Love, Hate & Other Filters(69)

To my parents, Hamid and Mazher, you filled our shelves with books and encouraged us to always ask questions. Nearly fifty years ago, you came to this country with your dreams, and you paved the way and built a community brick-by-brick from the ground up and are beacons of light to all those around you.

Lena and Noah, your smiles make me believe in magic. Watching you grow and learn and discover who you are in the world is the greatest honor and privilege of my life. I hope always to endeavor to deserve you. Know that my love for you is boundless.

And to Thomas, my co-creator of this wondrous, improbable life we are writing together. No love, but this proof of love: your belief made this possible.





Questions for D iscussion


The book is called Love, Hate & Other Filters. What kinds of filters does the title refer to? How do the characters use filters? What filters do we use in our daily lives?

Maya begins her story with the phrase “Destiny sucks.” How does the novel address this? Do you believe in destiny or are we in control of our own futures?

Maya’s story is told in the first person whereas the bomber’s story is told from the third person point of view. Why do you think the author made that choice? How did it influence the way you related to the protagonists of the two stories?

Maya lives in Batavia, a small town in Illinois. How important was this setting to Maya’s story and the challenges she faces?

Maya tells Phil she doesn’t know how to be a good daughter and chase after her own dreams. Why are these things at odds? Does Maya change her mind over the course of the book?

Phil teaches Maya to swim—a life skill—but learning to swim means something more to Maya. Why is it so significant?

When we first meet Kareem he is a possible love interest for Maya but he transforms into something different. How did you feel about Kareem? Why does he still hold an important place in Maya’s life?

One of Kareem’s mantras is “carpe diem”. In what ways does this manifest in the novel and is it a positive edict to live by?

Maya’s parents seem to have a lot of concerns and fears about their daughter and her future. Could you understand why Maya’s parents react in the way that they do? How do you think their own experiences affect their attitude to Maya’s life?

Maya and her family are victims of Islamophobic attacks. Why does this happen? Do the actions of an individual reflect on the group? Should they? Are we responsible for actions of someone else in a group we identify with—religion, race, class, sexual orientation, ethnicity etc?





Samira Ahmed


Samira Ahmed was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in a small town in Illinois in a house that smelled like fried onions, cardamom, and potpourri. A graduate of the University of Chicago, she taught high school English, helped create dozens of small high schools, and fought to secure billions of additional dollars to fairly fund public schools. She’s lived in Vermont, Chicago, New York City, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango.