Book Review: Love, Hate, and Other Filters

Love, Hate, and Other Filters
By Samira Ahmed
Publication date: January 16, 2018
Previewed courtesy of Netgalley.com


I am surprisingly pleased how much I liked this book. I didn't know what to expect, and that may have helped -- so I didn't have preconceived notions of what was coming. Trying to represent a culture without making it stereotypical is difficult, and since I'm not Indian-American or Muslim-American, I have to rely on the author and editor to tell a truthful story. I feel like they did because the characters interacted so well with each other... believable dialog and plot made this an emotionally accessible story for many cultures to understand and relate to - whether through empathy or sympathy, the book's characterizations were well created. I believed their motives and their actions.

I enjoyed the thread of movie-making commentary throughout the story, too. It backed up Maya's hopes and dreams and how invested in them she was. It was sometimes corny, but even Maya acknowledged that, so it wasn't distracting. Maya's friends, family, classmates, and community all play a well thought out role in the story.

SPOILER ALERT: The only place I waivered was trying to believe that no one else knew about Phil's secret place.  END OF S.A.

I had a bit of a "Sixth Sense" moment at the end of the story when I wanted (and did) go back to the beginning and re-read the interspersed story to make sure I understood what I had read. This is a good thing, by the way... it meant I was invested in the story and cared enough to revisit it. I'm glad I did, too. It reinforced how connected we all are and how Maya and her family could have experienced what they did and how they did.

There are some good "lessons" from this story, and they are imparted without being preachy or distracting from the story. I think this book would be a good book for a discussion in a classroom or book club. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my HS Library.