Immediately after 9/11, Shirin has had to learn how to block out all the racist comments and rude stares that she gets as a Muslim girl. But she refuses to back down; she refuses to be anything but herself. But, that means that she’s sacrificed making friendships as she moves around from school to school. Ocean James changes all of that. He’s the first person who seems to genuinely want to get to know Shirin, and not just because she’s different and exotic. Shirin has to learn how to drop her guard and let herself fall in love.
First of all, wow. This is a book that’s different from the other things I’ve read from Tahereh Mafi, but it’s a book I think is desperately needed in the YA community. Pulling from her own experiences, Mafi gives readers a glimpse into what it was like to be Muslim in the time right after 9/11; it’s heartbreaking and devastating and makes you wonder how people can be so horrible to other people.
Like inĀ Shatter Me, Mafi also nails the romance aspect of this book. She’s fantastic at writing relationships between people, especially teens, that flow lyrically throughout the story. Shirin shelters herself from the world, but she can’t help but open herself up to this guy that she undoubtedly feels a connection to. She can’t explain why she’s attracted to him, she just is; and she desperately wants to shield him from the horribleness that she faces on a daily basis. Coming from experience, Mafi nails all these emotions on the head, pulling the reader effortlessly into Shirin’s world.
I also loved that Shirin wanted to learn to break dance, and that she gets pretty good at it. I don’t know that I’ve read a YA book where the main character break dances; it was refreshing and just helped in making this book unique, which will definitely make it stand out when it’s published next week.
As I notice more #ownvoices books being published, I just hope that this trend will continue. We need to hear more from the voices that are often silenced, especially with this administration. Keep writing these stories, and I will continue to read and support them.
4.5/5 stars