A National Book Award Longlist title!
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating impact of prejudice.
Itās 2002, a year after 9/11. Itās an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl whoās tired of being stereotyped.
Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. Sheās tired of the rude stares, the degrading commentsāeven the physical violenceāshe endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So sheās built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.
But then she meets Ocean James. Heās the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies herāthey seem to come from two irreconcilable worldsāand Shirin has had her guard up for so long that sheās not sure sheāll ever be able to let it down.