A Muslim and a Jewish woman co-wrote a children's book about standing up to prejudice

April 16, 2021

QZB Photography/Clarion Books/Laura Joy Burke

Laura Shovan, left, the cover of "A Place at the Table," and Saadia Faruqi.

"A Place at the Table" tells the story of two middle-school girls, Elizabeth and Sara - one Jewish and one Muslim - whose friendship begins in a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mother. Elizabeth is a budding chef and Sara is the new kid in school. Both girls have mothers who are studying to become American citizens, and as the girls gravitate toward each other, they must learn to ask awkward questions, be open to honest answers and comfortable standing up for each other even at the expense of other relationships.

While it seems America is struggling with deep divides that appear...

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