Mad Libs adds Muslim representation
Houston author creates perfect Eid al-Fitr party game, a needed twist on ‘American classic’
Because Shifa Safadi writes the “Muslim Mommy” blog, she often gets a first look at children’s books. And when Penguin Random House contacted her about previewing “Eid al-Fitr Mad Libs,” she jumped at the chance.
“We love Mad Libs at our house,” Safadi said. “I was so stoked.”
Safadi, her husband and four children, ages 11, 8, 4 and 1, sat down for a test drive, using the Mad Libs template and prompting other players for a list of words to fill in the blanks. Then they read them aloud.
“Each of us took turns,” she said. “The kids were laughing so much. They loved it.”
The 11- and 8-year-olds competed to see who could make up the silliest story. “And my 4-year-old enjoyed listening,” Safadi said.
She was grateful that her children were able to see themselves in Mad Libs, and that the popular game was representing the Muslim identity.
“You just feel like you belong, ”she said. “It’s really awesome to have that representation.”
That’s thanks to Houston author Saadia Faruqi, who also penned the “Yasmin” series of children’s books about an imaginative second grader with a Pakistani-American family.
Safadi is among those buying the new Mad Libs as gifts for Eid al-Fitr. The celebration begins this year on the evening of Sunday, May 1. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is feted by Muslims around the world.
With the publication of Eid al-Fitr Mad Libs, Faruqi is able to add to the festivities. “Anybody can plan, but for kids celebrating Eid, there’s pride and sharing of their culture with others,” she said.
The author has long been a fan of Mad Libs.
“It’s an American classic,” Faruqi said. “I used to play with my daughter when she was in elementary school. It was something we loved doing together. It’s just a fun game.”
In the fall of 2020, her literary agent told her about the opportunity to write a Mad Libs. The “World’s Greatest Word Game” was created by comedy writers Leonard Stern and Roger Price to play at parties about 60 years ago.
The new series focuses on celebrations of all cultures, including Hanukkah, Diwali and the Lunar New Year. The subject is the brainchild of Brian Clark, editor of Mad
Libs at Penguin Random House.
“It’s important for this brand that’s had such a large reach for so many years to acknowledge and include everyone,” he said.
Clark felt there was especially a gap in pop culture depictions of Muslims celebrations.
“We wanted the books to convey the magic of the holiday and the joy,” he said.
After learning about Faruqi, Clark was convinced she would be an ideal fit for an Eid al-Fitr Mad Libs. She seized the opportunity.
“I wanted my holiday to be part of this tradition,” she said.
She thought about her own children, who grew up without this type of game to play on Eid.
“I wanted them to be seen,” she said.
Faruqi rolled up her sleeves and went to work.
“It’s not easy,” she admitted. “Mad Libs can be hard to write. You really have to think outside the box. You have to make up a story — but also think of how to substitute words and still have it make sense.”
Eid al-Fitr Mad Libs was released on March 1, and it’s Faruqi’s 21st published book.
“But Mad Libs is different,” she said. “It’s part of a tradition, a family game that goes back generations.”
Faruqi has been writing stories since childhood. She grew up in Pakistan and immigrated to the U.S. at age 22.
“Then 9/11 happened, and my life completely changed,” she said.
She encountered Islamophobia, misunderstanding and stereotyping, she said. That prompted her to take action.
“That’s how I got into interfaith work,” Faruqi said.
She led book clubs, discussions and training sessions. She even worked with the Houston Police Department, and the results were featured in “O,” the Oprah magazine, in 2017.
While Faruqi felt called to continue her interfaith efforts, she was becoming emotionally drained after a dozen years passed.
“I wondered, why am I still doing this and nothing is changing?”
She had an epiphany. “I realized I could still have an impact by telling stories,” she said. “Stories have the power to connect people. Fiction has this power to tell the truth.”
She wrote books for all ages — adults, young adults and children’s titles.
“My mission is the same as it was the day after 9/11,” she said. “I wanted kids like mine to see kids like themselves in books. Immigrant kids need to feel seen, acknowledged and accepted.”
At the same time, Faruqi hopes that young readers of her books who are not Muslim will see how others live and can learn more about different cultures.
“It’s two-pronged,” she said. Writers call this “mirror and windows,” she said, when texts both reflect a child’s own identity and also act to bring insight into the experience of another.
This year, Faruqi is planning the release of a number of other titles. “Must Love Pets,” a series for kids aged 8 to 12 years, about pet-sitting, debuts in October. Then, in June, “The Wonders We Seek: 30 Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World” will be released.
The “Yasmin” series continues with four new titles in August, and “Marya Khan,” a new chapter-book series for third and fourth grade students is slated for release in October.
A few of Faruqi’s older titles will be available in paperback for the first time this year, including “A Place at the Table,” “A Thousand Questions” and “Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero.”
Aya Khalil is one of the parents who enjoys finding the nouns and adjectives with her children in the new Mad Libs. She even purchased the books to place in the library for Muslim children at her school.
Khalil said she wished she had the same option as a child. “I never saw a positive representation of Muslims in the mainstream,” she said.
She is grateful for books like Faruqi’s, even the Mad Libs.
“Now they can be the hero of their own stories,” Khalil said. “I’m so glad that this is out in the world.”
That’s the whole point for Faruqi.
“For me as a Muslim, it feels good to have my religion acknowledged in a way that is very mainstream,” she said. “That’s really meaningful to me — and it’s why I wanted to do this.
“If I can bring joy to the Eid celebration, which is all about joy and happiness, I feel like my work is done,” Faruqi said.