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A.M. Dassu is the Deputy Editor of SCBWI-BI's Words and Pictures magazine and a Director of Inclusive Minds. In 2017 she won the international We Need Diverse Books YA mentorship award. Her work has been published by The Huffington Post, TES, SCOOP, Lee & Low and DK Books.
'Boy, Everywhere' is her debut novel and she has used her publishing advances to assist Syrian refugees in her city and set up a grant to support an unpublished refugee or immigrant writer.
Exploring pertinent themes of identity, racism and resistance, A.M. Dassu’s Fight Back is a powerful, moving triumph. A gripping story that will support and inspire young readers who experience Islamophobia and racism, and enlighten all readers on how to be a better ally. Thirteen-year-old Aaliyah is into reading, K-pop, and loves her best friends Lisa and Sukhi. But life as a Muslim isn’t easy in a society that ripples with racism. After a terrorist bombing, she’s passed a note in class - “Is the London attacker one of your uncles? I heard your dad got the weapons from Pakistan for him”. Meanwhile, Aaliyah’s lawyer mum is abused in a supermarket for wearing a hijab. Then, when another attack happens closer to home – very close, in fact – the abuse escalates and Aaliyah is ghosted by Lisa, whose controlling older brother Darren holds despicable “take back our country” views. Though hurt, Aaliyah’s response is one of pride and courage. She decides “wearing a hijab would empower me to be true to myself… I’d show everyone a proper Muslim wasn’t anything like the few bad ones plastered all over the news. It was time I came out and was confident about who I was. It was time to fight.” When her school bans hijabs in response to complaints from pupils and parents, and Darren organises a “BRING BACK OUR SAFE WHITE NEIGHBOURHOODS” protest, Aaliyah decides that enough is enough and speaks out at a public event. Perfectly pitched and paced, and radiant with Aaliyah’s courage, Fight Back is an engaging must-read that challenges racist stereotypes as it shines with the vitality of empathy, friendship and positive protest.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2022 ages 11-14 | Winner of the Little Rebels Award 2021 | November 2020 Debut of the Month | Sami is a very ordinary 13-year-old boy, attending school, playing football, PlayStation and has his own iPad – the only thing different about Sami is that he lives in Damascus. As the war in Syria creeps closer, until a bombing of a local mall affects his family, everything has been good. Now Sami and his family have to leave their home, their friends and their beloved Jadda (grandmother) – not just to move to another town but to start a long and perilous journey to the safety of the other side of the world – to England. The journey, and therefore the story, are not for the fainthearted – Dassau tells the story of the journey, the fear and the privations authentically and we vividly share Sami’s upset, anger and fear throughout every page. The portrait drawn of the family in such a stressed and frightening situation has the reader on the edge of their seat and pulling at our hearts all the way through. Written with a deep understanding and meticulous research into similar journeys this is a book that will not leave you for a very long time. The switches from adversity to hope to despair in Sami keep your heart in your mouth and is so realistic I was raging at the government for its inhuman treatment of desperate refugees. Read this book – it’s needs to be in classrooms and on bookshelves everywhere – it will change you and stay with you.
Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available. It's Ammar's first day of school and he doesn't want to go. He can't speak English and wishes he was back home in Syria. Will Ammar find a friend, even when he can't speak the language? Copper/Band 12 books provide more complex plots and longer chapters that develop reading stamina. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.
Exploring pertinent themes of identity, racism and resistance, A.M. Dassu’s Fight Back is a powerful, moving triumph. A gripping story that will support and inspire young readers who experience Islamophobia and racism, and enlighten all readers on how to be a better ally. Thirteen-year-old Aaliyah is into reading, K-pop, and loves her best friends Lisa and Sukhi. But life as a Muslim isn’t easy in a society that ripples with racism. After a terrorist bombing, she’s passed a note in class - “Is the London attacker one of your uncles? I heard your dad got the weapons from Pakistan for him”. Meanwhile, Aaliyah’s lawyer mum is abused in a supermarket for wearing a hijab. Then, when another attack happens closer to home – very close, in fact – the abuse escalates and Aaliyah is ghosted by Lisa, whose controlling older brother Darren holds despicable “take back our country” views. Though hurt, Aaliyah’s response is one of pride and courage. She decides “wearing a hijab would empower me to be true to myself… I’d show everyone a proper Muslim wasn’t anything like the few bad ones plastered all over the news. It was time I came out and was confident about who I was. It was time to fight.” When her school bans hijabs in response to complaints from pupils and parents, and Darren organises a “BRING BACK OUR SAFE WHITE NEIGHBOURHOODS” protest, Aaliyah decides that enough is enough and speaks out at a public event. Perfectly pitched and paced, and radiant with Aaliyah’s courage, Fight Back is an engaging must-read that challenges racist stereotypes as it shines with the vitality of empathy, friendship and positive protest.
Longlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2022 ages 11-14 | Winner of the Little Rebels Award 2021 | November 2020 Debut of the Month | Sami is a very ordinary 13-year-old boy, attending school, playing football, PlayStation and has his own iPad – the only thing different about Sami is that he lives in Damascus. As the war in Syria creeps closer, until a bombing of a local mall affects his family, everything has been good. Now Sami and his family have to leave their home, their friends and their beloved Jadda (grandmother) – not just to move to another town but to start a long and perilous journey to the safety of the other side of the world – to England. The journey, and therefore the story, are not for the fainthearted – Dassau tells the story of the journey, the fear and the privations authentically and we vividly share Sami’s upset, anger and fear throughout every page. The portrait drawn of the family in such a stressed and frightening situation has the reader on the edge of their seat and pulling at our hearts all the way through. Written with a deep understanding and meticulous research into similar journeys this is a book that will not leave you for a very long time. The switches from adversity to hope to despair in Sami keep your heart in your mouth and is so realistic I was raging at the government for its inhuman treatment of desperate refugees. Read this book – it’s needs to be in classrooms and on bookshelves everywhere – it will change you and stay with you.
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