Reading Group Guide

Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions

By Ahmad Saber

About the Book

Ramin Abbas is a gay Muslim teenager who has worked to hide his identity from everyone around him his whole life—his parents, his friends, his community, and all his peers at the Islamic school he attends. Now in his senior year of high school, he dreams of attending NYU and leaving his life of secrets behind. But when he is forced to join the soccer team to avoid failing because of a lack of PE credits, his entire life turns upside down. Grappling with a crush on the soccer team captain and the threat of having his identity made public by a peer, Ramin must finally take a look inward and look for answers to the many questions arising in his life.

Discussion Questions

1. How can religion be both a source of comfort and a source of struggle for LGBTQ+ youth? In what ways did Ramin’s faith trouble him while navigating his identity? At the end of the novel, he says to his parents, “‘I’ve made peace with Allah. Maybe you need to do the same.’” (Chapter forty) Who are the people in Ramin’s life that helped give him the courage to reach this peace, and how did they support him?

2. How does media representation influence how teens see themselves?

3. In the prologue, Ramin imagines his guilt and shame as a “two-headed monster living rent-free” in the back of his mind, constantly questioning all his decisions and pointing out potential sins. How does Ramin let the monster affect his behavior throughout the novel? How does he build up the courage to stand up against the monster?

4. How might different cultural or religious communities vary in how they understand LGBTQ+ identities? How might religious and cultural expectations affect how families respond to LGBTQ+ identities?

5. Describe Ramin’s relationship with his parents. Compare Ramin’s relationship with his parents to his relationship with his brother, Zayn. Do you think his parents are loving or harsh, or both? Explain your answers with in-text examples.

6. What does it mean to respect someone’s faith while also respecting their sexual orientation? How can people foster positive relationships if they do not share the same beliefs?

7. How might someone navigate having multiple identities (religious, cultural, sexual, etc.) at the same time? How did Ramin succeed in separating his identities? How did he struggle?

8. Ramin often found comfort in the music he listened to and the origami he created. Why do you think artistic expression might be an important outlet for people? As a group, talk about any artistic outlets you have, and why they feel important to you.

9. Ramin isn’t very athletic and doesn’t do well in his first soccer practice, so the team captain, Fahad, offers him private coaching sessions, which Ramin initially declines. Ramin explains again that he’s only on the team to earn his physical education hours, and Fahad replies, “‘This isn’t just about you.’” (Chapter fourteen) Consider how both Ramin and Fahad feel about this situation. Is one more “right” in their feelings? How so? How do you feel about performing certain obligations, especially if others do so willingly, such as a sport, community service, class, or project?

10. Islam teaches respect and empathy toward all. What are some ways peers can support someone who is struggling with acceptance from their family, community, or themselves?

11. When Ramin goes to Mufti Luqman to ask about the Halal-ness of being queer, he’s disappointed with the Imam’s answers. Luqman says resisting queer urges is like a test from Allah, and Ramin wonders why he must pass a test “every day of [his] entire life when [he] never chose to take the test to begin with.” (Chapter thirty) What parts of your religion or culture feel difficult to you? Is there someone you can reach out to for a similar debate or that you trust with your challenging questions? What parts of your religion or culture feel supportive to you?

12. Ramin was called Ramen Noodles and was teased in other ways by his peers. How can name-calling affect someone’s emotional and mental health?

13. Assim was blackmailing Ramin. What pressures or fears stopped Ramin from asking for help? In a situation where someone is being blackmailed, how can talking to a trusted adult help? How may it have helped Ramin?

14. Ramin blamed his parents’ lack of understanding of his identity on them being traditional and conservative. What role did community play in Ramin’s exploration and acceptance of his queer identity? Do you think a lack of open-mindedness can affect a person’s personal growth? Why or why not? How does one’s community help foster or stunt a person’s personal growth?

Extension Activities

1. Arrange a hands-on origami workshop where youth are introduced to origami designs based on varying skill levels. Incorporate timed origami creation challenges to increase engagement and motivation.

2. Ramin Abbas had a vision board for his life after high school. Make a vision board for how you imagine your life after high school will look like. Ramin was also very focused on what he needed to do to be admitted into the college of his dreams. Make a list of your dream colleges, and research what steps are necessary to take while in high school to achieve your goal.

3. Ramin’s brother, Zayn, runs a samosa stand in the cafeteria at lunch as a project for his business studies class, which teaches them about supply and demand, economics and finances, and business competition. As a class, discuss school-appropriate businesses to run, and create a business model on how they would start and maintain the business. Consider start-up and maintenance costs, product fees, profit margins, employee wages, equipment and skills required, and possible competitive outlets. Consider going a step further and starting this business (with school administration approval).

4. Organize a multistation sports activity where teens try board games or sports they have never played before, rotating through the different challenges. Each station should focus on a different skill, allowing everyone to participate regardless of athletic ability.

5. The novel ends on a bittersweet note with the letter from Ramin’s father to his son on his way to New York. Based on what you learned about Ramin throughout the book, work in pairs or groups to imagine what the next year of Ramin’s life will look like, both at NYU and back in Toronto. As a creative writing exercise, consider having the students write an epilogue about Ramin returning to Toronto’s Union Station at the end of his first year of college.

Guide prepared by Noureen Qadir-Jafar, Youth Services Librarian at the Levittown Public Library in New York.

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