You Think You Know Me

This is not only an African fiction, but also the phenomenon of Islamphobia in Europe. 

Is silence truly golden? In this debut YA novel, Ayaan Mohamud provokes the reader to consider the power of voice and choice. You Think You Know Me is the story of Hanan, a teenage girl who attends the prestigious Grafton Grammar School. Hanan’s dream is to attend medical school, to follow in the footsteps of her late father. Despite this drive and desire, staff and students at Grafton Grammar continually ‘other’ Hanan, seeing her as ‘different’ because of her hijab, Muslim religion and Somali culture. Throughout this constant bullying and bigotry, however, the words of Hooyo (Hanan’s mother) ring in her ears – ‘Don’t make more trouble opening your mouth, Hanan. Af daboolan dahab wayee (a closed mouth is gold).’ But when tragedy strikes the local community and Hanan’s family, she has a choice to make – will she stay silent or choose to speak out?