This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and as part of looking back at that world-changing moment, there are a number of books that are approaching the subject, including graphic novels. This includes Piece By Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab by Priya Huq. While geared toward younger readers, the book tells the story of Nisrin, a Bangladeshi-American teen who is the victim of a hate crime in a post 9/11 world because of her cultural dress, an act that prompts her to want to wear hijab and sees her explore not only her own trauma but her family’s as well.
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The book, which goes on sale on September 14, is based on Huq’s own real-life experiences as a Bangladeshi-American dealing with hate, racism, and Islamaphobia growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Huq is no stranger to writing and drawing about her experiences with the complex emotions of that trauma, having previously published the comics essay “Worn Out: A Woman’s Clothing Isn’t a Statement”. With Piece By Piece, Huq offers young readers a way to understand American racism, the universality of trauma, and how the trauma of genocide and racism reverberates through the generations.
Ahead of the release of Piece By Piece next month, ComicBook.com has an exclusive excerpt from the book which sees Nisrin, her mother, Nani, and Nana discuss their family’s history and why they left Bangladesh.
Piece By Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab will go on sale on September 14, 2021.
