The Ramadan Drummer: a novel

A child is wounded, a teenage girl goes missing, and a man is kidnapped... In this story about clashing values and the search for connection in a multicultural world, the drummer of the title wakes the faithful during Ramadan in the predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Little Mecca so that they can eat before beginning their daily fast. But in this culturally diverse American city, he wakes believers and nonbelievers alike. As anti-Muslim activists picket a community fair, shots ring out and a child is gravely wounded. Police detective Ezra Kaufman--who is dealing with the loss of his wife and seeking some kind of spiritual solace from his Jewish tradition--is assigned to investigate. In the course of his investigation he meets reporter Aisha Hassan, an observant though liberal-minded Muslim who is covering the same story. At a party, the young daughter of a prominent Muslim family initiates a sexual encounter with an older teenage boy. Somebody posts photos of the incident on social media, and the girl disappears. Both Ezra and Aisha get involved. Confronting misogyny, homophobia, and Islamophobia, rejecting both fundamentalism and intolerance, Ezra, Aisha, and others try to chart their own paths toward personal autonomy and personal connection