If I Should Speak

Book excerpt: After a fight with her roommate, Tamika is forced to move out of her room and finds herself living with Dee and Aminah, two Muslims on opposite ends of their commitment to Islam. Tamika is immediately drawn to Dee, who shares her love for singing and her frustration with an overly religious, unsupportive mother. Captivated by Dee's magnetic personality and powerful singing voice, Tamika has found both a friend and mentor in life. As the seeds of friendship are sown between them, the doors of fame are beginning to open for Tamika. But a religion class assignment incites spiritual turmoil, and Tamika is unprepared for the one obstacle that stands in her way to success.