Starred Review ALA Booklist (Mon Nov 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Starred Review When Omid's maternal grandparents emigrate from Iran to a new life in America, his grandfather gifts him a journal to catalog his thoughts. What follows constitutes the rest of the book: the inner thoughts of a teenage boy witnessing the tumult of teen life alongside the historical event that was the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bravely, Shahi takes pains not to reduce Omid's story into a one-issue affair. Rather, he uses his formidable talents as a poet and performer to explore the panoply of Omid's experiences: about the girl he pines for, about the secrets his grandfather has kept from their family, about the stresses of being successful Americans pulling his parents apart, about the pains of knowing his community views him with suspicion. This may have made for a chaotic narrative, but the alternating sections of verse, prose, play format, and more always perfectly fit Omid's mindset. This is a unique and thoughtful coming-of-age story that masterfully takes advantage of its unconventional narrative to reveal the truths that we all matter what our age e often unable to say out loud.

Kirkus Reviews

A tender coming-of-age story about an Iranian American boy getting to know his grandparents, learning more about Persian culture, facing prejudice, and growing in self-knowledge.It's July 2001, and Omid is a rising high school sophomore in Tucson, Arizona, when Baba Joon and Maman Joon, the maternal grandparents he's never met before, move to the U.S. from Iran. Baba Joon gives Omid a journal in which he begins to document his daily life: his crush on the new girl at his private prep school and the Shakespeare play he auditions for so he can be close to her, his experiences navigating two cultures, and the bigotry he hears about and faces in the aftermath of 9/11. Omid, whose father's family is Muslim and mother's family is Baha'i, tries on Shakespearean dialogue for size and reaches for words in Farsi as ways to better comprehend and express himself and his heritage, but what finally resonates most is the rap music his best friend introduces him to. Through rap, his self-awareness and confidence grow. Although slow to start, this novel in verse quickly becomes more engaging, and the first-person narration becomes more refined as the story progresses. This is a heartfelt and nuanced depiction of what it's like to straddle different cultures and the critical need to understand oneself.A love letter to words and their ability to not only define us, but shape who we are. (Verse fiction. 13-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

An Iranian American teenager discovers the power of the written word in Shahi’s emotionally vulnerable verse debut. In July 2001 Arizona, Omid awaits the arrival of Baba Joon and Maman Joon, his maternal grandparents who are emigrating from Iran to the U.S. and whom he’s never met. Upon their meeting, Baba Joon gives Omid a journal, hoping it may help Omid manage his tumultuous emotions. While finding the words for feelings surrounding his experiences navigating his identity, the Islamophobic bigotry he faces in the aftermath of 9/11, and his epic crush on a girl at his new prep school isn’t always easy, he discovers that writing in the journal helps him process. Inspired by a Shakespeare unit in his honors English class and the play he auditions for to get closer to his crush, Omid attempts to express himself using varying methods of writing that improve communication in everyday life. When his friend Sammy, who is Black, burns him a rap mix CD, the music unlocks a new medium through which Omid unearths his self-confidence. As Omid explores new facets of himself, his first-person narration develops into that of a self-assured protagonist whose voice leaps off the page; Shahi employs Shakespearean dialogue and original rap to kinetic effect. Ages 13–up. (Sept.)