Very large expanse of sea tahereh mafi

It's 2002, a year after 9/11. It's an extremely turbulent time for the world, and sixteen-year-old Shirin has just started at yet another school. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments, and the physical violence she endures because of her race, her Muslim faith, and the hijab she wears every day. Shirin decided long ago not to trust anyone, and she doesn't expect, or even try, to fit in anywhere. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons breakdancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who seems to really 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.

Tahereh Mafi, bestselling author of the Shatter Me series, returns with a gorgeous and heartrending new novel inspired by her own experiences with first love, breakdancing, and the devastating impact of prejudice.