A very large expanse of sea goodreads12/10/2023 ![]() Along with all of these compliments, it took me under 2 days to read this beauty. Honestly, this might be one of my favourite books of this year. “Different women felt comfortable in different outfits.” Ocean was a beautiful contrast to Shirin as a love interest, and it was brilliant how he broke down her barriers and had such a deep love for her. Everyone is included in this book and it was done so well. She was such a well-rounded and well-developed character, and I loved the conversations she has with her brother, her teachers, her friends, her family. But stories like these, words like these? They’re the most amazing kind of start. But unfortunately, we still live in a world that experiences events just as Shirin does in this book. This should be normal, this should happen every day. ![]() This is so different to anything I’ve read in YA, and frankly, it’s about time that a Muslim teen gets to tell her story. I cannot even begin to express how important this book is. The events were so emotional and sad, but hit home so much for me. ![]() I thought women were gorgeous no matter what they wore, and I didn’t think they owed anyone an explanation for their sartorial choices.” “I didn’t believe it was possible to hide a woman’s beauty. I’ve listened to their stories, and every time, they break my heart into tiny little pieces. I may not have experienced this kind of discrimination first hand, but I have friends who have suffered because of their religion. And I absolutely loved that this book centered more than anything else around Muslim culture. So often, YA is too focused on a romance, friendship, family, dystopia or fantasy world. I cannot even tell you how much I adored this concept. Shirin is a teenage girl in America just after 9/11, and she is Muslim. I can’t even explain to you how much I adored this book, but I’m going to damn well try. It terrifies her-they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds-and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.īut then she meets Ocean James. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments-even the physical violence-she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |