Ms Marvel

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Ms. Marvel is an entertaining read about a teenage Muslim superhero. I absolutely love the format of graphic novels and can say that I loved every second of Ms. Marvel. I believe that it not only showed the power of women but the power of identity and self-value as well. She struggled with her own identity at school, at home and as a hero. She eventually found her confidence within herself as a Muslim superhero. I think this was a great addition to our class anthology and I would love to teach this read in my classroom one day.
The graphic novel itself is already a great way to get a reluctant reader enjoying books. I think this book could reach an even greater demographic of readers since it is so specific to a religion, but it speaks to everyone who has troubles with their identity too. This book made forgotten Muslim people feel important because they were able to take the spotlight in this book. It is imperative to be inclusive in literature as well as the classroom because everyone deserves those few minutes of fame. In class, we spoke about if it is important to mention that she is Muslim in the comments or if religion all together should just be left alone. This reminded me of an event in late 2016 or early 2017 when Beyonce's Lemonade album first came out and Adele won the award for best album or something like that. Adele mentioned Lemonade and said that "she loved the way it made her feel and she loved the way it made her black friends feel." There was controversary about whether it was aproppraite for her to say that. I connect that event to the appropriateness of Muslim being the religion of Kamala. Of course the mention and celebration of these characterstics are imperative because they give recognition to the "minority." Being proud of the things the majority considers flaws or irregular is what keeps society fresh and abolishes ignorance.
Ms. Marvel was a great read and should definitely be included in the classroom. It can restore confidence in students who connect to Kamala as well as entice reluctant readers. Graphic novels are a nontraditional yet fun way to bring story-telling into the classroom. I feel like this novel has range between middle and high school, so it would be beneficial anywhere. I hope to see more graphic novels as a teacher!

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