Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices -Edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed and Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh

Summary from Goodreads:

Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid!

Eid: The short, single-syllable word conjures up a variety of feelings and memories for Muslims. Maybe it’s waking up to the sound of frying samosas or the comfort of bean pie, maybe it’s the pleasure of putting on a new outfit for Eid prayers, or maybe it’s the gift-giving and holiday parties to come that day. Whatever it may be, for those who cherish this day of celebration, the emotional responses may be summed up in another short and sweet word: joy. The anthology will also include a poem, graphic-novel chapter, and spot illustrations.

The full list of Once Upon an Eid contributors include: G. Willow Wilson (Alif the Unseen, Ms. Marvel), Hena Khan (Amina's Voice, Under My Hijab), N. H. Senzai (Shooting Kabul, Escape from Aleppo), Hanna Alkaf (The Weight of Our Sky), Rukhsana Khan (Big Red Lollipop), Randa Abdel-Fattah (Does My Head Look Big in This?), Ashley Franklin (Not Quite Snow White), Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (Mommy's Khimar), Candice Montgomery (Home and Away, By Any Means Necessary), Huda Al-Marashi (First Comes Marriage), Ayesha Mattu, Asmaa Hussein, and Sara Alfageeh.

Review:

This was such a joy to read! I began reading it on the last night of Chanukah, a holiday I feel like a lot of my friends know little to nothing about. (Not that Chanukah is even that important of a holiday in the scheme of things). But, despite the fact that one of my closest friends from high school, who I’m still in touch with, is Muslim, I can’t say that I know much about Eid. I feel like we are all so involved in what we do, and then what it seems like the masses do, it’s hard to find time to think about what everyone else does.

I don’t want to make this book sound like it’s an educational tool about Eid either because it’s not. It’s better. It’s stories about how different families celebrate. I loved getting these little windows into other families’ traditions. And it wasn’t just Muslims in our country celebrating Eid either. It was amazing to see families celebrating at carnivals, in mosques, at refugee camps on Greek islands, over shared donuts, and at the dinner table.

I connected with some of the stories more than others.  The story “Kareem Means “Generous”’ by Asmaa Hussein just melted my heart. It’s the story of a kid who learned to do the right thing with a gentle push/gift from his grandma. I also particularly loved “Not only an only” by Huda Al-Marashi. It’s the story of a girl who was used to being the only Muslim in her class learning to embrace a new girl. Her niceness pays off because she learns about a new place to go and celebrate Eid that is more welcoming. And she makes new friends. I found myself connecting to this girl because I have been her before. And that’s the best thing about books like this: we can learn about the different things we all celebrate, but also we learn about all the things we have in common. 

My only complaint about the book is that it felt like there were too many lessons/morals in it. After 5 stories in a row, about learning to be charitable, it felt a little much…However, I’ve gathered that being generous and giving is a part of this holiday. It might be like if I were to read a Christmas short story collection and was like “Enough with the Christmas Trees already.” So, I’m not sure it’s something I can actually criticize. But, it is something I noticed. All in all, I loved it. I give it a 9/10.