| Adiba Jaigirdar | |
| Birth Place: | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Nationality: | Bangladeshi-Irish |
| Alma Mater: | |
| Occupation: | Writer |
| Notable Works: | The Henna Wars |
Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi-Irish writer. Her debut novel, The Henna Wars, is listed as one of Time magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time, alongside novels such as Little Women, Lord of the Flies, and The Catcher in the Rye.
Jaigirdar was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, then alternated between living in Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh as a child.[1] At age ten, she and her family immigrated to Tullamore, Ireland;[1] she has lived in the Dublin region ever since.[2]
Throughout much of her life, she has been in situation where she is among only a few people of color, an experience that has shaped her writing.[1]
Jaigirdar identifies as a queer Muslim woman of color.[3] [4] [5] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person."[6] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young Muslim people of color can embrace their queer identities.[6] [7]
After immigrating to Ireland at age 10, Jaigirdar attended an all-girls Catholic school.[3] She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from University College Dublin, as well as a Master of Arts in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent.[2] [3]
Aside from writing young adult novels, Jaigirdar has been a writer for Book Riot.[8] She also teaches English as a foreign language to recent immigrants to Ireland.[3]
Jaigirdar has written about people like herself and stated, "My very existence is political, so the things that I write will also be seen as inherently political."[5] Like characters from her novel Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating, Jaigirdar "has been told that parts of her identity cancel out others and couldn't exist in the same person."[6] Her writing is now inspired by her history and with hopes that young people of color can embrace their queer identities.[6]
See main article: The Henna Wars.
The Henna Wars was published May 12, 2020 in the United States and October 2021 in the United Kingdom. The book follows Nishat, a Bangladeshi teenager who comes out as a lesbian while in high school.
The novel deals with a number of themes, including racism, homophobia,[9] Islamophobia, and coming-of-age. The intersection between Nishat's cultural identity and her sexual identity is a central theme of the novel. Lana Barnes of Shelf Awareness described Nishat's struggle as "the dichotomy of wanting to break from the constraints of tradition while still maintaining strong ties to culture and beliefs."[10]
The Henna Wars has received generally positive reviews, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Shelf Awareness.[11] [10] Time included The Henna Wars on their list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time, alongside novels such as Little Women, Lord of the Flies, and The Catcher in the Rye.[12] It was listed as one of the best young adult books of 2020 and 2021 by Teen Vogue, American Library Association, The Irish Times, Autostraddle and NPR.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]