Michael Muhammad Knight

Yusef is living in Buffalo, New York, with a group of Muslim punks. A pot-smoking mohawked Sufi called Jehangir plays the rooftop call to prayer on his electric guitar, while debates rage downstairs about the Quranic sources for Iggy Pop songs.

With a living-room serving as mosque by day and hosting punk parties by night, and a hole in the wall marking the direction of Mecca, Yusef's friends are all dealing with what it means to be young and Muslim in modern-day America.

Amidst all this, Yusef embarks on a fascinating, clumsy journey towards faith and love in this surprising and unsettling read.

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Last modified on January 4, 2007  | © Telegram 2005