Cover Reveal :BEING RESHMA by Reshma Qureshi

About the Book:

On 19 May 2014, as seventeen-year-old Reshma Qureshi left home for the examination centre, everything happened in a flash. The men rushed towards her. Grabbed her. Tugged at her hair. Poured acid on her face. Soon she started to burn like a living corpse. The acid ate through her skin and aimed for her bones, but it could not quell the fire in her heart.

It lifted Reshma from tragedy and suffering and propelled her to New York, where she made global headlines by becoming the first acid-attack survivor to walk the runway at the New York Fashion Week. Now an international anti-acid-sale activist, vlogger, model, and the face of Make Love Not Scars, Reshma works tirelessly towards empowering other acid-attack survivors like herself and has become a beacon of hope for millions.

Inspiring and life-affirming, Being Reshma is the extraordinary story of a young girl from the slums of Mumbai, who overcame insurmountable odds in an unjust world and dared to change it.

‘I have waited a long time to share my story with the world, and it is finally happening! Thank you to my co-writer Tania Singh, and thanks to Pan Macmillan India, for letting me tell it from the heart. My great wish is that it lends courage to those like myself, and to all my readers and well-wishers.’ RESHMA QURESHI

‘Reshma’s memoir is an important story of courage and hope that will resonate with all those who have battled oppression and violence. As she recounted her journey from childhood to acid attack, from suffering to global recognition, there is one thing that stayed with me: the passion in her voice, to rise above hate, to make a meaningful difference. We are so proud to be publishing her brave, moving memoirs.’ TEESTA GUHA SARKAR, Senior Commissioning Editor, Pan Macmillan India

  About The Author :

Reshma Qureshi is an Indian model, vlogger, and anti-acid activist. She is also the face of Make Love Not Scars, an NGO that works towards rehabilitating and empowering acid-attack survivors.

Tania Singh is the CEO of Make Love Not Scars. She lives in New Delhi.

Praise for BEING RESHMA:

‘Reshma’s story of suffering and survival is also a wonderful triumph of the human spirit, highlighting this young woman’s remarkable determination to turn tragedy and despair into a powerful movement for change’—SIR RICHARD BRANSON

‘Reshma Qureshi’s strength and determination to reclaim her life, and, in doing so, to become a global beacon of hope is truly inspirational’—JOHN SWINNEY

‘Reshma's story is a must-read for everyone … There is much to learn from her inspirational life’—SACHIN TENDULKAR

‘Being Reshma is a powerful story of courage, perseverance and triumph … A significant achievement and a compelling read’—SHASHI THAROOR

‘A wake-up call to fix the abysmal state of medical care in India, and the deeply entrenched insensitivity, of hospitals, and even of celebrated doctors’—KAVITA KRISHNAN

‘A powerful memoir. Tragic, haunting and inspiring’—KESHAV SURI

Buy the Book: 

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Goodbye,Perfect by Sara Barnard

      

Book Name: Goodbye,Perfect. 
Author : Sara Barnard.

No. of Pages: 300.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan.

ISBN : 1509852867.

Price: 399 INR.

About The Book 

Eden McKinley knows she can’t count on much in this world, but she can depend on Bonnie, her solid, steady, straight-A best friend. So it’s a bit of a surprise when Bonnie runs away with the boyfriend Eden knows nothing about five days before the start of their GCSEs. 
As the days pass and things begin to unravel, Eden is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the world, her best friend and herself.

Book Review

The book is about Eden McKinley and the various phases she goes through when her best friend Bonnie has Runaway with her boyfriend Jack. The book takes you through Eden’s journey as she is dealing with the mess that has been created due to bonnie being rouge and suddenly Eden is the focus of attention as everyone suspects that Bonnie must have confided in Eden about such a drastic decision.

Although Eden knew that Bonnie had a Boyfriend named Jack, and other than this there’s nothing that she knows about the guy her best friend is in love with. In a shocking revelation by Police and Bonnie’s mother that Bonnie’s secret boyfriend is none other than Mr. Jack Cohn, their music teacher.

Though Bonnie informs her whereabouts to Eden, she refuses to tell this information to the police and elders around her as she believes that everyone is against the couple due to their huge age differences as convinced by Bonnie herself. “A promise is a promise and a best friend is a best friend”

Eden is disheartened with such a drastic decision by Bonnie to runaway with Mr. Jack Cohn just before the start of their GCSE’s since Bonnie is the girl who lives for the exams and is the head prefect of their school and is a straight A student, unlike Eden who is a rebel and takes the most stupidest and impulse decisions.

Eden unaware of the depth of the matter keeps Bonnie’s secret from everyone around her but stumbles on the #bringBonnieback and the news coverage only to discover a different angle than what Bonnie had told her. Now convinced to bring her best friend back starts a journey through which Eden discovers the importance of people around her and learns that not every promise has to be kept. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do even when you are going to lose that one person who matters to you, for what is right for that person.

This book explores so many angles about Eden’s life and what make her the person that she is.The book is about dominance, lost friendships, bad decisions and much more.

Rating:4/5

About the Author

Sara Barnard lives in Brighton and does all her best writing on trains. She loves books, book people and book things. She has been writing ever since she was too small to reach the 'on' switch on the family Amstrad computer. She gets her love of words from her dad, who made sure she always had books to read and introduced her to the wonders of second-hand book shops at a young age. She is the author of Beautiful Broken Things.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange of an honest review.

I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan

               

          

Book Name: I am Thunder and I won't stop.
Author : Muhammad Khan.

No. of Pages: 306.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan.

ISBN : 1509874054.

Price: 399 INR.

About the Book

Fifteen-year-old Muzna Saleem, who dreams of being a writer, struggles with controlling parents who only care about her studying to be a doctor. Forced to move to a new school in South London after her best friend is shamed in a scandal, Muzna realizes that the bullies will follow her wherever she goes. But deciding to stand and face them instead of fighting her instinct to disappear is harder than it looks when there's prejudice everywhere you turn. Until the gorgeous and confident Arif shows an interest in her, encouraging Muzna to explore her freedom. 

But Arif is hiding his own secrets and, along with his brother Jameel, he begins to influence Muzna with their extreme view of the world. As her new freedom starts to disappear, Muzna is forced to question everything around her and make a terrible choice - keep quiet and betray herself, or speak out and betray her heart?

Book Review

The book is about Muzna Saleem, a 15 year old British Born Pakistani Muslim girl who has been raised by conservative parents , who love her to the core but are always controlling her life.

The day Muzna was born it was declared that she would become a Doctor after her A levels. Muzna writes stories in her spare time and dreams of becoming a writer as her friend Salma mentions “you don’t hear of many Muslim authors, do you?”

Muzna is that kid who is overtly introverted and shy not conversing to anyone and expressing her thoughts freely except for her best friend, as a result she’s bullied in her school for her health and she faces racism due to the increasing terror of Islamic States in the UK.

Due to some unpredicted circumstances Muzna has to change her school and when she starts in her new school, she decides to let the world know of her writing talent and in the process is acquainted with a charming British Pakistani boy Arif.

Arif’s sudden interest in her life sweeps her over her feet and she begins to explore a path she never would have chosen. Unknown to her she is the victim of radicalization by Arif and his brother. At every step she is well aware that something is wrong but is overly protective of Arif and his love for her.

This book is so intense and gripping and it surely gives you a peek of reality of how young blood like Arif and Muzna is exploited in the name of religion and faith. Every day we hear that some teenager has joined hands with Islamic States and wonder what made him take such an extreme step.

This book gives you the exact idea of how teenagers are being brainwashed by extremists and are made to believe that you are serving the God. I feel everyone should read this book irrespective of age, gender and faith.

Overall I loved this book as it has touched various elements that exist in our day to day lives. 

Rating: 4.5/5

About The Author 

Muhammad Khan is a maths teacher in a secondary school in Tooting and takes his inspiration from the children he teaches, as well as his own upbringing as a British-born Pakistani. He lives in South London and will be studying for a creative writing MA next year at Roehampton.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Pan Macmillan India for sending me the book in exchange of an honest review.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha) by Tomi Adeyemi

Name: Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha) .
Author: Tomi Adeyemi.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction - Young Adult

Release Date: 8 March,2018.
No. of Pages: 544
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books.
ISBN-10: 1509871357.
ISBN-13:978-1509871353.
Price: 399 INR.

About the Book

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us. 

Now we rise.

Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden.

Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Buy the Book

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About The Author

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. After graduating Harvard University with an honours degree in English literature, she studied West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When not writing novels or watching Scandal, Tomi teaches and blogs about creative writing on her website, named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer's Digest. Children of Blood and Bone is her debut novel.