Ten Things I Hate About Me

Reach for this book when your teen starts expressing shame about their background or feels the need to wear a mask to fit in at school. Jamilah is a Lebanese-Australian girl who lives a double life: blonde hair and blue contacts at school to hide her heritage, and a traditional, strict home life with her Lebanese father. The story explores the exhausting emotional labor of code-switching and the fear of being outed as different in a biased environment. It is a vital tool for parents of middle or high schoolers who are navigating the tension between family loyalty and social survival. Parents will appreciate how it tackles casual racism and the complexities of the Muslim experience with both humor and unflinching honesty.