Good For Nothing

by Mariam Ansar

When three teens are landed with a community service order after an incident involving a spray can and an inconveniently timed patrol car, their stories start to converge. Amir is the angry boy who won't talk about the brother he lost, but won't let his name be forgotten either. Eman is the awkward girl whose favourite evenings are spent at home watching soaps with her Nani. Kemi is the determined athlete who knows she deserves as good a shot as anyone else, if only she can get to the starting line. As they spend more time together they learn more about themselves, and in the process realise the true cause of Amir's brother's death - and the grave role police prejudice played in it. This is one summer they will never forget. Good for Nothing is a tender, witty and heartfelt coming of age story that redefines small town mentalities and explores the power of friendship and human connection.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2023

Reviews

[eda · Rating 3 out of 5]

i started reading this book more as quality assurance if anything before recommending it to any of my students and i’m glad i read it. a lovely book about 3 kids doing community service over summer except there’s not much focus on the community service and instead tells the story of their relationships with those around them. it’s structured somewhat incoherently but i’m giving mariam ansar her flowers for amir’s story line, the diverse perspectives, the representation for young poc and the depiction of islam as something homely and warm.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good read following the lives of three young people over a summer following a graffiti incident. Emir, Kemi and Eman all have different family backgrounds and have equally differing aspirations and self images but find themselves drawn together to complete a community service order involving many different tasks.; they live in the area of South Friesly- a community viewed by the police as problematic and within the wider community not worth the positivity given to North Friesly. Emir wants to clear the name of his brother who died following an accident and was perceived as drug dealer. His palpable anger and emotional confusion bursts off the page; Kemi and Eman are equally trying to find their place in the world- within their families and and their own identities. The three have to undertake tasks led by PC Chris- a constable who is constrained by the prejudices of his family. As the story progresses all three encounter challenges and begin to recognise the solidarity and growing friendship between them. The ending is pitch perfect and Mariam Ansar has created three characters that are full of angst, love and teenage confusion. Highly recommended - Come on BBC 3 make the TV series.

[Carrie-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the ethnically diverse point of views and representation!

[Joseph P · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange little book. Filled with such beautiful and rich descriptions that places the reader right in Friesly, making you able to picture the laundrette, the supermarket, the restaurant and the other locations in the book so clearly and wonderfully. I enjoyed that. And yet at the same time, nothing happens in this book. Nothing at all. I’m sure the author thinks she’s written a book in which things actually happen, but she hasn’t. The three characters all get put onto the same volunteering program near the start of the book, so you assume the book will mainly be about them bonding through the volunteering scheme with a clear and defined structure. Lol no. The volunteering scheme has occasional scenes dedicated to it while being surrounded by random moments from the three character’s lives. The book just randomly goes through side plots and side characters and other disconnected stories to give the illusion of one, main, cohesive plot. But there is none. The three main characters also do not have any sort of bonding arc. They all already know each other, and although there are some scenes dedicated to them hanging out, it doesn’t feel as if they are learning anything meaningful about each other. But by the end of the book they’re all randomly besties4lyfe who can depend on each other for anything. The author tells you they are. But you just feel hollow. Showing absolutely zero character development and then telling us ‘no, development HAS happened’ doesn’t work.

Also, some of the prose was just bad and confusing, like characters would sometimes use metaphors or go on tangents that made 0 sense, had nothing to do with the conversation, and had me genuinely questioning if I’d skipped a few pages. And the structure of the book jumping back and forth a couple days at a time did nottt work😭 it didn’t feel revolutionary or structure-defyinf, it was just confusing and unnecessary.

Again, there were good bits. Amir’s POV and storyline was great, and him finding Zakiya Bhatti and coming to terms with his grief was probably the one true logical plot thread of this whole book. It should have just been from his POV so we actually could dedicate time to all of that, to have him find Zakiya again through his own work and character agency, instead of just Kemi conventionally and magically being spoonfed all the details we needed to know to solve the mystery about her by a random side character we meet once. Seriously what was going on in this book?

The three star review (probably 2.5 if we’re being honest) is given because this book still has a lot of heart. I have not been able to imagine a setting so clearly as Friesly in a long time, all the characters are described so vividly and lovingly it’s clear the author has spent a long time thinking about them. Eight years, going by the acknowledgements section, which… well, coming up with this measly plot in eight years is kind of outrageously bad but clearly the author loves Friesly and the world she has created. I think instead of just Amir’s POV another solution should have been to write a collection of short stories about Friesly, all focusing on different characters, instead of trying to toss them all together into one novel that consequently makes no sense. That would have been a lovely book to read. But again we got this strange, strange little book.

Read it for the gorgeous and rich descriptions. But don’t expect to feel much or take anything away from the book at all.

[Annie ❤️]

Characters: Amir, Kemi, Eman, Ada, Precious, Nathan.
This multi perspective novel provides a harrowing insight into the fundamental flaws that exist within our current police system. Often police brutality fuelled by racial hatred is associated with America and the misuse and abuse of guns but ‘good for nothing’ focuses on how the UK police is systemically racist and have in the past caused fatalities and injuries due to their prejudiced beliefs. The story follows Amir and how he deals with the death of his brother caused by the police, it also follows Eman and Kemi and how they are brought into the police station when correcting the spelling on Amirs graffiti. This book is incredibly moving the only issue I had was the pacing at the beginning after page 100 it become better and I managed to finish the novel within a day.

[Chris Parkinson-Best]

This is an interesting read. It is read by the viewpoint of three of the main characters, all who live in the same less-better-off neighbourhood of South Friesly. The story takes place after a graffiti incident finds the three main characters in a community volunteering programme led by the local police officers. The story is written from the three different perspectives, chapter by chapter, with a chapter from PC Chris' viewpoint too. It is a story of self discovery and finding one's place in your community, and challenging the stereotypes placed upon you. A very timely story of communities split across north and south, rich and poor, black and white - with all the characters having to face their own misplaced assumptions about others along a journey of self-discovery.

If I am honest, I hoped I would have enjoyed this book more, but I can see the importance of a story like this being told.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have said that I would not adopt this book in my school, but it is only because the content is slightly too mature for the age group I teach. It could possibly be used for Year 6 pupils, but would need to be used carefully as the characters go through a lot of trauma. I loved that it was told from the perspectives of each of the different characters, including PC Chris in one chapter towards the end. Each of the characters help each other see themselves and their actions in a different light, which helps them to become stronger. The actions of the police and the North Friestly rich kids was painful to read at times, especially the way they looked down on the people who lived in South Friestly. But on the flipside, the sense of community that developed between the three characters and existed between the South Friestly community shows that money is not the only thing that makes you rich in this life. I think many children would enjoy this book. It mixes the different languages spoken by each of the characters and the day to day street slang they use when together seamlessly (including a glossary at the end to help out where needed). It also shows that sometimes, all you need is a friend to listen to you and be there for you and that asking for help when you need it is important.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumours are like fire, they take hold so quickly, destroying everything in their wake. Amir, Eman and Kemi all have different personalities & attitudes but they are caught up in the same prejudices that surround them. One act of rebellion and some unfortunate timing has thrown them together, and the battle is on to prove to each other that they are worth something.

This book hooked me straight away with Amir’s story about his brother and how jaded his community had become. People keeping to themselves and their prejudices, instead of questioning what is right, is at the heart of this book. The way the friendships evolved was really well done, chipping away at each other’s defences and anger via the community service tasks. I loved the different backgrounds in the main three characters, how Amir, Eman and Kemi had a strength and yet a vulnerability to them while they were finding their place in their family and the wider community.

I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Young adult fiction goes from strength to strength with such high quality stories such as this.

[Liz Mistry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. I often wished when I was teaching in inner city Bradford 30 years ago that their were more books like this around.
Ansar adresses issues in a real, sensitive and convincing way.
This is a true flavour of the diverse Yorkshire I love and I hope it makes its way onto the school curriculum.
Beautifully written, well developed characters, authentic setting and real heart. Good for Nothing explores friendships, the nature of family and community, racism, conscious and unconscious bias and more. What more could you want in a book?
It is a realistic dip into the lives of diverse communities in Yorkshire and is written with compassion and awareness of the many hurdles Northern teens from marhinalised groups have to overcome. As well as being a damn good story, Good for Nothing carries a valuable message that resonated with me.
Told from the points of view of three diverse teen characters, I became more invested in each character's journey in a world that is complex and where often they have no voice. Glimpses into their lifestyles, their thoughts and fears, their relationships and their desire to live their best life, evoked many different emotions.
A wonderfully realistic yet hopeful debut YA novel.
No hesitation at all in giving this one 5*

[Ylva-Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably a YA read. I think it gave many insights on cultural differences and identities. It captured many different people and three distinct characters. I am a muslima myself so the hijabi and Islamic terms mentioned made me smile. I am 19 and found this very interesting. How the three main characters form bonds and my favorite character would probably be Amir. I liked the pacing it is a fast read. It shows this coming of age theme. It handles many different struggles and addresses racism, the difference growing up in rich or poor and the ending was quite sweet. I do think many people can read this but I'd say the target audience is between 14-20. I liked looking into the pakistani culture more and I think it can make people aware of their own blessings and struggles. A sweet book which rather focuses on the positive view on life despite the different traumas and problems the characters need to handle while being teenagers.

[Jordie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i actually finished this over a week ago but i forgot to update. I was also supposed to write a good review in the morning after staying up reading late that night, but I also forgot.
so a subpar one will have to do;
this book was good. like really good. other than some parts where I had to reread passages to understand, I loved it.
I loved the characters and their relatable struggles and their arcs and the description that used metaphors from each characters personal life... the setting felt so vivid and their emotions so raw and overall I stayed up late reading it so that itself says smth.
I love books that represent brown teens and especially Muslim characters living in non Muslim countries accurately without making them just like any other white kid but with a hijab. idk if im expressing this right, its just that the last book I encountered like this felt so wrong, it made me scared whether this author would stay true to the faith.
but she did, so kudos to her.

[Raz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete review available: Good for Nothing

A really great debut - I'm looking forward to more of Ansar's work as this certainly offered great food for thought that was well-written. There was still a rawness to the writing style (giving it a bit of an abrupt feel), but the handling of multiple perspectives was really something. The balance between the different storylines was great, too, proving both realistic and sufficient for interesting character exploration/development. It's thought-provoking, current, and offer different points of view (including exploring their origins) - in short, an ideal book for discussion or exploration in a class or book group.

N.B. With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free e-ARC of the book in return for an honest, reflective review.

[Anam Iqbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers such astute, honest descriptions of the everyday life, emotions and dreams of young people.

In particular, it provides a voice and representation for children from minority backgrounds living in Northern England (I have not come across this representation before and it felt incredible to finally have access to this kind of narrative - I'm sure children up north will have a particularly profound connection to it, and just knowing that makes it more special to me too).

I felt SO many strong emotions while reading this book: grief, humour, hope, anger, love...

It is such a beautiful, compelling read, and there are many thought-provoking scenes I had to stop to re-read, underline or have a deeper think about.

Ansar captures the nuances of human thought and experience so intricately and is an author whose future works I'll be keeping a close eye on.

[Sabaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fab book.

[Rania T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise, but some of the translations were a little off when the characters were speaking. Quite slow paced in some parts also.

[naymreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

overall, a book with a nice message.
at times slow but sweet.

a reflection of ordinary life.