Nitpicks: I’m not mad about the cover and I don’t exactly get why it’s called what it is. Otherwise, I pretty much love everything about this book. It is one of the few books of humour that I actually find funny. I spent a lot of time laughing out loud while reading Jameela Green Ruins Everything. It handles humour in a way that I really appreciate, which is to have serious themes honestly considered and well developed characters I can actually care about while salting in that perpendicular look at things that can make a joke so unexpected and so outrageous even when you knew there was going to be a joke around the corner and you *knew* it was going to be outrageous. Sheer artistry.

There are actually a whole raft of serious themes considered here. The history of terrorism in the Middle East and how it arose as a direct result of the interventions of so-called superpowers. Islamophobia. Grief and loss of faith, and all that comes with it. Living with honesty and integrity. Trust. The deep love that we can feel for our families even when we’re going off half cocked all the time. Respect for each other and ourselves. But also the humanity of our apparent enemies. And our apparent friends.

Beautifully wrought, Nawaz. ( )

This a satirical novel focusing on Terrorism, Islam, female reporters who put themselves in positions to be kidnapped by terrorists and generally the folly of American foreign policy in the Middle East.Jameela Green is a Moslem woman living in the Midwest married to a man who converted to Islam and a daughter and conservative parents with whom she is in constant conflict.

When her Mosque's new Iman is falsely accused of being a supporter of a terrorist group in Syria and secretly shipped by the CIA to Syria to be tortured, she follows to rescue him. There are some funny moments but few and far between and the story goes on too long.

Having read her memoir, "Laughing All the Way to the Mosque", and thoroughly enjoying it, I was disappointed in this effort. One does learn much about Islam in this volume. ( )

I expected a promising satire. True to the title, I was presented with a hot mess (bad, not clever). Read my full review here. ( )