An Inside Look with Shifa Saltagi Safadi
(Author of Kareem Between)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Kareem?
Kareem was a character born first with a football passion. I knew I wanted to write a story about a Muslim kid in sports, especially since my own son loves the Chicago Bears and loves quoting NFL facts. But Kareem also was born out of my emotions growing up as a Syrian kid in America. I knew I wanted to write about the Muslim ban of 2017 and the deep way it affected me and my family, and I could just imagine how devastated a young tween might have felt when I felt so much hurt as an adult. And so as I crafted the story, I set out to just show this story of a young tween who truly JUST wants to make the football team, but who is thrust into the wider world of politics in America due to who he is, and how he has to grapple with that and come to terms with who he is.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Kareem is deeply loving. He has so much love for his mother, for his father, for his siblings, his friends, his faith, country, and of course- FOOTBALL! And I think his passion and love drives him to try to control every aspect of his life, including making the team, and it’s when things spin out of control that he struggles to figure out how to fix things, and hence fumbles his way to his goals.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
I honestly think Kareem is perfect. Yes, he is flawed, but aren’t we all as humans! I want to normalize that we all are sort of Kareem- just fumbling in our lives to try to make our goals in life. And Kareem definitely grows, he apologizes for his mistakes, he corrects them, and he learns through the mistakes he makes- and I think it is an admirable quality to grow and change and learn, especially when the world is so rocky to navigate.
What do you think Kareem can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Hope. Kareem lives through the time of the Muslim ban in America. And he feels devastated as a Syrian American that a law calls people from Syria detrimental and dangerous. But with using his voice, the local media, and protest (all parts of the first amendment), he finds his inner power and realizes the confidence he should have in all parts of his identity, and how his inner strength helps him find solutions and success.
How did you research Kareem and the circumstances he found himself in?Kareem was definitely inspired by my real-life emotions of living through the Muslim ban myself. And we are a football family, so I had a lot of NFL inspo. But I DID have to research- because it was set in 2016-2017. I had to nail down the EXACT timeline for the events of the time, both the football season, the superbowl, and the timeline of the politics as well, and so I did a ton of online research for that.
Do you and Kareem share any similarities?
Absolutely. Kareem is very passionate about grammar and reading- and I am the same way. I love correcting my family’s grammar, and I constantly rave about books I love and find connections with them to my own life. In that way, Kareem is a huge part of who I am.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Oh gosh. Quite a few scenes made me cry. But I think that moment where he steps into his room, tears down his poster, and cries because he feels like it was his fault that “certain spoiler circumstance inserted here” happens- that moment was heart wrenching to write. I felt for him so deeply and I am glad he was able to get comfort from his father after.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Kareem gets so much support from those around him, even if he might not always recognize it at first. At first, it’s his Jido and his phone calls about football with him. Then, Mama becomes a voice of advice and love. Baba offers him comfort in his sadness. And even Jameelah, his older sister, offers him moments of solidarity where they support each other.
Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
Young people are the future. I love how hopeful they are in positive change, even when adults may have given up, may feel cynical or sad. In this world, adults I think have so much on their mind, that sometimes it does take a kid perspective to slow down and really think about a situation. And I love that Kareem keeps striving to find solutions, and it shows his drive for hope and his courage in speaking up.
What do you think Kareem is doing at the present time?
Kareem in 2024 is a student at college! He is around 19 years old, and is playing college football. He is on his way to get drafted into the Chicago Bears. And he definitely is standing up for justice and voting for the first time in this years elections!
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)
Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)
Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
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Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)
Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)
Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)
Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)
Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)
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Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)
Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)
Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)
Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)
Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)
Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)
Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)
Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)
Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)
Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)
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Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)
Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)
Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)
Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things)
Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)
Interview #258 with John Gaspard (Author of The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks)
Interview #259 with Dana Kramaroff (Author of The Do More Club)
Interview #260 with Jessica Vitalis (Author of Coyote Queen)
Interview #261 with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (Authors of Dog Town)
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Interview #262 with Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (Authors of The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry)
Interview #263 with Anne Ursu (Author of Not Quite a Ghost)
Interview #264 with Erin Soderberg Downing (Author of Just Keep Walking)
Interview #265 With Kate Albus (Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)
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Interview #267 with Toni Buzzeo (Author of Light Comes to Shadow Mountain)
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Interview #271 with Lynne Kelly (Author of The Secret Language of Birds)
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Interview #274 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall)
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Interview #278 with Kate O'Shaughnessy (Author of The Wrong Way Home)
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