The Strongest Heart

Starred review from January 15, 2025
A 13-year-old boy struggles with the pain, anger, and sadness of living with his father, who struggles with mental illness. Mohammad Mirza and his abbu, Mumtaz, move from Queens to Houston to stay with Naila Phupo, Abbu's widowed sister, and her son, Rayyan--Abbu can't keep a job, and they have nowhere to live. Mo's mother, Becky Eckert, an engineer and UNESCO fellow who's cued white, is away working in a refugee camp in Greece for two years. Abbu, who's Pakistani American, has paranoid schizophrenia; life has been difficult for Mo, with Abbu's raging episodes and his parents' constant arguments. In Texas, Mo grows close to Rayyan, who's also 13, and his devoutly Muslim aunt, who cares for him attentively. Mo loves desi folktales (which are woven into the book), learning, music, and art, but he acts tough to defend his soft interior against more pain. He harbors deep anger toward his father and longs for his mother, whom he connects with on occasional video calls. Eventually Mo must decide: Can he change the narratives he's long held about his life, himself, and Abbu? The story is engrossing, populated with appealing, well-rounded main and supporting characters. The portrayal of serious mental illness and the complex emotions of a child whose parent suffers from it are realistic, eye-opening, and moving. An authentically textured account of a young teen coping with a parent's mental illness. (author's note)(Fiction. 10-13)

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Starred review from March 1, 2025

Gr 5 Up-Faruqi's latest takes a deep dive into what it's like living with a parent experiencing mental illness. Mo is an eighth grader with a secret: he lives with a monster. The monster, Abbu (dad), is prone to outbursts, criticizes Mo fiercely, hallucinates, and hears voices. His mom is in Greece helping refugee children, leaving Mo alone with the monster. When Mo and the monster go to live with his aunt and cousin, he slowly learns that Abbu has schizophrenia. As Mo adjusts to life in Texas, he deals with school bullies, bonds with his cousin, and navigates the anger and resentment he feels for his parents. With the help of his aunt, his biology teacher, and his growing Muslim faith, Mo starts to think maybe he's been wrong about his dad. When his dad is hospitalized following a really bad episode, Mo is forced to confront whether Abbu is really a monster or just ill. Faruqi draws on her own experiences with her father's mental illness and gives Mo the support she wishes she'd had via his aunt Naila, making this a story that will grip students from the beginning. Faruqi also uses the Middle Eastern folktales that Mo loves sharing to further explain the lessons he's learning. The scenes where readers see Abbu's episodes are written to show how scary they are for Mo without being overwhelming for middle school readers. VERDICT Recommended for its realistic depictions of mental illness, family struggles, and emotional growth, especially where writers like Jasmine Warga and others are popular.-Amanda Viau

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Starred review from March 1, 2025
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* Eighth-grader Mo's unstable life is uprooted when his genius mother's fellowship takes her away to help refugees in Greece. Mo and his father, who is grappling with mental illness, move from New York City to Houston to live with Mo's aunt and cousin. Mo wears a tough persona as armor, promoting a bad-boy image. But the more time Mo spends with his studious cousin, loving aunt, the imam at his aunt's mosque, and teachers who take a real interest in him, the more he finds himself letting people in--except his angry, mean monster of a father and his cold, absent mother. Mo weaponizes his bad boy reputation to scare off his cousin's bully. But he also relies on breathing exercises, traditional South Asian folktales, and art to understand and cope with the challenges in his life. Mo's growing understanding of his world is interwoven with his retelling of folktales, offering insight into his feelings and the book's action. Mo's sardonic voice is distinct, realistic, and relatable. Faruqi has crafted nuanced, complex characters that jump off the page. It's refreshing to see even bullies represented in all their humanity yet still held accountable for their actions. This emotionally resonant story is full of depth while staying true to Mo's voice. Thought-provoking and insightful, this novel humanizes mental illness while unflinchingly showing how families and communities are affected.

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