Spilled Ink

(Hardback)

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Description

In this insightful and affecting YA novel by well-loved author of books for adults and middle graders Nadia Hashimi, an Afghan American teenager's small town is thrown into controversy and violence when her brother, taking a stand against hatred, plays a prank that some think went too far...

When Yalda hears that her twin brother, Yusuf, will be performing with his band at a local venue, she lets her friends convince her to sneak out to see his show. But the night has something else in store: After the opening band makes some ugly jokes about terrorists, Yusuf uses his time in the spotlight for an impulsive stunt responding to the hate speech.

Suddenly, simmering tensions begin boiling over in their Virginia town, where many Afghan refugees have sought safety. When a video of Yusufs performance goes viral online, it seems like everyone in town turns against their familys restaurant, leaving their livelihood in jeopardy. And then Yusuf is seriously injured in a mysterious fall.

Despite her grieving and frightened family, friends she is not sure she can trust, and a town that no longer feels like a safe home, Yalda must try to find her own voiceand do what she can to change her world for the better.

Reviews

"Utilizing Yals sharp-witted first-person POV, debut author Hashimi exposes how the prevalence of unchecked and unchallenged racism can lead to violence, as well as how American-born Afghans are othered and recently arrived Afghan refugees are scapegoated. Clever dialogue between the vividly individualized characters lightens harrowing depictions of anti-Islamic hate crimes in this tightly structured and engagingly paced read." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Author Bio

Nadia Hashimi was born and raised in New York and New Jersey. Both her parents were born in Afghanistan and left in the early 1970s, before the Soviet invasion. Nadia is the author of three books for adults, as well as the middle grade novel One Half from the East. She is a pediatrician and lives with her family in the Washington, DC suburbs. Visit her online at www.nadiahashimi.com.