Time Machine The Deliciously Soapy - But Substantial - Supermarket Saga Of 'Forbidden Hearts' She's trying to live her religious beliefs in a hostile environment, and it feels terrifyingly prophetic when examined through today's lens. Mafi's propulsive writing captures Shirin's fears about her lack of agency - she has just as much right to be in this country as her classmates, yet she struggles with injustice, white privilege, racism and discrimination the institutions that are supposed to protect her are oppressing her instead. Which will win out, self-preservation or love?Ī Muslim Iranian-American, Mafi draws on her own experiences in Sea, and her sincerity stands out in full force in her craftsmanship. She's trying desperately to fit in, and she doesn't want Ocean harassed for getting involved with a Muslim. But then she meets Ocean - one of the popular boys in school - who is drawn to her and keeps hoping for more. She keeps to herself and channels her frustrations into something she's passionate about: breakdancing. But starting with a clean slate in every town doesn't wipe away the danger that follows her as a teen wearing a hijab in 2002, a year after the 9/11 attacks. Shirin and her family have moved around many times over the course of their lives. It's a cerebral, impassioned, and zeitgeisty bildungsroman that follows two young people ahead of their time but trapped by a society that strips them of any real power. Given what's going on most days in the headlines, Tahereh Mafi's new novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea - longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature - feels resonant in its somber portrayal of Shirin, a 16-year-old Muslim girl making her way in post 9/11 America. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title A Very Large Expanse of Sea Author Tahereh Mafi
0 kommentar(er)
