Dear Reader/Love Author: Ream Shukairy
Dear Reader,
The journey of Six Truths and a Lie to your hands has been a long one. I remember its first reader, the thrill that came with hearing their feedback, and the words they used to describe this story.
Timely. Relevant. Important.
As with everything in the long process of publishing a book, I worried that this book about six Muslim teens fighting a system—and each other—to clear their names of an accusation of terrorism, might run out of time. I feared its moment would pass.
With this release, I am both elated that my book can reach your hands and unable to fully celebrate this moment. This story didn’t miss its moment. With the dehumanizing rhetoric around Muslims at an all-time high, this may be one of the most important moments for this book to reach you. The relevance of this book at a deeply saddening time for Muslims and Arabs makes me hesitate in this conflicting time.
While all my characters are Muslim, they come from many backgrounds and undergo inner battles that anyone can relate to. Qays, the Palestinian soccer player. Muzhda, the Afghani refugee. Samia, the Syrian Lebanese influencer. Abdullahi, the Sudani American old soul. Ambitious and tough Zamzam. Miss Perfect Nasreen. Accused of an attack at a bonfire party gone wrong, the Six are thrust into a legal battle to clear their names and a fight against each other to protect their secrets.
In truth, the more I write posts about Six Truths and a Lie, trying to capture this story in a snapshot, the more I lose sight of what makes this novel so personal. Because at its core, before the terrorism and Islamophobia and prejudice, it’s about the characters.
It’s about Qays, Muzhda, Samia, Abdullahi, Zamzam, and Nasreen. It’s about who believes them and who doesn’t. It’s about whether or not they believe themselves. It’s about the characters and their journey and how they carry themselves through the hardest of times.
As you follow these six characters, I hope you find yourself. What would you do if your freedom was threatened simply because of the color of your skin, the faith you practice, or the language you speak? There will be those who fight each other to get ahead. Others who avoid reality by posting trends on social media. Those who bury their heads into their studies and work. Others who insist on turning a blind eye to be free of the consequences. An activist who desperately try to rally the others. Victims who have already lost everything.
Who would you be?
Because this story is about us. A fiction that’s not too far from reality. It’s a story that reflects our reality in a distorted mirror, and if you’re not careful, you might fall into the trap of believing the same prejudices that the characters are fighting against. Or you might find yourself acting like one of the characters who you were too quick to criticize.
I hope you can see yourself in one of the characters and give yourself grace. Because they are messy, they are young, and they are learning. And that’s okay. Because by the end of this story, everyone will be changed.
Love,
Ream
Six Truths and a Lie
Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of America’s justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.
As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig—resulting in chaos and worse, murder.
At the center are six Muslim teens – six patriots, six strangers, and six suspects.
An old soul caught in the wrong place. An aspiring doctor. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets to hide. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Each with something to hide and everything to lose.
Faced with accusations of terrorism, The Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against each other in exchange for exoneration. They must choose: frame each other to guarantee their own independence or expose their secrets to earn back freedom for them all.
