We Are Big Time

Based on the real-life story of the Salam School all girl’s high school varsity basketball team, We Are Big Time follows Aliya, a 14-year-old Muslim girl and her Peace Academy teammates as they prove that anyone can play basketball, no matter what they wear.

When readers first meet Aliya, she is moving to Milwaukee from sunny Florida. Needless to say, Aliya and her two brothers are not too keen on moving away from everything they know, especially in the middle of the school year.

One day, as Aliya is missing her old life at her new school, she meets Halima who invites her to join the girls’ varsity basketball team. Having played a bit back in Florida, Aliya is thrilled to join the team, only to find out that they aren’t the greatest team around.

After losing their first couple of games, Coach Hernandez, their tough but understanding coach, decides that they have to train harder and faster in order to make it to the playoffs. After a rocky start, the girls begin bonding and really start to mesh as a team, a situation which attracts the attention of media outlets across the country.

With the increasing media attention and popularity, Aliya is finding it harder and harder to juggle her school work with her personal life and basketball. When she begins to focus too much on her mistakes, it takes a negative toll on her mental health, with the situation not being helped by the reporters repeatedly focusing on negative cultural stereotypes of Muslim women.

In the end, Aliya and her teammates prove to themselves, and the world, that anyone can play basketball. But more importantly, they learn an invaluable lesson – that they are much “more than the score”.

A very poignant coming-of-age story, We Are Big Time tackles some very big themes in an age-appropriate manner. When Coach Martinez explains that she is ignorant of most aspects of their faith, Aliya and her teammates open up to her, discussing many facets of their faith and culture – including how they have encountered Islamophobia both on and off the court.
And, of course, let’s not forget the illustrations by Canadian artist Safiya Zerrougui who effortlessly created Aliya’s world. The fluidity of her lines adds much needed dimension to the story and creates a very fast-paced read while her use of warm tones throughout makes We Are Big Time quite the uplifting read.

Containing the universal themes of friendship, growing up, and loving a sport so much you’ll sacrifice anything for it, We Are Big Time is an enjoyable and entertaining graphic novel.