Special book group on The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh

About this event

Our book groups are open to all. We have four groups, fiction, non-fiction, Pagan and Irish. This, however, is a one off group following this title being available through the Big City Reads project run by Nottingham City of Literature. Free. Refreshments provided

What if you felt like you’d cried all the colours away? A story of friendship, loss and identity.

Joining an exclusive high school should be a fresh start for Jihad after her mother’s sudden death. But she’s the only Muslim student there; her hijab and even her name make her new classmates suspicious.

Only one person treats her with kindness but Jihad can’t help questioning his motives. It’s hard to trust anyone when she meets indifference or hostility all around her. As tension mounts, she finds refuge in an old sketchbook and in the stories her mama used to tell her. She is determined to focus on making it to art school and a brighter future, but as she starts illustrating her mother’s memories, her canvas becomes bigger than she could ever have imagined.

Can Jihad become as resilient as the true meaning of her name, and let the colour back into her life?

This book is a cross-over young adult fiction book

Zoulfa Katouh is a Canadian writer of Syrian descent. Her previous book, As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow is set in Syria

Supported by Big City Reads