Here to Stay

by Sara Farizan, Jonathan Todd Ross (Narrator)

For most of high school, Bijan Majidi has flown under the radar. He gets good grades, reads comics, hangs out with his best friend, Sean, and secretly crushes on Elle, one of the most popular girls in his school. When he's called off the basketball team's varsity bench and makes the winning basket in a playoff game, everything changes in an instant. But not everyone is happy that Bijan is the man of the hour: an anonymous cyberbully sends the entire school a picture of Bijan photoshopped to look like a terrorist. His mother is horrified, and the school administration is outraged. They promise to find and punish the culprit. All Bijan wants is to pretend it never happened and move on, but the incident isn't so easily erased. Though many of his classmates rally behind Bijan, some don't want him or his type to be a part of their school. And Bijan's finding out it's not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends . . .

--recordedbooks.com

Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Contemporary, LGBT, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Romance

Audiobook

First published September 18, 2018

About the author

Sara Farizan (1984, Massachusetts).

Her parents immigrated from Iran in the seventies, her father a surgeon and her mother a homemaker. Sara grew up feeling different in her private high school not only because of her ethnicity but also because of her liking girls romantically, her lack of excitement in science and math, and her love of writing plays and short stories. So she came out of the closet in college, realized math and science weren’t so bad (but not for her), and decided she wanted to be a writer. She is an MFA graduate of Lesley University and holds a BA in film and media studies from American University. Sara has been a Hollywood intern, a waitress, a comic book/record store employee, an art magazine blogger, a marketing temp, and an after-school teacher, but above all else she has always been a writer.

Reviews

[Kelly]

Bijan is, to put it loosely, kind of a dork. And he's really confident in being that. He loves basketball and is a JV on his private school's team. But when he's subbed in during a big game and makes the game-clinching shot, he finds himself suddenly elbow to elbow with a crew of cool kids he never hung out with before.

But it's not all good. Not all of those kids like him. Bijan becomes an outlet for their overt racist and Islamophobic behavior in a way. While acknowledged at school, it's not taken particularly seriously. Kids being kids, of course.

Then one of his friends becomes a target too -- and since she's white, the school steps up to figure out who is at the bottom of it.

Farizan takes on a lot of meaty topics in this book but she does so in a way that is, at times, laugh out loud funny. Bijan is a superbly likable main character, but we know him as so much more than that. He wrestles with his family situation, having a single mom after losing his dad early; he wrestles with being at a school where racism is rampant, where student causes are ridiculed rather than taken seriously; with figuring out how much he wants to invest in pursuing basketball seriously, as he's wildly talented. And there's also a girl. But what makes this book excel is exactly that: Bijan can be the most likable character, but because of his skin color and heritage, he's still a target and still experiences micro and macro aggressions every single day. Even when he's a school hero.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Bijan's quirk of externalizing self-commentary through the use of imaginary sports broadcasters. It adds a lightness to what is, ultimately, a heavy and hard story.

[CW ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here to Stay may be a simple book but it sure still packs a punch. It's about racism, friendship, and basketball, all portrayed and explored plainly, elegantly, and with humour too.

- Follows Bijan, a Persian-Jordianian-American teen who loves basketball - and is good at it! But when he becomes the target of Islamophobia by an anonymous cyberbully after getting involved with a campaign to change his school's gun-toting mascot, Bijan will have to navigate friendships and who the racist is.
- Bijan is an instantly likeable character who is sweet, very awkward, a huge dork, and cares about his friends. Also, he loves basketball and he just wants to play - but can't, because people are being racist and horrible. I also LOVED his mum - she was formidable and I loved the scene where she holds all the sweating school staff sweat by holding them accountable.
- Despite the serious topics that this book explores, it's actually incredibly funny! I burst out laughing a few times.
- The story also explores allyship, how institutions protect white students over students of colour, friendship, the effects of racism, and (a side character's) experience of coming out.

Content warning: racism/Islamophobia, anti-gay rhetoric, (mentions of) death of a parent

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short read. I find it a bit underwhelming considering the characters, the plot and the writing. The book tackles with important topics regarding racism. It’s more of social commentary in the first half while the second half did not do much regarding character development. The ending seems too rushed. I picked up this book for the romance as well which I couldn’t get much of.

[Eilonwy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Bijan gets bumped up from JV to varsity on his private school basketball team, his life gets complicated. Some people are happy for him -- he suddenly has a shot at hanging out with the popular kids -- and others, including some of those popular kids, resent his new success. Things get even more complicated when he gets caught up in efforts to change the school mascot, and finds himself the target of an anonymous hate campaign.

For a pretty short, quick read, this book had a lot of substance. It addresses issues of being a minority student at a mostly white, mostly rich school, and the legacy politics that play out at ritzy schools. It's got a super sweet straight romance and a pretty cute lgbtq romance. And of course, I loved the sports aspect of it. (Although I was a bit taken aback by the mention of some students playing a fifth year of ball in the hopes of getting noticed by college scouts -- I don't think that happens at public schools, where you get 4 years of eligibility and that's it.)

Interestingly, the title comes from exactly the opposite source of where you would think -- and I love how the author turns the meaning on its head this way.

This was an excellent, meaty YA contemporary that doesn't get bogged down in its own message in any way. I'm so glad I saw Sara Farizan speak about this book last October, which got me to buy a copy and now finally read it.

[francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review: https://bookpeopleteens.wordpress.com...

Great for fans of Adib Khorram, Here to Stay reads like a much more PG and socially relevant The Foxhole Court. A short and true-to-life story about growing up in The Age of Assholes, where cyberbullying can affect someone much more than words, and ignorance is just a click away. Dribbling onto the scene, this book, like Bijan, fights for its rightful place on top of the scoreboard/your TBR list. Rating: five... basketballs, I guess?/five>

Favorite quotes:
- “It felt kind of good to scream. I wished it were socially acceptable to scream more often. Not in class or anything, but maybe there could be some roped-off area or campus designated for screaming your cares away.”
- “If someone pushes you, you push right back.”

[28Cayden2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book that I definitely recommend. Not only does it teach an important lesson but it also talks a lot about sports. I love the main character and you should definitely read.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

A captivating and important read. Interesting characters and plot, fast read. I really liked it.

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooray! It’s a sports book with substance!! When JV player, Bijhan, gets called in at the end of the 4th quarter and makes the winning basket, securing his team a ticket to the playoffs, he earns a spot on Varsity and a shot at the girl. But, nope, it’s not happily-ever-after for Bijhan. When some of the other basketball players get jealous of Bijhan taking the spotlight away from him, they begin an anonymous campaign to get Bijhan labeled a terrorist (get it? Because he’s of Middle Eastern descent so he must be a terrorist? OMG WHY ARE PEOPLE STUPID). His mother and friends are incensed and demand justice but Bijhan just wants it to all go away.

Bijhan is a crazy likable character who had me laughing out loud. His habit of imagining his life being narrated by basketball announcers, Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan, was adorable and hilarious and a clever writing device on author, Sarah Farizan’s part. The narration of the audiobook made this device even more effective. Great audiobook, quick and engaging read. A no-brainer for reluctant readers. A must-purchase for school libraries. I don’t remember specifics, but it might be appropriate for middle school? Booklist recommends it for grades 8+, Kirkus, ages 12+.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bijan is a nerd. He loves reading comics and Stephen King books and joking around with his best friend. He falls all over himself when trying to talk to girls. He’s also a nerd about basketball — he knows exactly when and why long shorts came back into popularity, and his life is narrated (in his head at least) by two bantery sports announcers. And although he’s always just been on JV, he gets called up to Varsity for a big game, and actually makes the key play.

Suddenly people he doesn’t even know (or who he didn’t think even knew him) are nice to him. But, as he keeps helping the team win, he discovers the downside to sudden high school sports stardom — not everyone’s so happy for him. An anonymous cyberbully emails the entire student body a picture of Bijan’s head photoshopped onto a terrorist’s body.

This book deals with the fall out of a specific act of racist and Islamophobic bullying, but it also tackles less overt prejudices within Bijan’s mostly white private school, and the status quo where a not-even-that-talented white teammate is going to go to college for basketball and get away with bad behavior because he’s related to a school trustee.

But, even though it deals with such intense issues, Here to Stay is also very funny, sweet, and all-around charming! The dialogue is clever and snappy, the good and bad guys aren’t always who you think, and the secondary friendships and f/f romance are really sweet. I highly recommend it!

TW: Islamophobia, bullying, outing

[28JaylinC2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is great and is one of the best books i ever read and the buildup is great

[28lucas2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine. The only part I liked was trying to guess who sent the emails.

[Marjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i finished it and i have concluded that i want to marry bijan. hes such a kind, soft boy and he deserves better than all the racist crap he deals with in this book.

but in all seriousness, i really liked this a lot. i enjoyed the characters and their relationships felt so real. i adored the friendship bijan built with stephanie especially, but his bromance with shawn, his close relationship with his mom (who is the best and i wish we'd gotten to see more of her!), and his super cute crush on elle also felt completely authentic. i loved the odd group of popular kids and nerdy kids that end up becoming really close. it just worked SO WELL.

and the way sara farizan tackles racism and privilege in this book. it hurts to read but it's an important story to be told.

my only complaint about this book, is that this entire story takes place in an american high school, and in particular, around a high school basketball team in the us, with little to no explanation to how any of it works. i dont live in the us and i've never played basketball in my life (gym class doesn't count cause i banned all those memories forever), so at times i felt completely at a loss as to what was happening in some of the scenes. but it's such a small part of the book, and it definitely didnt stand in my way of loving these characters fiercely.

in summary, this book is important, relevant as fuck and the characters are so lovable you'll wish this was an entire series. or a movie. or a tv show. or all of them. you get my point. you might want to read a little bit about basketball before you read it though.

[McKinlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

*i received an ARC of this book from edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This book basically solidified Farizan as an autobuy author for me.

Bijan is a sweet, brave, loving, loyal protagonist. The romances were adorable. I was invested in so many of the characters! The friendships were amazing. And on top of all that, the way this book tackles Islamophobia and racism is relatable in a way most books aren’t. AND it’s funny! I can’t recommend it enough.

[HeatherH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bijan is a dork, and I kind of adored him for it. This book is timely and relevant in the world we live in, yes, but it is also fun - and funny - and I think a lot of teens will find themselves within these pages in one character or another. So glad I picked this one up!

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to live my life. I was going to spend time with people who cared about me and whom I cared about. I was going to be comfortable in my own skin even when some people wanted to make that impossible for me.

Important, frustrating, emotional, and funny! I didn't get much of the sport's terminology, but I still was on edge when they were playing.

PLOT ----
The story follows Bijan’s life in high school; he’s part of the basketball team, is shy and has a crush on a beautiful girl. People, based solely on ignorance and jealousy, feeling threaten by his newly found success in the team, start hating on him, photoshopping his face on a terrorist body. Just because of the colour of his skin. The book follows him during the days after the photo went viral at school, his feelings, the reality of things hitting him hard, and the eye-opening fact of what fear, however irrational, can do to people. It’s terrifying.

CHARACTERS ----
The characters were nicely written; you hated who you were supposed to hate, and cheer for the ones you were supposed to cheer on. There wasn’t the usual case of loving the antagonist. Here the antagonist is so hateful you can’t do anything but despise everything he is and everything he stands for.
I liked Bijan a lot. Trying to be strong, telling people he is okay when he’s everything but okay. Trying to be a high school boy, with a crush, with friends he trusts, playing a sport he loves. Trying to be a hero in his own story when the world wants to paint him as the bad guy.

“Your mom raised you to be an upstanding young chap, you’re smart, you’re tall, and you can put together a mean bowl of cereal. You’re a catch!”

THOUGHTS ----
I was furious. I'm always furious when I read about ignorant people making someone's life a living hell because of their own ignorance, misinformation, and fake patriotism. Like they know generic stuff because they read a few article titles, so they feel entitled to hate, because they are right, they read it somewhere even if out of context. These people should disappear like poof, you racist you gone! You bigot you gone poof!!!

“Most people aren’t worth knowing, It’s the Age of the Asshole, man. It’s their time to shine. Doesn’t matter what race, religion, orientation, or gender. If you’re a jerk, the world is yours for the taking.”

CONCLUSION ----
The book is short, it’s easy to read and you’ll find yourself finishing it in just an afternoon. Its themes are important, but the book is not heavy or dark. It’s the reality of high schoolers who just happen not to be white, and the ignorant people that put all of them in the category of their choice. Until it’s still something that happens, books like this one, are going to be needed. And as mad as they make me feel, I will keep reading them and spreading the love.

[Ian]

Seems I'm in the minority on this one. First of all: we need more YA books featuring diverse protagonists. For a really strong read, see I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez or Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork or The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez or Darius and Twig by Walter Dean Myers.

The premise of this is rife with potential. Bijan is a 6 foot 8 or so Jordanian American teen who gets a shot to play on his private school's varsity basketball team. In this new role, Bijan deals with Islamophobia in different degrees -- from outright hatred coming from teammates (one of whom is a white scholarship student) to veiled prejudice from that of his coach. The boy is one of a handful of diverse students at the school. Some of these students are characters, and to Farizan's credit, they each have a unique experience at the school (Elle, an African American character, is popular; Marcus, the star basketball player who is kind to Bijan, is also an African American teen).

Unfortunately, I could picture high school students rolling their eyes at this book. The dialogue just doesn't ring true (I should say that I am currently working in a high school). It's sort of I think Farizan's envisioning of how high school students talk. But it just felt very contrived to me. I think I gave up on the book when I heard the popular Elle -- Bijan's crush -- utter to Bijan something like: Being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be. At this point, I just thought to myself -- I cant imagine any modern teenager on Earth saying something like that. I guess I could be wrong.

[A.R. Hellbender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good story with the hard hitting relevance of The Hate U Give and Dear Martin (no one gets shot, but it still revolves around getting justice for a hate crime, and there are so many great quotes about what life can be like for people of color).

There is so much diversity in this book as well. Not only is Bijan half Persian and half Arab, but his best friend is Japanese (and has 2 moms), the love interest is black (and so is another friend of his), and 2 other significant characters in the book are queer.

What I love about Sara Farizan’s books is the way they create a likeable main character who you can’t help but cheer for and put them in crazy situations that put my heart in my throat with suspense because I can’t help but wonder how the main character will get through that situation. This book was just as good that way, and I could hardly put it down.

The only thing I felt could have been done differently was one scene in which 2 students are making a presentation about why the school mascot should be changed, and they pull up a slide that’s supposedly relating to if the mascot was always the same thing, and it felt to me like there was a lot of buildup to what it was of, and the audience reacts to it in a surprised way (and not a good surprise), but we never see what it was, or have it explained why the audience reacted to the slide in that way.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really refreshing, nuanced story! I loove Bijan as a character/narrator, he's such a funny and self-aware kid. I liked seeing him excel at basketball and yet navigate the difficult terrain of "popularity" combined with an array of race/religion/class-based micro- (and macro-) aggressions. But also, it's funny! A great pick for fans of contemporary realistic YAs in general but also, I think sporty enough to hand to teens who just want sports books! (Which is tricky because there aren't as many YA sports books are there are MG ones, but most kids don't just...stop liking sports after a certain age.)

[Reba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read on so many levels. It addressed many current, controversial issues including (but not limited to) bullying, cyberbullying, racism, classism, and immigration. The author is local, and I heard her speak at an event in the fall. This may have swayed me a bit when reading, because I really liked her. I feel like I need to delve into this review more, but my brain feels like mush. To be continued...

[Britta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful storytelling, and still funny. This book made me take notes.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. RTC! 💙

[Amanda Albrecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is valuable in terms of its articulation of the Impact of the ignorant actions of and bigoted viewpoints (somehow and sickeningly) held by many people in America. I would recommend it to students for that reason alone. However, a lot of the dialogue and narration is so cringey that I almost didn’t make it past chapter 2. Ultimately, I’m glad I stuck it out.

[Florence Migga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a book comes along and so pleasantly surprises you! I saw a lot of myself and my family and some of my experiences in this book and I’m so happy for the teens who will see themselves in it. There was a scene at the end that I wanted to cheer at. It was fast and easy breazy and I just want to hug Bijan! Aww, this book, y’all! *happy tears*

[Lane Joslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it differences or insecurity that make people hate? In Here to Stay, experienced novel writer Sara Farizan writes a book that connects to the prominent issues and addresses common stereotypes. Bijan Majidi is Iranian and attends Granger School. He gets involved in a quarrel with a varsity basketball teammate, and that night an email is sent to the school portraying him as the face of the school mascot: a gunman. His relationships change, and he is forced to confront the issue: racism.
This book is about building resilience in the worst of times. One of the intentions of the author is to expose and explore racism in the world and how different people can respond to it. Another component of the book is homophobia. The way two students identify makes them the target of negative feedback from their peers. Here to Stay teaches about empathy and how the victims of social issues and stereotypes can feel. Farizan gives the perspective to Bijani and uses him to give insight to how people internalize receiving hate.
This book also explores the power of connecting with others who have similar experiences. Bijani cares for a popular girl who works on the school newspaper. Her name is Elle. She is African American and empathizes with Bijani while he’s going through this hard time.
I thought this book had a stong storyline and events kept happening, keeping me reading. I loved the empathy felt and how it made me feel emotions that Bijani felt. This was a book that provided a different perspective.
For those who love The Hate U Give, this book is an in depth exploration of empathy and understanding and issues that impact us all today.

[Kate Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unfortunately timely read right now. This deals with heavy topics in a way that feels real but not depressing, with humor and heart, and the characters are lovable and flawed.

[Michelle Arredondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such serious topics...and yet I was laughing throughout the pages. Here to Stay...aaaah, it pulls at your heart strings.

You will fall in love with Bijan. You will fall in love and in frustration and back in love with the entire story. So much emotion. You can't be invisible to adversity if you are someone that comes from a different culture than everyone else around you. Bijan faces that adversity. It's powerful....witty.... warm...and moving.

Highly recommend.

Thanks to goodreads and to Algonquin Young Readers for the wonderful opportunity to receive this book free via giveaway to which I gladly and voluntarily reviewed.

[USOM · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Here to Stay hits you from the first paragraphs about how people of color don't get happy endings in stories like everyone else. I mean, come on. Why do you have to hit my emotions like that from the beginning Farizan? And the rest of the book goes on just like this - being all thought provoking and wonderful. Seriously timely, this book is one I want to share with everyone I know.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Gianni P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved stories with sports and young adult genres. In Here to Stay, by Sara Farizan the main character Bijan Majidi faces many conflicts. Mainly all of the conflicts that occur during the story happen at Bijan’s high school, Granger High in New England. Bijan is a normal high school student that is on the JV basketball team. One day he becomes the new star at Granger High when he gets called up to varsity and makes the game winning basket. He goes from an average JV player to varsity star in the present time. When I started reading the story, I immediately fell in love because of the sporty theme of the book.

There are many forms of racism throughout the story as a result of Bijan’s rise to fame at school. First, someone sends an anonymous email to the whole student body as an act of hate. The email included a picture of a terrorist with Bijan’s face photoshopped into it to make it seem like he was a terrorist too. Bijan’s friend group of Elle, Sean, and Stephanie all try to create their own case of trying to figure out who sent out the email. Bijan’s traits of self reliance and being Islamic play big roles throughout the story. Bijan is himself, no matter what people think of him. Bijan individually doesn’t want to be a “poster child” for the whole school because of what happened to him. He would rather not have to worry about the situation at hand and move past it. As the story progresses the readers find out that Stephanie and Erin are dating each other. A character in the story ended up taking a picture of Stephanie and Erin kissing and ended up sending out yet another anonymous email. The event of someone seeing the two girls kissing shows how homophobia occurs in the story. As the story progresses they end up finding out who sent the anonymous emails out to the student body. These two main events show the hatred, homophibic, and racial elements of the story. All of the main characters: Bijan, Sean, Elle, Erin, and Stephanie all become better people from the events that occurred. Because of the events, the characters realize how people can really act in the public when success is the end result. The end result of the story ended joyfully. The school, along with the help of Bijan and his friends, ended up finding that Will was the one who sent out the anonymous emails, with the help of Jessica. Along with finding the senders of the email, Bijan was able to start dating his true love, Elle. “Elle leaned up and kissed me...kissing her was a million times better than scoring the winning basket for Granger.” (Farizan 251). My overall reaction to the concluding events of the story was very good. The story ended how it should in a way that shows how even though people might not like what you are doing, they will really be the ones suffering in the end.

The overall primary issues Bijan faces (along with some of the other characters face) are: islamophobia, racism, prejudice, and homophobia. Many characters through the book specifically Drew shows the obvious Racism/Islamophobia towards Bijan. “Why don’t you go back to whatever country or Cave of Wonders you came from and leave me alone, okay?” (Farizan 50). This quote really shows the jealousy of Drew. Along with Drew showing verbal racism, he shows out physically to Bijan. Drew loses his cool one day after practice with Bijan and tries to fight him. Nobody officially wins the fight, but the fact that he tries to pick a fight with Bijan is a big symbol of how he really feels towards Bijan. Drew is very prejudiced towards Bijan just because of his religion and skin color. On the court Bijan is just like everyone else. Bijan doesn’t show/talk about much of his Islam religion because of his father leaving him. He just tries to be a normal high schooler. “I didn't read to them the section of the Qur’an that says, “Whoever kills a person unjustly...it is as though he has killed all mankind, and whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (Farizan 244). Bijan tries to be like everyone else in high school. He likes to try to make everything fun and into a story. He likes to create a commentary TV style throughout the book. The author specifically does this to show how Bijan thinks. It is all one big symbol. “And in comes Majidi with a chip on his shoulder. He breaks away from his defender like a streak of hot sauce across a chicken wing.” (Farizan 113). I personally believe the true meaning of the author putting the commentary into the story is because Bijan tries to self encourage himself. When everyone is jealous and treating him badly, he does it to boost his spirit and make him feel better and not think about it so much. The author does this by including the commentary to the already themed basketball story. The author also has a major theme of the story; certain ethnicities face hate everyday, in many ways to show a deeper meaning. Many people might not know what is being said about someone or themselves, and it happens everyday. I specifically liked how the author encorporated a social norm of racism and bullying into the basketball themed story that takes place in the high school setting where most of that issue takes place.

Overall I would recommend this book to someone. This book really shows the true high school lifestyle and how many kids feel day to day. It shows how someone can be a normal high schooler to a victim very quickly in life. When a book connects personally with the reader, it makes it easy to read and easy to comprehend. I would recommend this book to any young adult, since the topics can relate to all teens and adolescents. For all athletes it is a good read, showing how cruel and jealous people can get when things are going good for someone. In the whole reading community, Here to Stay, shows racism, islamophobia, prejudice, and homophobia, which a lot of people (not just high schoolers) can relate too. With all of those main points being exaggerated throughout the book, relating to many individuals it makes the book attractive to many. The story is overall very well written with many life lessons that readers can use daily. The result of putting sports, societal problems, and high school together makes a book that many young adults can connect with.

[Claudia Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming, heart wrenching and funny young adult novel. Bijan is a prep school student in 11th grade who has flown under the radar of the cool kids until he is pulled up from jv basketball to varsity and scores the winning basket. Suddenly Bijan is thrown into the spotlight and not all of the attention is good because he is of Middle Eastern descent in a predominately white school. This book will make you think, will make you laugh and will make you sorry when it is over.

[Zaya Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet story. My community has done a lot of horrible, Islamophobic things to our Middle Eastern and Asian populations in the past couple years, so this book hit me really hard. I loved Bijan, and I absolutely loved his mother. A necessary book.