Well, I absolutely had to read this book because Arya and I went to high school together, so I went into it extremely excited not just to support a former classmate/theatermate but also because I wanted to read way too far between the lines to tease out any nods to our real high school and teachers and classmates (I must say I find the fictional Nova insufficiently weird compared to our extremely fuckin weird actual school, but I also have a hard time believing anyone would believe many actual things about the real school, so there's that. StG is simply unexplainable). I also had to swallow some bile when I labeled this historical fiction, but it takes place just under the "official" historical fiction mark of 25 years ago and the time it takes place is extremely salient because it deals with 9/11, so yes, fellow millennials, our lived experiences are the stuff of historical fiction now, sorry.

Aaaaaanyway. This is very good! Cheers to soft, sensitive, awkward boys in YA. This book gave me all kinds of adolescent feels, so I was both crawling out of my skin but also smiling and being all "awww, kiddo," but also had that sort of saudade-cringe I get when a thing is so heartfelt and earnest but deeply embarrassing to think about as an adult with the benefit of hindsight and retrospect--in other words, it felt very authentically teen to me, which YA has honestly been struggling to do lately as it has been pandering to 30somethings instead. Also really appreciated the way complex questions of race and ethnicity and US government designations of those things were explored without feeling anachronistic wokesplaining (since honestly the thing that I feel most differentiates say, my niece's current adolescent experience from my own two decades ago is that Zoomers have the language for the things that my generation was feeling choked by but didn't know how to articulate).

I am already sad about the legions of white librarians who will absolutely compare this to Darius the Great is Not Okay, which it has slight similarities to (sensitive Persian American teenage boys going through shit) but which they will be calling readas for exclusively Hidden Fences reasons instead of real reasons, but just...I have not been reading a lot of YA these days for work and dissertation and "why are you writing this for millennials instead of actual teens" annoyance reasons, and it was so so so nice to get back into the literature category I have loved for so long with such a truly standout debut.2023 historical-fiction narrative-verse ...more9 s Chandra470 2

Wow… wow! I wanted to write down so many quotes from this book while listening. I will definitely be going back through the book when I get a physical copy. This book made me think about being a teenager, about being a family member, human connection, friendship, how to express oneself, the power of language, and what it is that makes me feel the most myself. It made me want to have another go at both reading Shakespeare and listening to rap. It caused me to ruminate on bigotry, racism, generational trauma, immigration, and systems of power. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, but as I mentioned before I need to own the physical book. Did I mention… wow!6 s TL 1,987 114

*Libby app, Overdrive was better *
5 s kate1,359 967

A lyrical and poignant coming-of-age story in verse. This was superb. contemporary poc-rep poetry-verse ...more3 s SnowFlash26

I loved this book! Perfect mix of coming-of-age, exploring the nexus of being Iranian American, and incredible confluence of Persian, English and American poetry (including rap!). I highly recommend this book!! And huge bravo to the author for an amazing debut novel!! 3 s1 comment Lizanne Johnson1,354 21

An Impossible Thing to Say is a moving YA novel in verse with an underrepresented voice. Omid is a high school student in Arizona who is finding his voice and understanding his Persian roots. When his grandparents immigrate to Arizona, Omid attempts to connect and communicate with his grandfather and finds it difficult. Is it the language? Should he have spoken Farsi more? At school he befriends the new girl and ends up in a Shakespeare play. Could they be more than friends? He questions why he was cast in his particular role. Amid all of his seeking, the Twin Towers are destroyed, and he has to face a new reality. Shakespeare and rap help him navigate his life as he figures out his place in the world. This is truly a unique story that I look forward to recommending to high school readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.3 s Jenni583 19

A quick read, this novel is set in verse and tells the story of Omid, an Iranian-American teenager. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, he has actually never been to Iran and he doesn't speak much Farsi, although many
people judge him on sight. This is all happening in the days surrounding 9/11. So you see how the family is treated before and after that devastation.

Omid is crushing on a new girl in his class and ends up joining the school play because of her. He also gets into rapping, which he's really good at. But then his grandfather disappears. So Omid and his mom set off to find him

This book is all about finding yourself and being okay with who you are and where you come from.

.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review3 s Christina318 8

Highly recommend! Novel in (mostly) verse involving first crushes, Shakespeare, rap/hip-hop, and 9/11. Debut author Arya Shahi manages to seamlessly weave together these topics and more to create a teen novel that is compulsively readable with a lot of heart.novel-in-verse young-adult3 s Sheila Dufau6 11

This is an absolute gem and among my top favorite
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