Sabaa Tahir '04

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Sabaa Tahir '04 became the first Pakistani American and first Muslim American to win the National Book Award for Young People's Literature when her novel "All My Rage" was recognized in November 2022. She also won the Printz Medal, becoming the first Pakistani American and Muslim American to earn that award as well.

Raised in a small Mojave Desert town, Tahir attended UCLA under the name Sabaa Saleem, majored in communication and wrote for the Daily Bruin. She went on to work at the Washington Post (read her article on the prospect of an arranged marriage here) and eventually became a writer of young adult books, landing on the New York Times best-seller list with her "An Ember in the Ashes" series.

"None of it would have happened without UCLA — and without the Daily Bruin or the Comm department, specifically," she said.

The judge's citation for her National Book Award reads:

In unflinching prose, "All My Rage" by Sabaa Tahir layers grief and love in a complex exploration of how we hurt each other and how buried traumas can cloud all. Seamlessly traversing from Lahore, Pakistan to Juniper, California, Tahir has created a compelling cross-generational story where characters are interconnected in their search for community. "All My Rage" is of the moment, urgent in its honest depiction of abuse, debt, and the significance of forgiveness.

View the award announcement and Tahir's acceptance speech here:

This year, Tahir will help honor a deserving author, having been selected to serve on the 2023 National Book Award jury in the category of Young People's Literature.