FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT A THOUSAND QUESTIONS
Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi’s tender and honest middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval with kind hearts, big dreams, and all the right questions. A Thousand Questions (Quill Tree Books, Oct 6). Preorder here.
When I started writing A Thousand Questions, I wondered if anyone in the U.S. would be interested in reading about my birth country of Pakistan. Add to that the fact that this book isn’t about some big tragedy or major injustice, but rather a story about everyday life in another country. I’ve decided that the answer to this question is yes. Our young readers today are smart and curious. They look forward to books in unusual settings because they want to learn and be entertained.
So here are five important (and fun) things a reader will take away from A Thousand Questions:
- Life in other countries is very similar to ours.
Often, we tend to exoticize life in other countries. How many times have you heard a British accent and thought it sounded just the coolest? And how many times have you met someone from the Middle East and wondered how much freedom they had? A Thousand Questions showcases the everyday, mundane tasks of life in Pakistan through two perspectives: Mimi’s new, wondering perspective as an outsider, and Sakina’s weary, old perspective of someone who’s lived there all her life. From the streets of Karachi to the delicious foods cooked in Nani’s kitchen, there is so much American readers will find familiar and comforting.
2. Speaking of food, Pakistani cuisine is delicious.
Sakina’s father is the cook in Mimi’s grandparents’ house, and he takes pride in cooking the most delicious and mouthwatering food. Interestingly this isn’t the food you’d find in a south Asian restaurant (tikka or biryani for example) but ordinary household foods I grew up eating, such as aaloo gosht or pulao. What’s especially relevant is that Mimi, the American grandchild, finds the food too spicy in the beginning of the story. But as time goes by, she learns to appreciate what’s on the table. I think readers are like that as well: they may find a book like A Thousand Questions unusual at first, but they’ll hopefully love it as they continue to read.
3. Karachi is an amazing destination for tourists.
Like any other big city, Karachi (the financial center of Pakistan) has its fair share of problems. Overcrowding, poverty, bad roads, etc. But it’s also an incredibly diverse city and a premier destination for tourists to South Asia. I was born in Karachi and grew up there, so I know all the best places to visit, from British-era buildings and open-air vegetable markets, to multi-storied indoor amusement parks and big malls housing the latest international items. Mimi rides a camel on the beach, sits in a noisy rickshaw, and visits a mausoleum – all things I did in my youth. Aaliya Jaleel was the fantastic illustrator who created the cover of A Thousand Questions with Karachi’s beautiful – and to me, beloved – skyline.
4. Friendships can jump across language and cultural barriers.
At its heart, A Thousand Questions is a friendship story. Mimi arrives from America at her grandmother’s house, yearning for the father who’s left her. Sakina is the cook’s daughter, too busy trying to get admission into school while keeping it a secret from her family to be interested in the new guest. They hardly speak each other’s languages, and the way they’ve both grown up is worlds apart. Yet they find something in common: they both have big, impossible dreams. And they’re both determined to accomplish those dreams. If there’s a lesson in this book, it is that friendship takes courage and patience, but is always worth it.
5. Democracy is something to be grateful for.
During the course of the summer, while Mimi and Sakina are slowly becoming friends, there is also something bigger than them happening: a national election. Just like we’re counting down the days to the 2020 elections in the U.S. the characters in the book are counting down the days to elect their leaders. There is a lot of election drama, including violence and corruption. All this is important for American readers, both young and old, to read about. Only then can we truly understand the value of true democracy, and how fragile it can be.
I wrote A Thousand Questions to share my childhood memories with my readers. I wanted to show you my heritage: where I came from, and what made me who I am today. Preorder now by clicking here.
Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author, essayist and interfaith activist. She writes the children’s early reader series “Yasmin” published by Capstone and other books for children, including middle grade novels “A Place At The Table” (HMH/Clarion 2020) co-written with Laura Shovan, and “A Thousand Questions” (Harper Collins 2020). She has also written “Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan” a short story collection for adults and teens. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She resides in Houston, TX with her husband and children.
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