Spotlight on Hena Khan

Hena Khan is a Pakistani American writer. She is the author of the middle grade novels Amina’s Voice, Amina’s Song, More to the Story, and the Zara’s Rules series and picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George, among others. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland, with her family. 

Q: Starring four sisters from a modern American Muslim family in Georgia, More to the Story was inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. What was your favorite scene or character from Little Women? What do you think Little Women fans will love about More to the Story?

I adored Little Women and identified most with Jo March, although my sister would probably say I have more Amy in me than I would ever admit! I loved Jo’s thirst for adventure, passion for writing, and desire to be more than what society dictated for her. I relished in her friendship with Laurie the most, and the scenes between the two of them were some of my very favorites—her visiting him for the first time, his antics and pranks, and basically everything except for her rejecting him and Laurie eventually marrying her sister, of all people! I hope Little Women fans will appreciate that More to the Story is like a love letter to my favorite book. Some of the personalities and scenes are inspired by the classic, and for that reason it may feel familiar and comforting, along with its focus on friendship and strong family bonds. Readers can look for the parallels or how I wove certain themes and elements into my story.

Q: Of course, you don’t need to have read Little Women to be excited about More to the Story. With a passionate voice and thoughtful observations, Jameela immediately draws us into the Mirza family’s daily lives, filled with love and challenging moments. Do any of Jameela’s experiences mirror your own growing up?

Thank you! Like Jameela, I also wrote a family newspaper that was filled with not-so-subtle hints directed at my family members. I had a quick temper like hers, which surfaced when I was stressed, scared, or frustrated. And I also felt a lot of responsibility for my younger siblings, although I have two younger brothers instead of sisters. I also have an older sister who is a bit like Maryam—good at being in charge, motherly, and an auntie favorite! I had a very close male family friend while growing up and felt as comfortable with him as Jameela does with Ali. Finally, like Jameela, I wrote for my school newspaper and wanted to write about big topics, but luckily, in my case, my editor didn’t hold me back.

Q: We love that Jameela writes for her school newspaper and is determined to seek out meaningful stories. Her focus in the book is on microaggressions, which ends up getting her into a tricky situation with a friend. What do you think is most misunderstood about microaggressions? What topic do you think Jameela might tackle next?

Microaggressions are a challenge that both kids and adults face every day, and they often don’t know how to process them or react to them. I think it helps me to finally have a word to categorize the things people say that make us feel insulted, belittled, or alienated, even when they aren’t intended to be hurtful. I know I have experienced them in my life, and like most people, let them go, brushed them off, or swallowed the hurt. But if you have a name for what you have experienced, or understanding of the concept, it might help to cope. And it might lead to educating the aggressor or others, and preventing future microaggressions.

Q: What’s next for you? Do you think you’ll ever revisit Jameela and her family?

I’m excited to be finishing up a sequel to Amina’s Voice at the moment! When I wrote that story, I always imagined a possible second book. While drafting More to the Story, I didn’t envision it as a series, or even consider that the story might have a second part. But now that I’m hearing from readers that they want more of More to the Story, and more of the Mirza family I’m considering it! It makes me really happy to hear that readers feel a connection to the personalities and relationships and crave more of them. And since I love Jameela and her family too, it would be fun for me to spend more time in their world.

Hena Khan: I'm super excited about Amina's Song, the sequel to Amina's Voice, and to having readers share more of Amina's journey. It's been amazing for me to see the response to Amina's Voice over the past three years, and to hear such great feedback from readers. I also got a lot of questions about the story, and realized that I definitely wanted to revisit Amina, her family, and her community and address some of them! I always thought it would be wonderful to have the chance to write more about Amina, from when I first came up with the idea of her, and the story about her life. I knew that I wanted her uncle, who she calls Thaya Jaan, to be a big part of her life. And I thought it would be cool to have Amina and her family finally take that trip to visit him in a follow up book. So the book opens with Amina in Pakistan, during a summer visit where she is staying with her uncle and his family, and taking in the sights and sounds and tastes of this country, which is both familiar and new to her. Amina's experiences were largely based on my own, including some of her conflicting feelings and feeling a bit out of place, but still loving it all so much.

Q: In spending more time with Amina in this new book, did she surprise you in any ways?

I think Amina did surprise me in some ways. I wanted her to stay the same sweet, thoughtful girl that we get to know in the first book. But at the same time, I wanted her to continue to grow and evolve. And I think that compared to my initial outline, I found that she is bolder in some ways than I expected. And maybe a bit more mature, in ways that you might hope! It was also really fun for me to write Soojin, Emily, Rabiya and Mustafa. So many readers loved Mustafa, Amina's older brother, and wanted to know what happens with him. I loved being able to share more of him and his relationship with Amina in this book.

Q: What advice do you think Amina would have for kids about celebrating and sharing their cultures and experiences? What do you hope kids will see in Amina's story?

It's so complicated for kids who share another culture, especially one that isn't well understood. And if you add misperceptions or misinformation and complex geopolitics that kids don't care about on top of that, it can get tricky! I think so often when we celebrate culture, we focus on what's different—because a lot of those differences are fun. Things like foods, fashion, dance, crafts and so on. And I think that is all really lovely and important things to bring and share. But I also think it's important for us to emphasize the commonality among all of us—and to make sure that people understand that there are universal values and similarities across culture and a common humanity that we shouldn't lose sight of. And there is also the danger of the "single story" and deriving all ideas about a place from a very limited experience or point of view. So I think it's important to highlight the diversity within a culture as well. I think it's hard to speak up when you feel misrepresented, or that people don't quite get it, or are generalizing, or being dismissive. But I hope Amina gives kids the courage to see that you can gently guide people to open up their minds!