Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature!From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating impact of prejudice. It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a … 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.
Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. 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. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.
But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. 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.
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea reads like a beautiful heart—one that shines and aches and yearns, and above all else, one that loves fiercely against all odds. A transcendent story about truth, love, and finding joy.
A raw yet astoundingly elegant examination of identity, loneliness and family that is unflinching in its honesty and power. Tahereh Mafi holds nothing back—and the reader is better for it.
This is a gorgeous book. It’s tender and fierce, beautiful even as it depicts some ugly truths. Tahereh’s prose is passionate and honest, unsentimental and big-hearted. The very best books move you to reconsider the world around you, and this is one of those. I truly loved it.
4.5 Rounded to 5
It’s hard to put into words how this one touched my heart. There was a point when I felt that Shirin was being too angry, too difficult, too whiny…and then I had to stop and think…
Who am I to see her that way? Especially since I have never, and will never go through anything she has. I saw somewhere that this particular story has touches from the author’s real experiences and I’m blown away.
The hatred by not only the kids but the adults was heart wrenching to read. I couldn’t imagine having to go through this in real life.
By the end of this, I was happy to see there was hope and best of all LOVE for Shirin. This isn’t one I’ll forget easily. I highly recommend.
Shirin is a second-generation American of Iranian descent. Her family is Muslim and she chooses to wear a hijab. In 2002, only one year after 9/11, she is disgusted with humanity. She’s had one too many teachers ask if she speaks English, listened to one too many “jokes” about terrorists, had one too many strangers tell her to go back where she came from, and in general just had enough. She’s angry, withdrawn, and sullen. More often than not, she walks with her head down, listening to music under her hijab, and trying to ignore the jerks around her. But then she meets a guy who just won’t be ignored. Ocean makes stupid assumptions about her too but he also asks honest questions, listens to the answers, and genuinely tries to learn from his mistakes.
Wow. I stumbled on this title while I was looking for ideas for #ownvoices books for the Diversity Challenge prompt this month. I wasn’t too much older than Shirin when 9/11 happened and I remember all the anti-Muslim attacks and rhetoric at the time. I’m not a huge fan of contemporary/realistic young adult books but this one piqued my interest. I wanted to see a historic time that I lived as a white Christian through the eyes of someone who was (and unfortunately still is) on the receiving end of so much unwarranted hate, anger, and violence.
Shirin is so relatable, despite our obvious differences. Who wouldn’t be angry and withdrawn after all she’s experienced, especially when she was born in the US and speaks better English and gets better grades than most of the people who give her a hard time?
“I’m tired as hell, Mr. Jordan. I’ve been trying to educate people for years and it’s exhausting. I’m tired of being patient with bigots. I’m tired of trying to explain why I don’t deserve to be treated like a piece of shit all the time. I’m tired of begging everyone to understand that people of color aren’t all the same, that we don’t all believe the same things or feel the same things or experience the world the same way.” I shook my head, hard. “I’m just—I’m sick and tired of trying to explain to the world why racism is bad, okay? Why is that my job?”
But she doesn’t realize how much that anger is affecting her. She doesn’t realize that by withdrawing and refusing to form or seek any friendships, she’s letting racists dictate her actions. Her outgoing, handsome brother and his friends finally point out how scary and intimidating she is and Shirin is truly taken aback. She’s aiming for unapproachable and unconcerned, not frightening.
“Just try to be happy,” Jacobi finally said to me. “Your happiness is the one thing these assholes can’t stand.”
As Shirin settles into her new school and starts to slowly open up to a handful of friends, others start to pay more attention to her. And life gets so much harder for her. I was furious, especially when parents and teachers started showing their hateful underbellies. Shirin is fictional but countless real people share her experiences. I just don’t understand what drives some cowards to be so cruel to those they view as The Other.
Ocean was a blueprint of what vulnerable people might need from an ally. Be there in the good and the bad times. Stand beside those who come under attack and defend them when they can’t defend themselves. Understand when they’re having a bad day and might not be the best company. Speak up for them when the opportunity arises. He did all these things and more. He came across as a little too perfect for my taste but he has a good heart and I was proud of him. He’s unbelievably open about his feelings and helps Shirin come out of her hardened shell.
I tore through this book because I so desperately wanted to know what was going to happen. I was seriously worried about these two. The ending was a bit of a letdown and the only reason I’m rating this 4.5 stars instead of 5.
I highly recommend this if you want to read about characters who feel so real, you expect them to step off the page. For me, and probably for others with a background similar to mine, it was heartbreaking, infuriating, and eye-opening to read about Shirin’s experiences.
Reader is treated to the perspective of a very relatable, wise-beyond-her-years teenager.
She’s actually able to look inside herself and realize some of her own imperfections, which makes her (and the writing) very admirable.
It took a little while to really get going, but eventually I found myself laughing out loud. Hilarious family dynamic. And Mafi did get the real feels across, so very well played.
The hypocrisy of racists, xenophobes, and general bigots is portrayed perfectly, invoking feelings of anger and heartbreak.
While it’s a bit of a slow read, it has an important message and for that, it’s worth at least 4 stars.
Note:
I listened to the audiobook. Very smoothly narrated, comfortable to listen to, perfect pronunciation. It got a bit tedious when the main characters were chatting on AIM and the narrator would read their usernames before every single message. For this reason, I might recommend the e- or physical book over the audiobook. However, if you can get around that, it’s a great listen. And still, a 5-star performance, content aside. 🙂
Mafi does not hold back in this raw and very real depiction of post 911 racism in American high schools. It reads like a memoir because of the author’s own experiences informing the character’s journey in finding love in a racially charged world. Overall, it’s an education on to itself as it kicks stereotypes to the curb in an eloquent and powerful way, sobering up the reader quickly. Loved it.
It was a super good read
A Very Large Expanse of Sea plunges you into the life of Shirin, a 16-year-old Persian girl doing her best to simply avoid the hatred and racism around her. She wears hijab – the headscarf – making her an automatic target for terrorist comments and leading the reader to wonder why she doesn’t just take it off. But as the story progresses the author explores the why and Shirin’s methods for coping with the added trauma of being so disliked. On top of that, she begins to talk to Ocean, an all-American boy who slowly shifts her perspectives on boys, life, love, until her world is falling apart. If you loved The Sun Is Also a Star, you’ll love this. This journey of the heart is sweet, bitter, agonizing, endearing. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer, and you’ll probably want to punch a few people. The author doesn’t mince words around the edgy topics. Neither does she shy away from the emotional arena. You always know what the characters are feeling, wishing, hoping for. An extraordinary story that I’ll remember for a long time.
Wow. This is so excellent. I LOVED it so much. I am not a fan of the Shatter Me series, so my expectations weren’t high – but this book is magic. Mafi created beautiful poignant characters in a contemporary setting that asks all the right questions but also offers a beautiful look at what should be our answers. Awesome. So impressed.
This heartbreaking story of the coming of age of a Muslim teen girl, Shirin who deals with racism, xenophobia daily. Shirin meets a boy named Ocean at her school and become great friends all the while learning to breakdance.
This beautifully written story opened my eyes to the hatred going on in this world today and how a young Muslim teen deals with it.
I wasn’t planning on reading this book right now. I picked it up and read the first chapter, and I was sucked in immediately. I tried to put it down. Tried to go back to all the things I needed to do. But I couldn’t. I did nothing but read it or think about it this entire weekend.
Shirin has such a unique voice, and it captured my attention immediately. I was terrified, at first, that the post-9/11 world would be hard to read about. And while the racism is always bad, Shirin did what she could to live through it, to push down the feelings the bigotry provoked and try to live her life.
But she wasn’t really living, and she didn’t really realize it. And it wasn’t just some boy that helped her come to that realization. While her relationship with Ocean certainly opened her eyes, it was the breakdancing that threw her into the public eye and into the public’s hearts, that changed not only how people saw her but also how she saw herself.
I loved how Shirin’s relationship with Ocean developed. I loved how sweet he was, how sure he was that the world and what they thought didn’t matter. He was so strong, even when he was wrong. And Shirin was so strong, even when she wasn’t.
This is my first book by this author, but by the way this sucked me in, I can guarantee it will not be my last.
A realistic view from an American Muslim girl.
This book was so hard at some points, it’s really sad to read about people’s cruelty because of racism, especially because, that’s a reality that’s been through human history since ancient times…
This was a powerful read about a young Muslim girl and her traumatic experiences after the terrorist attack against New York on 11/09, but this read also brings you hope that even in the worst of situations, there are good people, it was enchanting reading about the heroin’s love interest..
This is a great contemporary young adult.
This book opened my eyes and broke my heart all at once. It’s such a beautiful story of family, friendship, love, hate, and everything in between.