Recommended by: Barb Langridge, įrom 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. We see people who are reduced to the level of animals leaving dignity, respect and courage behind somewhere in their own pitiful personal garbage.ģ10 pages 978-0062866561 Ages 13 and up (some kissing and passion, no sex) Told through the voice of Shirin we journey with her and feel the hurts and the icing running down our own face dripping with anger and hatred. This is the story of the absurdity and the utter ignorance of classifying people into groups, hordes, mobs and completely forgetting to recognize that no matter what the clothing looks like, what the food looks like, how the language sounds, each of us is a human being first and foremost. This is a story about the horror of ignoring someone else's humanity. Ocean isn't afraid of Shirin and little by little they get to know each other and Shirin gets willing to bring down some of her armor. His name is Ocean James and he's pretty good looking.
Until the day she is paired with a guy in her Bio class as a lab partner. The hajib and the history blind them from even trying to find out the truth. They never discover she is from California not Baghdad. She can survive when her Honors English teacher condescendingly suggests that this class might just be a bit too hard for an ESL student. She can survive when the toughs try to beat her head on the concrete sidewalk. Shirin looks different and the kids and the teachers don't have the brains or the skills to understand their own bias, their own fears, their own stupidity. Only for Navid, his handsome face makes him instantly safe, approachable, attractive. She and her brother, Navid, born popular, are going to have to find a way to fit in again. It's 2002, which means it's only been a year since 9/11 happened and Shirin's parents have moved her to a new school yet again. Imagine for a moment that one of those kids for even one day look at you and see a human being, a person, who is just like them only you wear the hajib and practice the faith of Islam. You know how all the kids are trying to fit in and trying to figure out who they want to be? All those hormones are pumping away and the cheerleaders are all gaggled up and the basketball players might be stars? Imagine for a moment that all of those kids look at you as though you don't belong.
So, let's walk the hallways of an American high school for a minute.
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