Huda Fahmy is a comic book artist who writes about being a hijab-wearing Muslim woman in America. Her previous books for young readers, Huda F Are You? and Huda F Cares?—a National Book Award finalist—focus on her experiences as a Muslim teenager who moved from a town with few Muslims to one with a large Muslim population. Here she reflects on addressing stigmatized topics such as divorce and mental health within the Muslim community in her new book, Huda F Wants to Know?

How taboo is it, you may ask, to talk about divorce and mental health in the Muslim community? Well, I’ve been staring at this blank document and this blinking cursor for more than half an hour, all because I’m too scared about what my parents and community are going to think if I write the wrong thing. (And I titled my first book in this series Huda F Are You? so that’s saying something.) I can’t remember a time when that’s not been the case, especially when I was younger! I remember the fear that gripped me—grips me still—if I even considered talking about my parents’ divorce. That fear was meant to remind me not to bring shame on my family or the Muslim community. Because when it comes to divorce and mental health, the reality for many young Muslims is to keep it to yourself. Or, as my dad more kindly put it, “Don’t. Air. Dirty. Laundry.”

In hindsight (i.e. after tons of therapy), I’ve come to understand the why behind it all. Marriage in the Muslim community is considered sacred—so much so that, in some places, staying married is valued more than a person’s own happiness. And although Islam allows divorce, this hasn’t stopped many from misinterpreting Islamic texts and placing high expectations on people to stay married, even if this means staying in abusive or unhealthy relationships. So, anyone who tries to pursue divorce is seen as a failure, having brought shame onto themselves and their families.

Shame really is what it withers away to, whether we’re talking about divorce or mental health. There is this assumption in some parts of the Muslim community that your mental health is tied to your level of faith and devotion to God. If you’re depressed, it’s probably because you’re not praying enough, or because you’re not reading enough Quran. Anxious? Stressed? Have you tried just not being those things? Prayer and Quran are so incredibly beneficial in their own rights, but they alone won’t fix the issue. It’s easy for the community to understand that we wouldn’t read Quran over a broken bone and expect it to be fixed without also getting professional help. But when it comes to mental health, seeking therapy or counseling is, unfortunately, seen as shameful and not given the same priority. Mix in some more of that fear of being perceived as a failure, and you’ve got yourself a stew.

This stigma is one of the reasons I wrote Huda F Wants to Know? It’s the story of Huda, a young Muslim girl who lives in a tight-knit community and is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ divorce. She experiences bouts of anger and deep depression but is too ashamed to talk about it without anyone, which results in her isolating herself from friends and family. I wrote this book in the hopes that it resonates with many readers who feel as if they’re suffering quietly, forced to shove their dirty laundry in the back of a closet, too ashamed and too afraid to let anyone open the door. And knowing that it will resonate with many readers fills me with both hope and heartache: hope because it will let readers know they’re not alone, and heartache because I can’t help but think of younger me wishing she had this book and finding some kind of relief in her big emotions being validated.

And fear not! While this story covers some heavy topics, it is not without laughs. I’m often asked how I balance humor and a down-to-earth perspective while writing about serious subject matters, and all I can say is, I got a lifetime of knowledge. From a young age, I enjoyed finding humor in the mundane, and it wasn’t until much later in life that I learned this was, lo and behold, a very normal coping mechanism for people trying to survive trauma. “That makes sense,” says older me.

Ultimately, humor is a truth teller. And I am grateful and blessed to be able to make people laugh and learn great truths at the same time. Even if those truths include a little bit of dirty laundry.

Huda F Wants to Know? by Huda Fahmy. Dial, $24.99, Apr. 1 ISBN 978-0-593-85561-4; $17.99, Apr. 1 ISBN 978-0-593-85562-1