Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There's the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems "suitable." And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City — and pursuing a boy she's known from afar — since grade school.
But in the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she's known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.
"In an astute debut, Ahmed intertwines a multicultural teen’s story with a spare, dark depiction of a young terrorist’s act. High school senior Maya Aziz, a budding filmmaker, struggles with being the beloved and protected only child of Muslim immigrants from India while trying to live a 'normal' American teenage life in Illinois and, more importantly, make her own decisions about her future.... Alternately entertaining and thoughtful, the novel is eminently readable, intelligent, and timely." — Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 14 and up |
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Author | Samira Ahmed |
ISBN | 1616959991 |
Publication Date | Jan 16, 2018 |
Publisher | Soho Teen |
Language | English |