.
. WELCOME
. WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW. YOU KNOW WHEN KIDS CAN SEE
CHARACTERS IN THEIR BOOKS THAT
LOOK LIKE THEM OR HAVE THE SAME
CULTURAL EXPERIENCES, IT CAN BE
A POWERFUL THING THAT'S WHY
AUTHORS LIKE HANNAH KOHN HAVE
WORKED SO HARD TO INCREASE TO
REPRESENT OF MUSLIM CHARACTERS
IN THEIR BOOKS.
NOW I RECENTLY SPOKE WITH HANNA
ABOUT WHY THIS EFFORT IS SO
IMPORTANT AND GOT A SNEAK PEEK
OF HER NEW BOOK I'M THE SONG IS
A CONTINUATION OF OMINOUS
VOICE, THE FIRST BOOK IN THE
DUOLOGY AND IT REALLY CONTINUES
OMINOUS STORY.
IT'S ABOUT FINDING A SENSE
OF BELONGING, ABOUT YOU KNOW,
EXPRESSING THE POWER
OF NARRATIVE AND LEARNING ABOUT
HOW TO USE YOUR VOICE TO BRING
PEOPLE TOGETHER ACROSS DISTANCE
.
I'M GOING TO TRAVEL TO PAKISTAN
TO VISIT RELATIVES AFTER A LONG
TIME AND IS TRANSFORMED BY THIS
EXPERIENCE AND RETURNS HOME
REALLY EAGER TO SHARE THIS.
YOU KNOW HER LOVE FOR THE
COUNTRY, FOR THE PEOPLE, THE
PLACES, EVERYTHING.
AND WHEN SHE RETURNS SHE FINDS
THAT IT'S NOT AS EASY AS SHE
HOPED TO SHARE THIS NEW PASSION
BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN
IDEAS AND LIMITED INTEREST IN
WHAT SHE FEELS SO STRONGLY
ABOUT, WHICH IS I THINK
SOMETHING ANY CHILD CAN RELATE
TO WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT AS TO
WHY YOU'RE WRAPPING IT IN THIS
REALLY DIGESTIBLE MANNER WHICH
I THINK IS AMAZING.
WHAT HAS THE EVOLUTION
OF MUSLIM REPRESENTATION IN
CHILDREN, THE CHILDREN'S BOOK
INDUSTRY BEEN LIKE OVERALL?
SO WHEN I BEGAN WRITING BOOKS
FOR CHILDREN FEATURING MUSLIM
CHARACTERS THEY WERE VERY, VERY
FEW MUSLIM AUTHORS BEING
PUBLISHED IN THE MAINSTREAM.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I NEVER
SAW WHEN I WAS GROWING UP AND
WHEN I BECAME A MOTHER STILL
FOUND VERY LITTLE
REPRESENTATION OUT THERE.
SO THAT WAS SOMETHING I REALLY
WANTED TO SET ABOUT CHANGING
OVER THE YEARS I HAVE SEEN MORE
IT'S SORT OF MOVING FROM
STORIES THAT INTRODUCE US AND
OUR CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS MORE
INTRODUCTORY CELEBRATIONS,
THINGS LIKE THAT TO ACTUALLY
STORIES THAT FEATURE MUSLIM
PROTAGONISTS IN A IN A REALLY
NUANCED AND FULLY REALIZED WAY
WHERE CHARACTERS GET TO BE KIDS
AND DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS AND
EXPERIENCE ALL KINDS
OF ADVENTURES AND BE FULL
CHILDREN LIKE ANYBODY ELSE AND
CHARACTERS.
YEAH, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED YOUR
ROLE AS A MOTHER AS INSPIRED
YOU TO WRITE BUT WHAT HAVE YOUR
OWN EXPERIENCES OR HOW HAVE
YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES SHAPED THE
CHARACTERS YOU CREATE?
SO I THINK FOR ME GROWING UP IN
AMERICA ATTENDING PUBLIC
SCHOOLS MAYBE FEELING A LITTLE
BIT INVISIBLE OR UNSEEN WHEN I
WAS GROWING UP, YOU KNOW, NOT
VERY WELL UNDERSTOOD MADE A BIG
DIFFERENCE AND I FEEL LIKE I
WANT MY KIDS I WANT KIDS LIKE
ME A LITTLE ME TO BE SEEN AND
TO BE INCLUDED AND TO FEEL LIKE
THEIR STORIES MATTER, THAT THE
THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO THEM AT
HOME IN THEIR COMMUNITY ARE ALL
PART OF THEIR STORY AND THAT
THOSE THINGS HAVE VALUE.
WE ALL NEED TO SEE
REPRESENTATION AND TO FEEL LIKE
OUR STORIES DO MATTER.
YEAH, WE NEED TO SEE SOMEONE
THAT IS LIKE US AND THAT DOES
INSPIRE WHAT KINDS OF THEMES OR
I GUESS LESSONS DO YOU THINK
SHOULD BE IN CHILDREN'S BOOKS
RIGHT NOW?
SO I DEFINITELY TRY TO AVOID
ANYTHING THAT COMES OFF LIKE A
LESSON I WANT TO TELL A STORY
THAT FEELS RELATABLE TO PULING
AND FUN BECAUSE KIDS I THINK
CAN DEFINITELY PICK UP IF THEY
FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING REACHED
OUT OR TAUGHT IN ANY WAY.
THAT'S WHY WE'VE GOT YEAH I
KNOW RIGHT.
BUT WE DEFINITELY DO WANT KIDS
TO THINK MORE CRITICALLY OF THE
WORLD THAT THEY LIVE IN TO NOT
JUST ACCEPT STORIES THAT MAY BE
ONE SIDED OR, YOU KNOW,
JUDGMENTS OF OTHER PEOPLE AND
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I HOPE
FOR.
I HOPE THAT KIDS WHO COME TO MY
BOOKS LEAVE FEELING LIKE
THEY'VE MADE A FRIEND WHO IS A
PAKISTANI AMERICAN, A MUSLIM
AND HOPEFULLY THEY FIND A LOT
TO BE ABLE TO RELATE TO IN MY
CHARACTERS AND IN THEIR
FAMILIES AND OVERALL MESSAGES
THAT WE ALL HAVE SO MUCH MORE
IN COMMON WITH EACH OTHER THAN
WE DO THAT'S DIFFERENT AS A
PARENT IS REALLY INVALUABLE.
BUT IS THERE A WAY TO REALLY
TEACH KIDS ABOUT SOMETHING AS
LARGE AS GEOPOLITICS THROUGH A
STORY?
I THINK SO AND I THINK YOU
KNOW, KIDS KIDS ARE LISTENING.
KIDS ARE PICKING UP ON WHAT WE
TALK ABOUT AT THE DINNER TABLE
LIKE WHAT THEY'RE HEARING IN
THE NEWS UNFORTUNATELY.
AND WHEN COMES TO AMERICAN
MUSLIMS WE'RE SEEING THAT, YOU
KNOW, AMERICAN MUSLIM KIDS ARE
OFTEN BEING BULLIED AND THEY'RE
HEARING THINGS IN THE MEDIA AND
OTHER PLACES THAT ARE NEGATIVE
TOWARDS MUSLIMS.
AND SO YOU KNOW, THAT IS ALL
COMPLICATED AND I THINK IT IS A
GOOD WAY TO SORT OF BREAK
THROUGH THOSE STEREOTYPES AND
THOSE VERY LIMITED PERCEPTIONS
AND GET PEOPLE TO KNOW EACH
OTHER AND REALLY DOVE INTO
THEIR LIVES AND MAYBE QUESTION
SOME OF THOSE TERRIBLE
NARRATIVES THAT ARE BEING
SPREAD OUT THERE.
ABSOLUTELY.
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON
WHERE ONE OF THE READERS MAY BE
INTRODUCING THEM TO A WHOLE NEW
WORLD THAT THEY'VE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE.
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
IN SOME CASES AND WE HEAR ABOUT
YOU KNOW, A GOOD PERCENTAGE
OF