Review: Amal Unbound

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was very good, and a relatively quick and easy read, so might appeal to some of the more reluctant readers as well.

This is the story of Amal, a 12-year old Pakistani girl who is educated and dreams of going to college and becoming a teacher, until one day when the stress and fatigue from caring for her family while her mother struggles with postpartum depression causes her to mouth off to the wrong person. Jawad Sahib's family is powerful and wealthy, controlling everything in Amal's village and several others.

Jawad Sahib demands that Amal's father pay his debt in full immediately, which of course he can't, or surrender Amal to indentured servitude as punishment for her disrespect. Amal adapts to life at the Kahn compound, and is assigned to serve Jawad Sahib's mother, who treats her with kindness. While there, Amal learns dangerous secrets that could bring down Jawad Sahib and break the family's hold on her family and friends, but could also jeopardize her life.

Being a middle-grade novel, the story is a bit simplistic and the conflict resolved rather quickly and maybe a bit too easily. But that is exactly what makes it very accessible to younger readers and reluctant readers. According to the author's notes at the end, Amal's character is inspired by Malala Yousafzai and all the Pakistani girls who fight for education. She also notes that many girls are subjected to far worse circumstances for far longer than Amal.

I really liked Amal's character, seeing how she cared for her family and friends, but also wanted something more. I enjoyed seeing the relationship she developed with Nabila, who was at first her enemy but then became her friend, and Fatima, who became her first student. The relationship between Amal and Nasreen Baji was also interesting, Nasreen's unexpected kindness in contrast to her son's cruelty, and Amal's realization that Nasreen was just as trapped as the rest of them.

Some critique this book as being too idealist, though middle-grade books are rarely completely realistic, but I think it is important to plant a seed, the idea that even those that are poor, young, and oppressed can sometimes effect change if they work together are willing to take the risk. I would recommend this for ages 8-12.

Aisha Saeed is one of the founders of the We Need Diverse Books campaign, and this is her second book. Her first book was the YA novel Written In The Stars about a Pakistani-American girl being pushed into an arranged marriage, and she has plans for a picture book, Bilal Cooks Daal, expected to be published in 2019.

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