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INTERVIEW: TAHEREH MAFI
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Tahereh Mafi
Tana Gandhi
Tahereh Mafi is the author of numerous books for young adult and middle-grade readers, including her debut novel, Shatter Me, and the series that followed. Her latest YA novel, An Emotion of Great Delight (Harper/HarperCollins, June 1), follows an Iranian American hijabi teen facing anti-Muslim prejudice in the aftermath of 9/11; our starred review called it a “simply real story, devoid of clichés, that will leave an indelible mark.” Mafi answered some questions over email.
You established yourself (and were very successful) writing fantasy fiction. What appealed to you about writing realistic fiction? I love fantasy, but I actually love realistic fiction more. In fact, when I’m reaching for a book to read, it’s usually a work of realistic fiction. When I say this to people they’re often surprised to hear that I started my career in such a different genre, but for a very long time I had internalized the idea that there was no room for books about people who looked or lived like me. I always wanted to tell stories that reflected my life, but I had some serious PTSD, and I was afraid. I kept waiting for someone else to do it—for someone else to write the story I needed to read, the one I’d wished I’d had when I was a teenager—and that was a mistake. Shortly after my daughter was born, a dam inside me broke. I can’t explain exactly what happened, only that it suddenly seemed essential that I write, and write honestly.
An Emotion of Great Delight is such an evocative title. Can you say something about how it came to be? The main character of the book is named Shadi, which, in Farsi, means joy. An Emotion of Great Delight is the dictionary definition of the word joy. Shadi’s journey in the book is all about coming back to herself; it’s about her fight to reclaim her right to joy even when drowning in sorrow.
What was it like having a book come out in 2021? How did you connect with readers in this socially distanced year? It was definitely strange! I did a lot of virtual school visits and events, but, ultimately, it was pretty straightforward—and due to the virtual nature of everything, I was able to do more school visits than my schedule would have ordinarily allowed. Some silver linings there.
Who is the ideal reader for your book, and where would they be reading it? The ideal reader for my book is a reader of any kind. Diverse stories should be shared with a broad audience—in the pursuit of opening doors and win-
dows into overlooked and marginalized experiences. I welcome any reader to read my book, and I hope wherever they’re reading it, they’re comfortable.
What book most dazzled you this year? I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Sabaa Tahir’s new book—and first foray into realistic fiction—All My Rage, which I found both beautiful and heart-wrenching. I can’t wait for everyone to read it.
Interview by Tom Beer.
barrier that literally springs up overnight and forces Matthias into an agonizing choice between family and freedom. Along with tucking in provocative incidents, like the ugly scene when a pair of drunken GIs spot a Black serviceman and his White German fiancee, the author gives readers food for thought by asking them to envision living under a regime in which neighbors might be informers and then having just such secret accusations leveled both against Matthias and, on the U.S. side, Drew’s parents too. An afterword points to similarities between the Khrushchev-led Communists’ disruptive sowing of fear and suspicion in 1960 and Putin’s in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. The cast mostly presents as White.
A sensitive exploration of cogent themes in a richly
detailed historical setting. (sources, photo credits) (Historical fiction. 12-16)
YOUR HEART, MY SKY Love in a Time of Hunger
Engle, Margarita Atheneum (224 pp.) $18.99 | March 23, 2021 978-1-5344-6496-4
A young Cuban couple finds love while surviving desperate times of lack and longing. It’s the summer of 1991, and people are experiencing hunger and malnutrition in Cuba. Fourteenyear-old Liana and 15-year-old Amado live in a town well away from the bustle of Havana, where the Pan American Games are taking place, and away from observation by foreign visitors. When the story opens, neither knows of the other despite enduring the same risky fate of opting out of the supposedly voluntary (although opting out brings consequences) teen farm labor program. Instead, they are roaming the streets searching for any form of sustenance to make up for insufficient government rations. Liana happens upon a stray dog and takes him home. Her canine companion eventually becomes a matchmaker, connecting the young couple. Their relationship feeds their drive to survive and gives them reason to dream of different, better days. Engle uses free verse poignantly to express the devastation of constant hunger and the ever present fear of punishment while trying to survive life under a harsh regime. The theme of hunger is central to this story—literal hunger due to starvation as well as hunger for connection and hope. Engle’s words masterfully convey an evergreen human truth: that, in the end, we want to be able to live and love to our hearts’ content.
A deeply touching read that will stay with readers long
after they turn the last page. (author’s note) (Verse novel. 12-18)
the life i’m in
THE PASSING PLAYBOOK
Fitzsimons, Isaac Dial Books (304 pp.) $17.99 | June 1, 2021 978-1-984815-40-8
A teenage soccer star starting over at a new school finds love and courage as he takes the field to fight for his team and what he believes in. Spencer, a biracial (Black and presumably White) transgender boy, begins sophomore year with a firm game plan—blend in and keep his identity private. However, when he’s confronted with an opportunity to join the boys soccer team, Spencer can’t resist the challenge, especially after the cute vice captain says he doesn’t think Spencer has what it takes. Soccer means everything to Spencer, and he refuses to give up his shot to play, even if he has to keep it a secret from his overprotective parents. This contemporary sports romance subverts typical patterns of coming-out stories about transgender youth by centering the feelings of the transgender main character, giving him full agency over his identity disclosure, and providing him with an affirming support system that includes other queer and transgender characters. Initial rivalry heightens the tension between Spencer and his crush, a White boy whose Christian extremist family doesn’t know he’s gay. Their romantic arc adds another layer of nuance to the coming-out narrative. Spencer’s connection to his younger brother, Theo, who is autistic, is also woven into the story. Balancing hope and honesty, this debut deftly handles multiple social themes, including racism, privilege, identity, and accessibility.
A game-changing score to the back of the net. (Romance. 14-18)
THE LIFE I’M IN
Flake, Sharon G. Scholastic (336 pp.) $17.99 | Jan. 5, 2021 978-1-338-57317-6
A troubled African American teen gets caught up in the world of trafficking as she tries to cope with negative feelings about herself. Despite her sister’s best efforts, 16-year-old Charlese Jones is still making trouble and getting kicked out of school. Her sister and guardian, JuJu, has had enough and prepares to send her to their grandparents in Alabama. On the bus ride, Char continues to be angry, irreverent, and difficult. She argues with the driver and drinks alcohol she has smuggled in her bag. Still, she interacts with others on the bus, learning their stories and thinking about her own life. When new passenger April and her baby, Cricket, board, they become Char’s focus—and then April disappears, leaving Cricket behind. When the man who left with April returns, he takes Char into the dark world of sexual trafficking, a place she begins to think she deserves. Flake follows her groundbreaking novel The Skin I’m In (1998) with a sequel for these times. Char, the antagonist from the first book, is presented here in all her vulnerability, eliciting empathy even as she makes mistakes. The ease with which some prey on vulnerable youth is starkly portrayed, balanced by the efforts of other caring adults to save them. The unflinching narrative is rich in dialogue and detail.
A vivid and important depiction of the struggles of too
many teens. (author’s note, research and resources) (Fiction. 14-18)
RISE UP! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy
Fleming, Crystal M. Henry Holt (256 pp.) $19.99 | Oct. 19, 2021 978-1-250-22638-9
A clear and damning appraisal of the United States’ long-standing relationship with White supremacy—with actionable advice for readers to do better.
Educator, researcher, and sociologist Fleming draws from pop culture, data science, global history, and cultural studies, among an impressively wide range of disciplines and sources. This broad foundation represents well how ambitious this project truly is, accessibly delivering, as it does, a mountain of information to an audience of teen readers while utilizing a vocabulary and understanding of racial injustice that is inclusive of the distinct yet overlapping experiences of Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and other people. From the racialization of Jews in Europe to the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, the text details the genealogy of racism and White supremacy while resisting a tradition of Whitewashing and omission. In this way, connections are easily drawn between past and present by way of close examination of the criminal justice system, media representation, contemporary sports, and racial biases in developing technologies. The author is a bisexual, cisgender, African American woman, and she explicitly calls upon her experiences to inform intersectional, lived interpretations of racism and how to best oppose it. Through anecdotes and thorough research, Fleming leaves readers not just with a detailed account of the problems, but concludes with five things they can do to work toward justice.
A smart guide to understanding and living anti-racism.
(note on language, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)
ALL OF US VILLAINS
Foody, Amanda & Christine Lynn Herman Tor Teen (400 pp.) $18.99 | Nov. 9, 2021 978-1-250-78925-9 Series: All of Us Villains, 1
A bloody tournament will determine whose family controls the only high magick in the world. Until someone spilled the city of Ilvernath’s dark secret in the anonymously authored book A Tradition of Tragedy, the world thought that the high magick was gone. Instead, seven families are locked into a curse tournament, providing a child every 20 years to fight for exclusive control over it. Rotating third-person narration follows monstrous favorite Alistair (of the sinister and most winningest Lowe family), paparazzi darling and talented spellmaker Isobel (of the Macaslan family, who are viewed as distasteful vultures), brains-and-brawn underdog Gavin (of the Grieve family, a lost cause that’s never produced a winner), and born-for-heroism Briony (of the respected Thorburn family). Prior to the tournament’s starting, exquisite worldbuilding shines as the characters navigate family stories and outsiders trying to influence the tournament and deal with the spellmakers and cursemakers who equip the champions. One cursemaker in particular puts ideas in the aspiring champions’ heads about whether the tournament’s curse can be changed—or broken. The competitors teeter wildly between heroism and villainy, especially once the tournament starts and their preconceived ideas of themselves and each other are challenged in lethal combat. Of the seven champions, Finley has dark skin and curly black hair, while the rest are pale; among background characters there’s ethnic diversity and casual queer inclusion.
So bespelling that the cliffhanger ending will feel like a
painful curse. (Fantasy. 13-adult)
VAMPIRES, HEARTS & OTHER DEAD THINGS
Fuston, Margie McElderry (352 pp.) $18.99 | Aug. 24, 2021 978-1-5344-7457-4
In a desperate gambit to save her terminally ill father, a girl goes looking for a vampire. Victoria’s parents, believing she needs a break from the strain of coping with her father’s imminent death, send her on a graduation trip to New Orleans. She’d always planned on going with her father, as they share a vampire obsession, both believing that a man who briefly publicly claimed this identity a decade prior was the real deal. Rather than a vacation, though, Victoria treats the trip as a quest for vampiric immortality to save her father. Accompanying Victoria is Henry, her childhood best friend–turned–subject of a messy love triangle that left them estranged for some time. He doesn’t believe in vampires but believes emotion-suppressing Victoria will need him. Following the few clues she has, Victoria’s led to charming, enigmatic Nicholas, who promises her what she wants if she can keep up with his challenges and prove that she really desires eternal life. The game takes them to many tourist hot spots, though Victoria’s moments of fun are complicated by grief spirals. Her emotional arc is all the more powerful for how much she fights against her feelings. Her other emotional complications come from her long history with Henry and an exciting love triangle with Nicholas. In the end, though, she must tackle hard truths head-on. Victoria’s White; Henry’s biracial (Japanese/White) and brown-skinned Nicholas has curly black hair.
Charmingly eclectic; becomes cohesive through its emo-
tional resonance. (Fabulism. 12-18)
OFF THE RECORD
Garrett, Camryn Knopf (320 pp.) $17.99 | $20.99 PLB | May 18, 2021 978-1-984829-99-3 978-1-984830-00-5 PLB
With an all-access pass to cover a movie press tour, a teen journalist uncovers a celebrity scandal. High school senior Josie Wright wins a competition to write a profile of upand-coming actor Marius Canet for Deep Focus magazine. Marius is promoting his new film, and for Josie, leaving her home in Georgia for the two-week, multicity tour is the chance of a lifetime. Despite her anxiety, Josie holds her own during interviews and becomes smitten with Marius. But after a young actress shares a shocking secret—and subsequently other women come forward about their encounters with the same powerful man—Josie realizes she’s got a second, more explosive story on her hands. She’s determined to pursue justice, but at what cost? Garrett takes readers along for a wild ride as smart, socially conscious Josie learns that life is full of gray areas. The narrative deftly deals with several weighty topics at once, including mental wellness, sibling drama, body-image issues, and sexual and racial identity (Josie, her family, and Marius are Black; most of the other central characters are White.) This fresh, engrossing read will appeal to fans of Garrett’s debut novel, Full Disclosure (2019), as well as those new to her fast-paced prose, wit, pitchperfect dialogue, and memorable characters.
An irresistible, unapologetically feminist story. (Fiction. 13-18)
