Unbecoming

By: Seema Yasmin

Narrated by: Reena Dutt, Suehyla El-Attar Young

Two Muslim teens in Texas fight for access to abortion while one harbors a painful secret in this near-future speculative novel “with sparkling humor and warmth” (Booklist, starred review) that’s perfect for fans of Unpregnant.

In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas.

In response to the unfair laws, underground networks of clinics have sprung up, but the good fight has gotten even more precarious as it becomes harder to secure safe medication and supplies. Both Laylah and Noor are passionate about getting their guide completed so it can help those in need, but Laylah treats their project with an urgency Noor doesn’t understand—that may have something to do with the strange goings-on between their mosque and a local politician.

Fighting for what they believe in may involve even more obstacles than they bargained for, but the two best friends will continue as they always have: together.

Great storytelling

Unbecoming is a beautifully written novel for all age groups even though it centers around teens. The style of the novel immediately triggers the association with the teen adventure genre. But while the reader falls in love with the main characters, Laylah and Noor, expecting that the story will stick to the convention and we will witness how the two of them resolve all their challenges successfully and come on top at the end, the writer contrasts the harsh reality of America in 2024 to the engaging and light way of narration. It involves the Bollywood references that extend this contrast even more, bringing it to the verge of grotesque, surreal situations that Laylah finds herself in several times throughout the book. In the end, the teens don’t win over terrifying reality, they rather question what winning means. What emerges is acceptance, bravery, and female solidarity. The story draws from Indian experience in culture, but the effect is that it reminds us that examples from any culture are universally significant. Therefore, even though Indian teen girls will enjoy this novel maybe just a tad more than the rest of the audience, because of all the cultural references, this is the novel written from the universal feminist standpoint. This novel will make you feel strangely safe while presenting to you all the dangers of our political reality. It is not a coincidence that the author is a physician and a journalist because it offers answers. But Unbecoming is beyond a diagnosis of the political moment: it underscores the humanity of all women, that is so often ignored throughout history. It is timely, it is topical, but it is first of all very well written.

Fantastic - insightful

Loved different point of views and learning a little bit about new cultures. The characters were a breath of fresh air yet complicated even though they thought life is simple and seen through one point of view