Syed M. MasoodThe Bad Muslim Discount: A Novel

And it's a long book. I thought it would take me days to read but I read it in basically one sitting. The prose is so intelligent and at the same time it reads like a thriller-I couldn't read fast enough to see what happens next. This story has everything. Social and political relevance, family love, warmth, humor and drama, a love story, a story of a boy who immigrates to America with his crazy yet loving family and their family drama, a girl who immigrates to America with her abusive father and an evil fiancé. It really gave me an up close perspective on the immigration experience and reminded me that people are more the same than different. I would absolutely recommend this excellent read and look forward to more by this author.

This book is a grim but compelling glimpse into the life of two Muslim families, told in two viewpoints. Anvar is a more or less lapsed Muslim refugee from Pakistan, now living in San Francisco, and Safwa, who goes by two other names by necessity, a refugee from war-torn Iraq. Their lives intertwine and lead to all sorts of drama. I found the grim details of Safwa’s life, especially her mistreatment at the hands of her father, hard to read. Some reviewers have called the book “hilarious,” but I found little to laugh about in the tragedies portrayed in this novel. It was enlightening and informative, with a tangled storyline that had a satisfying conclusion and some moments of humor, but overall I can’t claim to have enjoyed the read.

It is SO well written. There is tremendous Depth. I learned so much about the world's Muslims and about their ways and their religion I was born on Long Island and have traveled around the world and yet I have known almost nothing about Muslims . My beautiful son who has been a Catholic and a Buddhist has become a Muslim and it has brought him Peace. I want to cry because I am right now having just finished this book So Very Happy. Thank you Syed

This is a great novel. Anwar is a young man born in Pakistan. His family leaves Pakistan to live in America. Anwar has always been different than his family, he considers himself a "bad" Muslim. What makes this novel so enjoyable is Anwar's sense of humor. He is hysterical, no matter the situation, Anwar finds the humor. I loved him so much, he makes the sadness of Safwa's life a little bearable. Safwa is born in Iraq. Her life is small since she is a woman. How Safwa manages to survive such a small sad existence is heartbreaking. She is a strong woman who will do anything to survive. These two characters meet in America and tragedy happens. I enjoyed this novel tremendously. I liked Anwar's strange life it was the sweet in the novel. The bitter is having to read Safwa's suffering at the hand of men.

I will say that this was probably the best book I've read in 35 years. As much as I wanted to know what happened, I never wanted it to end. I do have a bit of bias because I have been to Pakistan, married a very devout Muslim man from the Tribal district that was under drone attack for years, I am a not-religious semi-believer in God. Everything the author describes, from myKarachi to the Afghan-Pakistan border is spot on. I love how the characters, although brought up in religion are still flawed and so real. It is a privilege to read a Pakistani American author of such high caliber. I am looking forward to reading moor from him.

Good book and worth the time. At the beginning it was a little cumbersome to keep all the people separate but once I conquered that, it made the read much easier.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a roller coaster of emotions between the characters going from one chapter to another. Anvar is soooo funny! (I actually laughed out loud)Very well written & great story line. I found myself excited to read this book everyday and I loved the ending.

Odd but engaging. Such unpleasant family dynamics.

Highly recommend

This is a perfect blend of humour, anger, sadness and every other emotion you can think of. It’s a book which gets you from the first line itself and you won’t be able to put it down. My heart felt so much for Azza. You would want to read it slowly so that it doesn’t get over but you also want to know how it ends :):). Loved it!

This story was funny , sad, lovely and touching and I really enjoyed every minute of it. I would highly recommend this book.