A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Shirin starts at a new high school, her Iranian-American parents are always chasing the American dream, trying to give their children a better school, better opportunity. Shirin has not just a rock, but a boulder on her shoulder. In the shadow of 9/11, it isn't easy being a girl who wears a hijab. She's skeptical when Ocean works to befriend her. There is something between them. She works to stop it, discourage it as she knows how hard it might ultimately be for Ocean. But she gives in to her feelings for him. For awhile it is okay, but soon the racism bubbling comes out and Ocean, a basketball start who doesn't have a passion for the game, doesn't handle it well. He lashes out and Shirin doesn't want him to loose opportunities.
A side show more activity is the breakdance club that Shirin joins with her brother, Navid, and his new friends. Her brother is a favorite character of mine. Her parents aren't super involved in her school life, but her brother always has her back.
This book was heartbreaking at times, a compelling whirlwind romance, and a strong character study of a marginalized girl trying to survive high school. show less

Shirin is a Muslim teen just trying to make it through each day in her high school, where her race and her hijab cause her to stand out in ways she really doesn’t want. This is made worse by the fact that it’s only been a year since 9/11. She does her best to be as invisible as possible, but Ocean, a handsome boy in her biology class, seems determined to talk to her. Meanwhile, her older brother, who never has trouble fitting in at their new schools, is putting together a breakdancing group with his new friends, and Shirin joins because it’s the one thing that makes her sort-of happy. When she finally realizes that Ocean may actually really like her, she thinks something else just may add to that happiness, but then she discovers show more that he is, in fact, one of the most popular guys in school and she fears the backlash if they make their relationship public.

It's an okayish YA romance. I understand what the author was going for with Shirin’s character: she’s been burned so many times by idiots being racist that it’s hard for her to believe a Popular White Boy would be interested in her or even, for that matter, kind without malice behind it. But the pacing was too slow and her reluctance to trust tipped over into frustrating. The plot was also fairly predictable, and generally that’s just fine in a romance, but it felt as if the author was leading up to some of the plot points as if they would be twists, and they weren’t. The ending, then, after the too-slow pacing and the predictable plot, was weirdly abrupt and felt out of place for all that had come before it. So, overall, maybe not as polished as it could have been. show less

Mafi's writing style in Shatter Me did NOT work for me, nor do I do romance as a genre, so I was surprised by how much I liked this! I love a prickly protagonist who grows by seeing themself through others' eyes (in that way it reminded me of Eliza and Her Monsters), and I appreciate a straight male love interest who is believable *and* a genuinely good dude.

I read this and Darius the Great alongside each other, and having those two very different Persian families in conversation was fun. I was hoping both would be this summer reading list's Aristotle and Dante, and I think that works!

I was not expecting that ending. Ok, so maybe parts of it, but not the WHOLE ending.

The entire book through, I couldn't stop reading. As a middle schooler when 9/11 happened, in a rich white part of the world, and rich white part of my state, I didn't *really* feel the impact of it, what it would mean for us. My classmates of color weren't from 'there' anyway, and it was middle school. Nobody was really 'popular'. Probably a lot of bs happened that I wasn't aware of.

But to be in high school, or an adult, when this happened... I can't imagine it.
Kids and adults can be unimaginably cruel--and Mafi did not shrink from that reality one bit.
An utterly amazing story.

There is so much to love about this book. It has a lot going on and it works so well: The characters, the emotions, the xenophobia, the humanity, teen angst, bullying, young love, family pressure, finding yourself, oh and breakdancing. All of these things combine to make an enjoyable story of a 16 year old girl and her struggles navigating high school as a hijab-wearing Muslim a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She’s built her defenses against the hatred and ignorance of fellow students and teachers so impenetrable that when a nice boy tries to befriend her, she can’t believe she can trust him and let him into her life.
The writing is very personal and the anger, sadness, ignorance and futility are so real. This book is show more endearing and heartbreaking. It’s a refreshing coming of age YA romance where the main characters are fully formed, diverse, intelligent, emotional, and empathetic. 5/5 stars ⭐️ show less

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 show more 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. show less

4.5 stars

This book was a complete rollercoaster of emotions. We meet Shirin, who is a Muslim girl living in America after 9/11. Already, we can expect Shirin to experience tons of Islamophobic events... and she does. These events range from weird looks to being stalked and choked with her own hijab. Despite this, she refuses to change. She's angry and frustrated by the way she's treated, but she stays true to herself. While Shirin goes through all this, her older brother Navid is one of the popular guys at school. Yet, their sibling relationship is so wholesome. The romance was also beautiful. Shirin and Ocean come from very different backgrounds, but their connection is so deep. They're exact opposites of each other, yet they match so show more well. I love when a couple feels like they're two halves that complete a whole, and Shirin and Ocean are great representation of it. show less