Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2021), Edition: Reprint, 304 pages
Description
"Amidst the Chinese-Malay conflict in Kuala Lumpur in 1969, sixteen-year-old Melati must overcome prejudice, violence, and her own OCD to find her way back to her mother"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
What a great read this book was. It was set in Kuala Lumpur, 1969, when racial violence broke out between the Malays and Chinese. The author was vivid in her descriptions of the violence and destruction that occurred at this time, and it was a period in history I knew nothing about, so I learnt
Don't be fooled by the cartoon-like front cover. "The Weight of Our Sky" was dark and intense but written with compassion so that, despite all the horrors, there were some wonderfully moving moments of humanity where people, regardless of race, supported each other in their time of need. Thankfully, the importance of love, tolerance and family shone through.
The main protagonist was Melati. She had a strong, unique voice and I was immediately captivated by her. Caught in the middle of the riots and desperate to find her mother, Melati not only had to struggle with the physical threats that surrounded her, but also with the djinn in her head who constantly threatened the ones she loved if she didn't keep counting. My heart bled for her. Her OCD was handled extremely well. Melati showed feelings of helplessness, grief and guilt, but she continued to draw on her inner strength to get her through.
A big positive for me was the absence of any romance, as there was nothing to detract from the big issues that the book dealt with. Overall, and extremely well-written debut.
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something.Don't be fooled by the cartoon-like front cover. "The Weight of Our Sky" was dark and intense but written with compassion so that, despite all the horrors, there were some wonderfully moving moments of humanity where people, regardless of race, supported each other in their time of need. Thankfully, the importance of love, tolerance and family shone through.
The main protagonist was Melati. She had a strong, unique voice and I was immediately captivated by her. Caught in the middle of the riots and desperate to find her mother, Melati not only had to struggle with the physical threats that surrounded her, but also with the djinn in her head who constantly threatened the ones she loved if she didn't keep counting. My heart bled for her. Her OCD was handled extremely well. Melati showed feelings of helplessness, grief and guilt, but she continued to draw on her inner strength to get her through.
A big positive for me was the absence of any romance, as there was nothing to detract from the big issues that the book dealt with. Overall, and extremely well-written debut.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
diverse historical teen fiction (racial tensions in 1969 Malaysia; main character is Muslim dealing with OCD, anxiety, and poss. schizophrenia)
starts off ok and looks like an action-packed story, with but the anxiety is a bit much for me at this time. Read to page 26.
starts off ok and looks like an action-packed story, with but the anxiety is a bit much for me at this time. Read to page 26.
LibraryThing member fionaanne
Very readable with great pacing but it reads more like middle-grade than YA.
LibraryThing member SJGirl
Two aspects make this a particularly unique read, first that it’s set in 1960’s Malaysia during conflict between Malays and Chinese, a time and place I haven’t read about in fiction before, nor have I read a book where the heroine navigates obsessive compulsive disorder in what is essentially
Melati’s obsessive compulsive disorder plays a huge role here, it’s with her on nearly every page, at odds with cultural beliefs that require her to keep her condition hidden and worsened by the conflict around her and her fears for her loved ones in danger. Melati’s thoughts frequently spiral to dark places, providing readers with a strong sense of how difficult and draining life must be with a mental health issue.
With war weighing so heavily in our real life news right now understandably the subject matter here might feel like too much for some, however, I did want to mention that the book has some heartening moments where you see characters in crisis come together to help one another, providing shelter, protection, and other forms of aid.
While this book left me wanting to know more about where someone I adored ended up, and there was the occasional moment where characters were conveniently in the right place at the right time, it was easy enough to overlook those minor quibbles when there was so much else to appreciate in this novel, particularly the bonds between characters whether those established prior to the conflict or those that came about in heightened circumstances, the emotion of those connections drove the story as much as the page turning action did.
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a war zone.Melati’s obsessive compulsive disorder plays a huge role here, it’s with her on nearly every page, at odds with cultural beliefs that require her to keep her condition hidden and worsened by the conflict around her and her fears for her loved ones in danger. Melati’s thoughts frequently spiral to dark places, providing readers with a strong sense of how difficult and draining life must be with a mental health issue.
With war weighing so heavily in our real life news right now understandably the subject matter here might feel like too much for some, however, I did want to mention that the book has some heartening moments where you see characters in crisis come together to help one another, providing shelter, protection, and other forms of aid.
While this book left me wanting to know more about where someone I adored ended up, and there was the occasional moment where characters were conveniently in the right place at the right time, it was easy enough to overlook those minor quibbles when there was so much else to appreciate in this novel, particularly the bonds between characters whether those established prior to the conflict or those that came about in heightened circumstances, the emotion of those connections drove the story as much as the page turning action did.
Show Less
Awards
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2024)
Freeman Award (Winner — 2019)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2020)
Just One More Page Recommendation List (Young Adult — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
304 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
1534426094 / 9781534426092