Book Review: Fight Back by A. M Dassu

‘Fight Back’ by A. M. Dassu was released in 2022. It is an incredibly powerful children’s book which explores the theme of racism and discrimination in an easy-to-digest manner.

The book explores the fallout of a terror attack in the Midlands, where a bomb went off at a local music venue during a K-Pop concert. British-born Muslim, Aaliyah is thirteen years old and attended her first ever concert with her best friends, Lisa and Sukhi.

In response to the traumatic event, Aaliyah is inspired by an anecdote her mother offered that post 9/11, her mother decided to don a hijab. Aaliyah decided to do the same: combatting hate by showing her pride in her faith.

At the same time, in response to the influx of hate and heightened tension in the local area, after several students lost their lives, and experienced life-changing injuries, the Headmistress, Mrs Owens, makes a radical decision to address the problem: a ban on wearing religious dress. Aaliyah considers this an attack on her prompt decision to wear a hijab.

This book is very evocative, and had me reeling with frustration. The way children are treated differently by their teachers is nuanced and subtle, as is the initial solidarity The Gamechangers have when Aaliyah experiences discrimination after the bombing.

I hated reading the ignorant ideas that were thrown at Aaliyah and it was incredibly frustrating from a reader perspective to bear witness to all of the anguish Aaliyah feels, especially when you find out how deep the discrimination goes. It’s frustrating, and made me want to scream. Injustice always boils my blood, in and out of fiction but something that surprised me was how I responded to Sasha, Jayden and Darren, racist young people Aaliyah has the displeasure of knowing.

It struck me as rather interesting from a reader perspective that we know very little about any of the people who are racist to Aaliyah because they simply materialise with hate in mind. I’d have loved to have a greater sense of who they were, if not just to picture the scenes more vividly, but to maybe understand where that hate stems from. But at the same time, with Dassu’s choice not to include details about Sasha and Jayden’s lives, and doesn’t offer them even a sliver of potential to be redeemed, that the story is far more streamlined. Perhaps, I just wanted to have hope that angry, racist teenagers don’t need to become angry, racist, adults. But then again, when Sasha was willing to assault Aaliyah, it seems clear that she at the very least is too far gone.

The story highlights the power of friendship and unity and compassion. I loved seeing how people reached out to Aaliyah when things got rough. I loved seeing how the people who showed subtle solidarity came out of the woodwork to stand up for what’s right. It was a very powerful story, and think it ought to be in every classroom.