Say Something, Poupeh Babaee!: A Graphic Novel by Haleh Massey illustrated by Ghazal Qadri

I had planned to just flip through this 176 page middle grade graphic novel to see primarily if there was any Islam mentioned, and if so, to see how it was framed. The blurb makes it clear it is culturally Iranian immigrant in focus, and set during the Muslim ban.  The heightened intrigue is that it isn’t just metaphorically about finding your voice, the character is labeled as having selective mutism and the author who is a clinical psychologist truly has her protagonist voiceless in nearly every setting for the majority of the book. The bright illustrations, and easy read though, had me reading the book front to back and finding that Islam is by-and large-not present. The flashbacks to her life in Iran show her wearing a scarf, and praying, and the memories are warm and inviting, with no internalized Islamophobia or political commentary, or Islamic practices at all following Poupeh to America. In fact when sought after news is finally heard the family exclaims, “it’s a Christmas miracle.”  It is hinted that the female cousin has a girlfriend, and the book features a lot of stereotypes about aggressive men, name mispronunciation, bullying for ethnic foods, and anti immigrant ideologies.  On the plus size it normalizes therapists, shows character arcs for the main and minor characters, and shows that inability to speak, doesn’t mean someone doesn’t understand.  While the book was better than I thought it would be in many ways, it ultimately didn’t have a climax, all the build up for two questions, really fell flat for me.  I also felt like while the Muslim ban was a fairly unique premise (shout out to Kareem Between!) all the other tropes are overly done, and render the book forgettable even though the format of a graphic novel should make it a standout.

SYNOPSIS:

Poupeh Babaee has come to America from Iran alone, her parents were held up settling their affairs, and they didn’t want her to miss more school, so she is sent ahead to stay with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She understands English, but when she messes up the national anthem on her first day of school and is teased, she simply stops talking, not even to correct when everyone starts calling her “poopy baby.”  When the Muslim ban blocks travel for her parents to come, the fate of her family rests on being able to plead their case in an immigration interview. Yes, she is 10 and will be asked two questions to determine if her parents are terrorists or not.  There is teasing, tension with the cousin she has to share a room with, and a sympathetic therapist that flesh out the story of trying to get Poupeh to say something.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like many of the pieces, and I like the format, but I really felt that the build up to the interview, the pressure she was under, was not warranted by the interview itself.  Had some commentary existed about the brevity of the interview or the chaos of America’s immigration policies perhaps it would have been worth the anticipation.  As written though, it felt rushed.  Same for the portrayal of the men in the story: from Poupeh’s own father, her uncle, to Trevor’s dad, all are aggressive, and I’m glad her own father apologizes, but again, it felt rushed and anti-climatic.  I don’t expect literary masterpieces from most mg graphic novels, but some of the “meanness” seemed abrupt for shock value, and made the cousin, the dad, the uncle read very inconsistent.  I had hoped a therapist author would have brought not just a storyline of mental health, in this case, selective mutism, but some nuance to the immigrant experience, moving beyond food, clothes, and names.  Speaking of names, I googled what Poupeh’s name means in English, and it really should have been in the book, or at least the backmatter.

FLAGS:

Stereotypes, racism, hate speech, hints and relationships, mental health, anger, homesick, bullying,

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

The level and format would not make it a good choice for a book club read.  I probably would not unshelve this book, but I wouldn’t seek it out either.