The Strongest Heart

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Pakistani American author Saadia Faruqi has written a deeply empathetic story about a boy grappling with his father’s mental illness and trying to find home and family in a new place. 

Mo has gotten used to tuning out his father’s fits of rage. He knows that the best way to respond is not to engage. Apparently, his mama knows that too—which is why she took an important job on the other side of the world, leaving Mo alone with Abbu. Without Mama, Mo and Abbu move to Texas to live with Mo’s aunt and cousin, Rayyan. The two boys could not be more different. Rayyan is achievement-driven and factual; Mo is a known “bad kid,” just doing his best to survive in an unfair world (with the help of the South Asian folktales he treasures).Still, there is a lot to like about living in Texas. Sundays at the mosque are better than he’d expected. And Rayyan doesn’t dismiss Mo’s fears and sees beyond his outer shell.But even in a warm home and a school where he can start to see a future, Mo knows that the monster his father has within him can break out at any moment . . .Beloved middle grade author Saadia Faruqi has crafted a poignant exploration of the impact of mental illness on families—and the love and hope that it takes to begin telling a different tale.

About the Author

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer, interfaith activist, and cultural-sensitivity trainer. She is the author of the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Saving Sunshine, the popular early-reader series Yasmin, and the middle grade novels A Thousand Questions, Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero, and The Partition Project and the coauthor of the middle grade novel A Place at the Table as well as The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World. She was profiled in O magazine as a woman making a difference in her community and serves as editor in chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry, and prose. She resides in Houston, Texas, with her family.