culture. Although the book is mostly factual, presenting information, it follows a young boy, Hakeem, an Arab-American, and his family through their traditions. The book begins with an explanation of what Islam is, and introduces the God, Allah. Then it explains to the reader that the Muslims follow a lunar calendar, and during the lunar month of Ramadan, all Muslims must fast every day for the entire month. Before a day of fasting the Muslims wake up early, before dawn, to have their meal called Suhur, which will provide them with energy to make it through the rest of the day. The only part of this book that I questioned the authenticity, was in the description of foods eaten at the Suhur. The foods eaten were everything from pastries, scrambled eggs, and toast to pancakes, maple syrup, and oatmeal. I guess I was expecting the Suhur meal to be authentic Arabic foods eaten at this special time. But then I had an after thought, Muslims in the United States or even in the Middle East could very well enjoy these types of foods for their Suhur, especially if it is readily available. The book focuses on all the positive aspects of Ramadan, from getting in touch spiritually, and forgiving others for all past arguments. The author, Suhaib Hamid Ghazi, was born in the United States, but later moved to Saudi Arabia, where he resided for six years. The illustrator, Omar Rayyan, worked with Ghazi to portray the book as an Arab-American family celebrating their Islamic faith. The book jacket quotes, "Mr. Rayyan included borders and panels in a more traditional Islamic style to remind us of the rich and exotic past of Islam and to create a visual contrast with the contemporary American Muslim life depicted in the story." I believe this book to be a good piece of multicultural literature because it provides many details to the religion and culture of Muslims, gives the reader some Arabic vocabulary, and takes place in the United States so it gives readers a chance to relate to the text and learn something about a culture that exists so close. Thinking back on my thoughts about the food in the Suhur, I think the author included that to provide contextual information about the time and setting and also help non-Arab readers relate to the story.

Book Info: Ghazi, Suhaib Hamid. Ramadan, Library of Congress, 1996.