Desi Girl Speaking by A. S. Hussain

Trigger Warning: Both this book and this review discuss mental health, depression, self-harm, suicide and suicidal ideation.

Desi Girl Speaking by A. S. Hussain follows Tweety, an experienced teenage dancer from the Desi community, who is on a mental health rollercoaster since being made the principal dancer of her dancing troupe. Tweety feels truly alone due to the common misconception that Desis cannot get depressed, that is, until she comes across the Desi Girl Speaking podcast, which helps her to understand her symptoms and realise that she is suffering from depression; from speaking to Desi girl, Maya, and supporting each other via email. However, things get much worse before they get better, as the depression takes over Tweety's life and drags her down to an extremely low point. Tweety eventually acknowledges that she is not alone and is supported by those around her.

This book is truly incredible. It is the best book I have read so far this year and potentially the best fictional book for young adults and teenagers on the subject of mental health that I have ever read. Starting with the structure and format of the book, the chapters were of varying length, both long and short, which allowed Hussain to both quicken the pace of the story and slow it down, which really allowed her to draw the reader in and make it an incredibly gripping book. I also loved the range of different formats this book took, from normal dialogue often found in books to podcast transcripts, emails and text messages. It is always amazing when authors use these various formats in their books, as it is not the most common, but it helps make the books more interesting and gives the reader a different format to digest. The characters were also very likeable in this story and emphasised how important friends are, especially in someone's time of need. 

I also loved this book for how it discusses something which is not very well discussed in general, but this seems to be particularly the case in the Desi communities with the misconception that Desis do not get depressed, which this book makes a great effort to debunk. The book makes it clear that mental health does not discriminate and can indeed affect Desis the same as it can affect anyone else regardless of their gender, age, nationality, race and so on. The book talks about the different symptoms of depression but also some of the things this can lead to, such as suicide ideation and self-harm. Although this is a fictional book, the discussion of mental health, depression, and self-harm is all very factual and extremely helpful, which makes it an incredible educational resource. This is particularly the case with the tips to prevent one from self-harming, which is contained in one of the chapters of this book, including using rubber bands, handling ice cubes and drawing on one's skin with (usually red) felt tip pens, which are all recognised ways of trying to avoid more serious types of self-harm. Most importantly, the book emphasises the importance of talking.

There is nothing I can really criticise about this book. Some of the storylines were upsetting, both because it is a sensitive area and the book did take me on an emotional rollercoaster, but also because the storyline went in places which it would have been nice it didn't, for instance, when Tweety stopped talking to Maya. However, I can not criticise this as it is reflective of what depression is like; it can stop you from talking to people when talking to these people is possibly the exact thing you should be doing. There is also a point in the story when Tweety's parents walk in on her self-harming, which they describe as a "stupid" thing. It is important to look at this point in context, parents and even more so desi parents often don't understand mental health and the difficulties it can lead to such as self-harm and how sufferers may not see any other option. However, to some, the use of the word "stupid" may do more harm than good by making them more reluctant to ask for help. However, it's important that people see this point as a warning of how many of the older generation think this way and how, in modern society, we need to change this type of thinking. It was extremely reassuring to see Tweety's parents change their attitudes very quickly after this point.

Finally, another point I would make is that there appears to be slight gender bias in this book, although Hussain briefly addresses this matter in the end. This is because this book is about how mental health does not discriminate, but Tweety and Maya are both female desis who are suffering from depression, and many of the key characters in this book are female. This is concerning as, historically, mental health issues have been seen as a female problem, and men have been much more reluctant to speak about their mental health. However, this was addressed later in the book when it was discovered that Tweety's grandfather had depression and one of Tweety's friend's brother also had mental health issues and attempted suicide. Therefore, although this is not a big issue, it is worth remembering that mental illnesses can affect anyone; it does not discriminate based on gender.

Altogether, I rate this book 5 stars, making it an outstanding book and the best book I have read so far this year because it talks about an extremely important topic in a fictional story but also provides non-fiction information and practical advice which readers who are suffering from mental health can action. It also does a particularly amazing job of discussing mental health amongst an ethnic group who have been reluctant to understand that mental illnesses can affect them. If I was able to, I would give this book 6 stars! I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, especially if you are a teenager, especially if you are from a minority group (not necessarily ethnic), and if you yourself suffer from mental health, bearing in mind the trigger warning at the top of this post and throughout the book itself. I would like to say the biggest thank you to both NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book in return for an honest book review. I loved reading Hussain's This is How We Fall in Love last year, but this book is truly a masterpiece!

This book mentions how Tweety anonymously emails Desi Girl Speaking so they can talk about their mental health difficulties together to help support each other and spread understanding. It is recognised that being able to talk to people and support others can be really helpful when you are suffering, although it can be incredibly hard, especially when you are not anonymous. I would, therefore, highly recommend the Tellmi Tellmi app to anyone who is suffering from any mental health issue, not just depression or just diagnosed mental health conditions but anything mental struggles. This is an app for teenagers to anonymously share their struggles and support each other. It is moderated by the Tellmi team, and posts and comments are only publicly visible after they have been approved by the moderation team. The moderation team can also offer support and, in limited scenarios where someone appears to be in danger, can get the emergency services involved. This is an extremely helpful app and really helps you feel that you are not alone because you are not, so I would strongly recommend this app!