“I LOVE it. It’s Hilarious!”
“Really? So you think teens will be excited to read it, too?”
“Ummm no?”
“What? Why?”
“Coz teens don’t read, mom.”
“You’re a teenager and you read everything I write”
“That’s coz you made me!”
Well, you must’ve encountered the species somewhere for sure. A teenager at home? A niece or nephew maybe? Perhaps you’ve bumped into one of them notorious teens at a friend’s house?
Either way, you’re most likely familiar with the merchandise; it comes fully equipped with mood swings, rolling eyes, sarcasm, absurd slang language, and an unprecedented ability to binge on Netflix and/or PlayStation for 17 hours straight.
But really, even though the thought of exchanging them might cross our minds every now and then, kids are a gift. And it’s our job to make sure they’re on the right track. Of course, that includes questioning their choices, lecturing, pointing out their flaws and making them do all the things they don’t want to do! (High fives every parent reading this LOL).
It’s a balancing act really, between wanting to embrace and protect them and wanting to get a restraining order against them. But once we get the ‘sweet and sour’ recipe straight, it’s such a beautiful journey (actually it’s so not, but let’s pretend it is okay?).
Seriously though, we must admit most teens are very much misunderstood. They’re caught in a weird limbo; they’re not children anymore yet not grownups either. They’re too old to depend on their parents and too young to be independent. Many of us have no earthly idea how to get through to them, let alone, help or pass on life lessons.
Why we’re publishing this series
So out of genuine care for the new generation, plus their lack of interest in listening to the voice of wisdom, the Productive Muslim team thought of coming up with productive and practical solutions to the problems our teens are facing today. And we reasoned the best approach would be to speak in a language they can understand, which is what inspired this idea to write a whole book series solely dedicated to Muslim teenagers, namely the ones living in the West.
‘Confessions Of A High School Bully’ is a series of hilarious adventures and schemes. The hero-narrator is a teen boy named Ali Salem. Not only is he insanely funny, he’s also smart and his ‘coolness’ factor is completely off the charts. Each book addresses a certain crisis and the first of this series deals with the extremely popular and relentless battle of putting things off until the last minute and then suffering the consequences.
For Ali, being the master manipulator he is, always landing on his feet, he figures his procrastination shouldn’t create that much of a problem, until, through a sudden twist of time, 14-year-old Ali bumps into the 24-year-old version of himself. Only instead of being wowed by the ‘legendary successful’ image he had of his future self, he’s completely and 100% beyond nauseated!
How did this happen? How did he grow up to be such a total loser?
I don’t wanna let the cat out of the bag you guys, but with the ‘Back to the Future’ element, the ‘diva’ sister, the typical-frustrated Arab mom, the ‘not-so-bright’ best friend and the hilarious never-ending drama, I think you’re gonna love this book whether you’re 14 or 44, especially if you’re the ‘procrastinator’ type (I mean aren’t we all?)
So let’s all do our good deeds for the day and pass the word to teenagers that something hilariously relatable is coming their way soon, inshAllah. Maybe you’ll be the reason for changing someone’s life….
Okay, so I’m done here. This is the last you’ll hear from me this year, coz from now on it’s Ali, the teenage bully all the way.
Final words of wisdom before I go? Hmmmmm
You know, successful people have something in common; they believe the future can be better than the present….
The new generation IS the future. They have the power to change the world…
We just need to guide them, understand them and support them.
So let’s start now…
The first episode of ‘I Haven’t Started Either’ is coming right up!
Stay tuned….
[If you’re a parent and/or a working professional, don’t forget to check out The Productive Muslim Online Masterclass that aims to help you live the best version of yourself spiritually, physically and socially]
