Jameela Green Ruins Everything - by Zarqa Nawaz

About the Book

"Jameela Green only has one wish. To see her memoir on the New York Times bestseller list. When her dream doesn't come true, she seeks spiritual guidance at her local mosque. New imam and recent immigrant Ibrahim Sultan is appalled by Jameela's shallowness, but agrees to assist her on one condition: that she perform a good deed. Jameela reluctantly accepts his terms, kicking off a chain of absurd and unfortunate events. When the person the two do-gooders try to help is recruited by a terrorist group called D.I.C.K.--Dominion of the Islamic Caliphate and Kingdoms--the federal authorities become suspicious of Ibrahim, and soon after, the imam mysteriously disappears. Certain that the CIA have captured Ibrahim for interrogation via torture, Jameela decides to set off on a one-woman operation to rescue him"--

Book Synopsis

"I think we got off on the wrong foot, with you telling me I had to be killed and then me getting all upset about it. Let's start again. My name is Jameela, and I'm a writer. What do you do, besides . . . assassinations? Is that a hobby or more of a full-time thing?"

Jameela Green has only one wish: to see her memoir on the New York Times bestseller list. When that doesn't work out, she decides that her best next step is to make a deal with God, so she heads over to her local mosque. The idealistic new imam, Ibrahim Sultan, is appalled by Jameela's shallowness but agrees to assist her, on one condition--that she perform a good deed.

Jameela reluctantly accepts his terms, kicking off a series of unfortunate events. The homeless man they try to help gets recruited by a terrorist group, causing federal authorities to become suspicious of Ibrahim. When the imam mysteriously disappears, Jameela is certain that the CIA has captured her new friend for interrogation and possibly torture.

Despite having no talent for this sort of thing, Jameela decides to set off on a one-woman operation to rescue him. Her quest soon lands her at the center of an international plan targeting the leader of the terrorist organization--a scheme that puts Jameela and count-less others, including her hapless husband and clever but disapproving daughter, at risk.

A no-holds-barred satire about the international cost of the American Dream, Jameela Green Ruins Everything is a compulsively readable, darkly comedic, yet unexpectedly touching story of one woman's search for meaning and connection.

Review Quotes

"A satire about ISIS is a big swing to take--but Zarqa Nawaz knows a thing or two about taking chances. Jameela Green Ruins Everything may be her first foray into the world of fiction, but Nawaz has made a career of being a trailblazer. . . . The book manages to weave American foreign policy and thwarting a terrorist organization with one woman's search for faith, meaning and redemption." - Chatelaine
"Nawaz's understated humour shines in this lovely comedy of errors--and faith." - Maclean's
"International politics is personal in this brilliant satire from the always provocative--and deeply funny--mind of Zarqa Nawaz." - Rick Mercer
"Zarqa Nawaz is one of the few writers around who can deftly navigate that minefield between high-stakes, war-torn, geopolitical upheaval, and one woman's hilarious but meaningful journey to find her place in her family and community. Is it a searing satire on America's war on terror, or a side-splitting family adventure? Well . . . yes, it is, and a crazy ride, too. Funny, moving, brilliant." - Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour
"Finally, an action plot featuring a middle-class Muslim mom from North Dakota! Zarqa Nawaz makes ample room for her protagonist, Jameela Green, to be a multidimensional woman of color who flexes between a flawed insecure instigator to a championing hero in one humor-filled international ride." - Pooja Reddy, comedian and cohost of Kutti Gang
"Canadians are funny people--that's a given--and when our special brand of humour is coupled with the skill of a writer like Zarqa Nawaz, creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie, brilliant things happen." - Canadian Living
"Jameela Green Ruins Everything will keep you laughing all the way to the end. A heartwarming story of faith, family, and friendship that is only amplified by Zarqa Nawaz's sharp and brilliant wit. All the sacred cows are skewered--what you are left with at the end is the power, beauty, and humour of one woman's journey back to faith." - Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of A Deadly Divide
"A breezy dark comedy about serious contemporary issues." - Quill and Quire
"Nawaz writes about religion and faith in an easily digestible way." - The Canadian Press
A Shondaland's "Best Books for May 2022" * A Pop Sugar "New Book That Is A Must Reads in 2022"
"Jameela Green Ruins Everything" by Zarqa Nawaz is a deliciously dark comedy that takes on America's foreign policy in the Middle East, the lengths people are willing to go to for success, and one woman's search for meaning." - Popsugar
"Jameela Green Ruins Everything is zany, daring, and hilarious, and exactly the type of novel we'd expect from Zarqa Nawaz, creator of CBC's award-winning sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie. . . . the story is a wild and humorous one--Zarqa's use of comedy is gutsy as hell. . . . The result is a satirical masterpiece that few on earth would dare to do." - shedoesthecity.com
"A comedy of errors about an ordinary Muslim woman thrust into a high-stakes international crisis. It's also a tale of internal struggle, interspersed with characters' private prayers to God. . . . provocative and cheeky." - Maclean's
"This black comedy explores the price of success and one woman's search for meaning - Chatelaine

About the Author

ZARQA NAWAZ is a writer and filmmaker who created Little Mosque on the Prairie, which aired in over sixty countries. She has been interviewed or profiled by CNN, the BBC, the New York Times, and Aljazeera. Her memoir, Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, was published in 2014.