Adiba Jaigirdar

Last updated

Adiba Jaigirdar
Born
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi-Irish
Alma mater
OccupationWriter
Notable work The Henna Wars

Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi-Irish writer. Her debut novel, The Henna Wars, is listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time, alongside novels such as Little Women , Lord of the Flies , and The Catcher in the Rye . [1]

Contents

Personal life

Jaigirdar was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, [2] then alternated between living in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh as a child. [3] At age ten, she and her family immigrated to Tullamore, Ireland; [3] she has lived in the Dublin region ever since. [2]

Throughout much of her life, she has been in situation where she is among only a few people of color, an experience that has shaped her writing. [3]

Jaigirdar identifies as a queer Muslim woman of color. [4] [5] [6] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person." [7] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young Muslim people of color can embrace their queer identities. [7] [8]

Education

After immigrating to Ireland at age 10, Jaigirdar attended an all-girls Catholic school. [4] She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from University College Dublin, as well as a Master of Arts in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent. [2] [4]

Career

Aside from writing young adult novels, Jaigirdar has been a writer for Book Riot. [9] She also teaches English as a foreign language to recent immigrants to Ireland. [4]

Jaigirdar has written about people like herself and stated, "My very existence is political, so the things that I write will also be seen as inherently political." [6] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person." [7] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young people of color can embrace their queer identities. [7]

Selected texts

The Henna Wars (2020)

The Henna Wars was published May 12, 2020 in the United States and October 2021 in the United Kingdom. The book follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi teenager who comes out as a lesbian while in high school.

The novel deals with a number of themes, including racism, homophobia, [10] Islamophobia, and coming-of-age. The intersection between Nishat's cultural identity and her sexual identity is a central theme of the novel. Lana Barnes of Shelf Awareness described Nishat's struggle as "the dichotomy of wanting to break from the constraints of tradition while still maintaining strong ties to culture and beliefs." [11]

The Henna Wars has received generally positive reviews, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Shelf Awareness . [12] [11] Time included The Henna Wars on their list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time, alongside novels such as Little Women , Lord of the Flies , and The Catcher in the Rye . [1] It was listed as one of the best young adult books of 2020 and 2021 by Teen Vogue , American Library Association, The Irish Times , Autostraddle and NPR. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

Publications

Anthology contributions

Related Research Articles

Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. Stories that focus on the challenges of youth may be further categorized as social or coming-of-age novels.

Ellen Wittlinger was an American author of young adults novels, including the Printz Honor book Hard Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariko Tamaki</span> Canadian writer and artist (born 1975)

Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian artist and writer. She is known for her graphic novels Skim, Emiko Superstar, and This One Summer, and for several prose works of fiction and non-fiction. In 2016 she began writing for both Marvel and DC Comics. She has twice been named a runner-up for the Michael L. Printz Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malinda Lo</span> American writer

Malinda Lo is an American writer of young adult novels including Ash, Huntress, Adaptation, Inheritance,A Line in the Dark, and Last Night at the Telegraph Club. She also does research on diversity in young adult literature and publishing.

Sarah Janet Maas, known as Sarah J. Maas is an American fantasy author known for her fantasy series Throne of Glass,A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. As of 2024, she has sold nearly 40 million copies of her books and her work has been translated into 38 languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh Bardugo</span> Israeli–American fantasy author (born 1975)

Leigh Bardugo is an American fantasy author. She is best known for her young adult Grishaverse novels, which include the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows and King of Scars duologies. She also received acclaim for her paranormal fantasy adult debut, Ninth House. The Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows series have been adapted into Shadow and Bone by Netflix, and Ninth House will be adapted by Amazon Studios; Bardugo is an executive producer on both works.

Atia Abawi is an American author, DEI speaker and television journalist. While working as a foreign correspondent, she was based in Kabul, Afghanistan, for almost five years. Her first book, the critically acclaimed The Secret Sky: A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan was published by Penguin Random House in September 2014. Abawi is known for her strong support for female empowerment in both her writing and reporting. She is fluent in Dari and is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Alice May Oseman is an English author and illustrator of young adult fiction. She secured her first publishing deal at 17 and published her first novel Solitaire in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdi Nazemian</span> Iranian-American writer and producer (born 1976)

Abdi Nazemian is an Iranian-American author, screenwriter, and producer. His debut novel, The Walk-In Closet, won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction at the 27th Lambda Literary Awards. He has subsequently received a second Lambda Literary Award for his young adult novel Only This Beautiful Moment, as well as a Stonewall Book Award for Only This Beautiful Moment and a Stonewall Honor for Like a Love Story, both from the American Library Association.

Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.

C. B. Lee is an American author of young adult literature based in Los Angeles, California. They are best known for their Sidekick Squad series, which follows a quartet of teenagers in a near future world of superheroes and supervillains.

Brandy Colbert is an American author of young adult fiction and nonfiction.

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé is a British novelist, short-story writer and columnist. Her debut novel, the young adult thriller Ace of Spades (2021), received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens in 2022, and reached the top ten on The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Blackout</i> (young adult novel) Young adult novel

Blackout is a young adult novel written by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. The book contains six interlinked stories about Black teen love during a power outage in New York City. The book was released on June 22, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leah Johnson (writer)</span> American writer

Leah Johnson is an American writer. Her debut novel You Should See Me in a Crown (2020) received critical acclaim, including a Stonewall Book Award Honor. She is the author of Rise to the Sun (2021) and Ellie Engle Saves Herself! (2023).

<i>Felix Ever After</i> 2020 novel by Kacen Callender

Felix Ever After is a young adult novel written by Kacen Callender and published in 2020 by Balzer + Bray. The story is narrated by a Black trans teen as he grapples "with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time".

Nina LaCour is an American author, primarily known for writing young adult literature with queer, romantic story lines. Her novel We Are Okay won the Printz Award in 2017.

<i>The Henna Wars</i> 2020 novel by Adiba Jaigirdar

The Henna Wars is a young adult novel by Adiba Jaigirdar. Set in Dublin, the book follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi teenager who comes out as a lesbian while in high school. The book received mostly positive reviews from critics, and was included on Time's list of the "100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time."

<i>Hani and Ishus Guide to Fake Dating</i> 2021 young adult novel by Adiba Jaigirdar

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating is a young adult romance written by Adiba Jaigirdar and published on 25 May 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton, an imprint of Hachette. It tells the story of two queer girls, Hani, who is Bangladeshi Irish, and Ishu, of Indian descent, who pretend to be girlfriends for their own personal reasons.

The YA Book Prize is a British literary award established by publishing magazine The Bookseller in 2014. The accolade is given to young adult novels published by an author in the United Kingdom or Ireland in the previous year.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time". Time. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Media Kit". Adiba Jaigirdar. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Narang, Nimarta (30 June 2020). "Author Interview: Adiba Jaigirdar of 'The Henna Wars'". Brown Girl Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Simeon, Laura (25 May 2020). "Writing To See Herself Reflected in a Book". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Ahmed, Natalia (22 May 2021). "Adiba Jaigidar's newest novel made me re-think my past". The Tempest. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 Als, Amal (26 June 2020). "Navigating queerness & tradition in YA fiction with Adiba Jaigirdar, author of "The Henna Wars"". The Tempest. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Khan, Mariam (16 June 2021). "'I didn't know Asian people could be queer - I hope my book helps other Muslims'". Metro. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Bussel, Rachel Kramer. "5 LGBTQ Authors On The Inspiration Behind Their Young Adult And Middle Grade Books". Forbes. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Adiba Jaigirdar, Author at BOOK RIOT". BOOK RIOT. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "'The Henna Wars' Is on Time's List of the 100 Best YA Books". Time . Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  11. 1 2 Barnes, Lana (26 May 2020). "The Henna Wars". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Henna Wars". Kirkus Reviews. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  13. ↑ Paxson, Caitlyn (30 June 2020). "Mermaids, Werewolves And Witches: Welcome Summer With These 6 New YA Novels". NPR. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  14. ↑ NGILBERT (14 January 2021). "2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Hennessy, Claire. "Young adult fiction: Picks for February". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "67 of the Best Queer Books of 2020". Autostraddle. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  17. ↑ Clarendon, Dan (9 June 2020). "20 LGBTQ+ Books for Teens Coming Out in 2020". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.