More Than Just A Pretty Face Review by Saanvi Kunisetty

 More Than Just A Pretty Face Review

Saanvi Kunisetty

More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood follows the story of a Muslim boy named Danyal living in California. As a senior in high school, Danyal knows what he wants in life. Unlike many of the kids in his school, including his seemingly perfect childhood crush Kaval, he wants nothing to do with academics. Instead, he works in a local restaurant, hoping to one day become a great chef. Though his mom is fully supportive of his dreams, his dad is everything but that. He has no faith that Danyal could ever such a feat, and along with this, he regards career choices such as a chef to be demeaning and worthless. Things become more complicated when Danyal is chosen to participate in an esteemed academic competition known as Renaissance Man. Faced with the topic of Winston Churchill, he could speak well about him, and impress his teacher as well as Kaval’s family. Instead, he chooses to speak about Churchill’s wrongdoings that led to massive starvation in India, a topic close to his dad’s heart, and now his as well. Along the way, he meets Bisma Akram, a shy and studious girl willing to help him.

The main reason I really enjoyed this book was because of the number of social norms and stereotypes that it addressed, and tackled if need be. For starters, it evidently points to the common feeling that many parents experience- that their child should grow up to become a doctor or a lawyer, or something prestigious like that. The author represents this social dilemma through Danyal’s dad, and as the book goes on, Danyal’s dad starts to see more good in Danyal. By the end of the book, he has realized that Danyal is capable of doing what he puts his mind to, and that if that is cooking, it shouldn’t be looked down upon. Something else the book addresses is the idea of social status and economic differences. Danyal and his family live in a rich neighborhood, though they are anything but rich. Around them, the lifestyles of all the families are luxurious and appealing to the eye. Danyal’s mom is often pressured by this and tries to make up for it by attempting to give a grand look to her house using elaborate and expensive house decor. In addition to this, Kaval and her family are not at all interested in Danyal because his family does not have much money. Kaval indicates that she is only interested in marrying him if he studies abroad in the medicinal field, so that he can make a lot of money later on and support her. Ultimately, I would definitely recommend this book to someone else who was looking for something to read. It’s an enjoyable and comical read with many lessons to be learnt.