A searing, joyful YA debut about a queer Cambodian American teenâs journey to find her voice and step into her legacy, perfect for fans of Ibi Zoboi and Elizabeth Acevedo.
Soma Kearâs verses have gone viral. Trouble is, she didnât exactly think her slam poetry video through. All she knew was that her rhymes were urgent. On fire. An expression of where she was, and that placeâŠwas a hot mess.
Following her Baâs deportation back to Cambodia, everythingâs changed. Her Ma is away trying to help Ba adjust to his new life, and her older sister has taken charge with a new authoritarian tone. Meanwhile, Somaâs trending video pushes her to ask if itâs time to level up. With her schoolâs spoken word contest looming, Soma must decide: Is she brave enough to put herself out there? To publicly reveal her fears of Ba not returning? To admit that things may never be the same?
With every line she spits, Soma searches for a way to make sense of the world around her. The answers are at the mic.
From debut author Vichet Chum comes a celebration of Khmer identity, queerness, and embracing the complicated histories that shape who we are and want to be.