A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Hey!

Wow, two books finished in two days!  It's amazing what you can do when you have no internet to distract you!  Seriously!

I honestly, thought I was just going to get this one started, and finishing it after YA'll West!

From Goodreads:


It's 2002, a year after 9/11.  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 terrified 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 be able to let it down.


My Thoughts:

Okay seriously though?  To finish a book in one day?? It must be good right??

I've only ever read one other book by Tahereh Mafi, and that was the first book in the Shatter Me series; which I remember really enjoying; but it's been so long at this point, I unfortunately can't tell you what it was about.  I would probably have to reread it at this point, to continue the series.  But unfortunately, as the saying goes, "So many books so little time."

Maybe one day.

But I have been hearing some amazing praise for Tahereh's latest release A Very Large Expanse of Sea, and because she is going to be at YA'll West this Saturday with her husband, Ransom Riggs (the author of Miss Peregrines series) I just knew it was the perfect time to order the book, so I could get it signed this weekend.

After I read the premise, it really peaked my interest, so after I finished P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han yesterday morning, I figured it would be a good time to at least start the book before attending this weekend, and meeting Tahereh again.

I never thought I would actually finish it though!

But, I guess, that is what happens when there is no phone or TV to distract you, because currently we not have any internet until (hopefully) tomorrow!


Anyway, sorry for the babble, on to the good stuff.  I'm sure the stuff you are waiting for, if you're reading this...

What a book though, guys! I could NOT put it down!  I started it yesterday morning, getting in about 60 pages, before having to go to work; and then this morning, after a rough night's sleep, I got up early, and just read and read and before I knew it I had finished 200 pages!!  So tonight, I made a quick easy dinner, and finished the rest!

I believe I read somewhere that A Very Large Expanse of Sea is based somewhat on Tahereh's teenage years.  I just can't imagine what she went through!

Shirin is treated like shit!  It is so bad!  And since the book takes place in 2002, less than a year, after one of America's biggest tragedies ever in history, involving one group of terrorists that put a stigma on an entire culture.

Most people remember 9/11 if they were alive when it happened.  I can tell you to this day, what I was doing that day.  And I was only in 5th grade.  I was barely ten years old, and that day has stuck with me since then.  I had been in America for a little over three years at that point, and the little town I was growing up in, gave me a very sheltered life from the outside world.  As I have gotten older, I am getting more and more experiences and observing more and more of the evils of this world.  But I know I was lucky, some would say privileged.

Shirin did not get that luxury.

Overall Rating:



Tahereh Mafi has written a true wonder!  Given our current political state, this book's subject is once again, a sad reality; and I think it is a must read!  I truly enjoyed it!  If you've had a chance to read it, I would love to hear thoughts! :)

The Romance Bookie :)







Comments

  1. Her "Shatter Me" series was really good, I didn't know she had a new book out so I'll have to check this one out.

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    Replies
    1. This one was very different from "Shatter Me"! I've only read "Shatter Me" a long time ago; when it first came out, but never got to the others! By now, I'd have to reread "Shatter Me" to understand what is going on lol. :)

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