I'm Kia Miakana Tis. This is NPR's Book of the Day. Mother, Muslim, pirate. Three words that don't often dance together, but do describe the roles, religion, and work of the main character of Shannon Chakraborti's new fantasy novel, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sarrafi.

The story unfolds in the 12th century on the Indian Ocean, and the titular character finds

herself called out of retirement and motherhood to do one last pirate heist with her old crew.

But of course, in a tale filled with sorcerers, sea monsters, and magic, nothing is as

it seems. Shockerbordy chats about portraying motherhood and faith on the high seas with here

now's Kaliani Soxena. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

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I read your first trilogy, and this is very different in tone. There's so much going on,

so much exciting stuff. We've got pirates, stolen artifacts, a chaotic heist, and of course,

sea monsters. But, you know, at its core, what kind of a story is this?

You know, I really wanted this book to feel not so much escapist,

but as a great adventure tale that offered joy.

And I wanted it to touch upon serious topics, class oppression,

the idea of who tells their own story.

But I also wanted at its heart to be about this woman who is coming back to essentially

her passions and her career and her friends and fighting for her family and have it really

have a lot of heart at it.

I think you can have serious fantasy books that delve into serious topics, but also

really offer the reader some hope. You know, you mentioned the pandemic, and I have to confess,

...