In Khadijah VanBrakle's debut novel, Fatima Tate wants to be a baker and enjoy some innocent flirting with her hot friend Raheem — but her strict Muslim parents would never approve of either ...
VanBrakle’s book, a YA contemporary novel, is notable for tackling underrepresented social issues within Muslim communities. The book follows 17-year-old aspiring baker Fatima who thinks her dreams have come true when her parents serendipitously arrange a marriage to her secret boyfriend, a charming college boy. But once a ring is on Fatima’s finger, her fiance’s charm twists into manipulation and control. And when Fatima tries to leave, her fiance threatens to reveal their premarital relationship to their whole community, leaving Fatima to own her body, her choice and her future.
“Fatima Tate Takes the Cake” has been described as “a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.”
Seventeen-year-old Fatima Tate, aspiring baker (100% against her conservative parents’ wishes), leads a pretty normal life in Albuquerque: long drives with BFF Zaynab, weekly services at the mosque, big family parties, soup kitchen volunteering (the best way to perfect her flaky dough recipe!), stressing about college.
But everything changes when she meets a charming university student named Raheem. Knowing the ‘rents would freak, Fatima keeps their burgeoning relationship a secret … and then, one day, her parents and his parents decide to arrange their marriage. Amazing! True serendipity!
Except it’s not amazing. As soon as the ring is on Fatima’s finger, Raheem’s charm transforms into control and manipulation. Fatima knows she has to call the whole thing off, but Raheem doesn’t like to lose. He threatens to reveal their premarital sexual history and destroy her and her family’s reputation in their tight-knit Muslim community.
Fatima must find the inner strength to blaze her own trail by owning her body, her choices, and her future. Combining the frank authenticity of Elizabeth Acevedo and the complex social dynamics of Ibi Zoboi, “Fatima Tate Takes the Cake” is a powerful coming-of-age story that gives a much-needed voice to young Black Muslim women.
Also nominated for an award in the same category is “Everyone's Thinking It” by debut author Aleema Omotoni. “Everyone’s Thinking It” tells the story of two Nigerian cousins who must reckon with life in very different ways at their predominantly white private school in England. This compelling exploration of the high price of fitting in, which has been compared favorably to “Mean Girls” (2004), was praised heavily at the time of its publication.
Both “Fatima Tate Takes the Cake” and “Everyone’s Thinking It” are on sale now. The winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards will be revealed on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The feature-length “Ramadan American” comprises five narrative short films written by American Muslim writers, featuring stories about the holidays Ramadan and Eid.
Ahmed wrote in an Instagram post that, “I wrote ‘This Book Won’t Burn’ … because teens around the country are fighting for their right to read; because librarians and teachers are fighting for our fundamental freedoms; because writing this story is one way I could lend my voice to this battle.”
The Initiative, a partnership between the Islamic Scholarship Fund and Rifelion, was created to support up-and-coming American Muslim writers. Each winning team includes at least one person identifying as a Muslim. This year's theme was "stories about Ramadan or Eid."
