Keeping It Halal: The Everyday Lives of Muslim American Teenage Boys

Description

A compelling portrait of a group of boys as they navigate the complexities of being both American teenagers and good Muslims This book provides a uniquely personal look at the social worlds of a group of young male friends as they navigate the complexities of growing up Muslim in America. Drawing on three and a half years of intensive fieldwork in

John O'Brien is assistant professor of sociology at New York University Abu Dhabi.

"Winner of the Distinguished Book Award, Sociology of Religion Section of the American Sociological Association" "Swift and insightful. . . . O'Brien effectively shows teenage Muslim Americans to be an unjustly persecuted minority, delving into the psychology of how they behave in reaction to their outsider status in order to paint a portrait of social anxiety and strained assimilation that is universal in its power." * Publishers Weekly * "Surprising and disarming." * New Statesman * "O'Brien, who converted to Islam as an adult, unlocks numerous insights and generates stimulating questions as he observes how these Muslim teenagers negotiate their culturally contested lives." * Christian Century * "[T]he book is intimate and is surprisingly enjoyable to read. The boys featured are very much real and the struggles-and triumphs-they experience are rendered potently. While slogging through endlessly, unnecessarily dense academic readings, it can be easy to forget that reading can be both smooth and impactful at the same time. In short: I both grew and had fun reading Keeping it Halal." * Journal of the History of Ideas blog *