The Poet X meets A Very Large Expanse of Sea in a bold novel-in-verse starring a Persian American teen navigating his first crush, his family's post-9/11 dynamics, and the role of language in defining who we are.
"A dazzling story with a whole lot of heart. Read it." -Michael L. Printz Award winner Daniel Nayeri, author of Everything Sad Is Untrue
Omid needs the right words to connect with his newly met grandfather and distant Iranian heritage, words to tell a special girl what she means to him and to show everyone that he truly belongs in Tucson, Arizona, the only home he's ever known. Neither the school play's Shakespearean English nor his parents' Farsi seems up to the task, and it's only when Omid delves into the rhymes and rhythms of rap music that he starts to find his voice. But even as he does so, an act of terrorism transforms familiar accents into new threats.
Then a family member disappears, and it seems everyone but Omid knows why. When words fail altogether and violence takes their place, what will Omid do next?
Praise for An Impossible Thing to Say:
ISBN: | 9780063248359 |
Publication date: | 7th December 2023 |
Author: | Arya Shahi |
Publisher: | Allida an imprint of HarperCollins |
Format: | Hardback |
Pagination: | 416 pages |
Genres: |
Children’s / Teenage general interest: Boys and men Children’s / Teenage social issues: Migration and refugees Children’s / Teenage fiction: Stories in verse Children’s / Teenage general interest: Literature, books and writers Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction |