Hollow Fires

Protagonist Safiya describes finding Jawad’s dead body in a culvert in Jackson Park, Chicago, 16 months prior. Safiya is currently a sophomore in college studying journalism. Jawad Ali was a ninth grader who was murdered 16 months ago after being falsely accused of terrorism by his English teacher. Though Safiya was warned by a professor that she was, “too close” to Jawad’s story to tell it, Safiya wants to gather, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” about Jawad’s murder (5-6).

The author presents the story through a combination of Safiya’s perspective, Jawad’s perspective, and in-world articles. This first article is published after Jawad’s initial arrest for bringing a jet pack costume to school that his teacher mistakes for a bomb, but before Jawad returns to school from suspension. The reporter quotes Jawad’s teacher, who “[describes Jawad] as ‘an Arab student’ wearing ‘something like a suicide bomber vest’” (7). The reporter also quotes Jawad who explains that the jet pack costume came from his makerspace club for Halloween. The policemen quoted in the article refer to Jawad as a “juvenile” who “‘should have been more transparent and forthcoming’ rather than repeatedly describing the device as a jet pack” (8).