This book in verse blew me out of the water. The language was so magical and the format of the of type just made it that much more enjoyable. I loved the way that the reader learns bits and pieces of the characters as the story goes on. I normally am a speedreader, but this is one that I really took my time and savored.

This book made me cry, but ultimately it's incredibly uplifting, for all of the horrors it details. I would say it's split roughly in half: the first half is (mostly) realist story of Nima, her immigrant mother, and her fraught relationship with her community. The second half goes full-on magical realism--or even fantasy for a bit--and it's phenomenal. Many things that seems hopeless and despair-inducing in the first half (racism, xenophobia, poverty, hate crimes, police and state terror, bullying, the threat of sexual assault) are modified through the second half, and those terrible things that persist are still tempered with hope and resilience. This might be a slight spoiler, but I did feel like the first half was so much misery that I was tempted to stop reading, and I'm so glad I didn't.

Nima straddles two worlds: the Muslim country she and her mom immigrated from, and the post-9/11 world they are trying to call home.

The free verse first-person narration of this novel is masterful. Readers are fully immersed in Nima’s sense of otherness, and in the prejudice and derision she and her mother receive from Americans who see all Muslims as terrorists.

The transition from the mundane but poignant day-to-day events to a space of magical realism in which Nima literally confront her family’s past is a bit abrupt, but it ultimately works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Make Me A World for advance readers copy.

Nima reveals her story in verse, a story of longing, regrets, jealousy, and fear. She has always wanted to know more about her past and struggles to understand why her mother brought them to America instead of staying in their home country. Nima loves the old photographs of her absent father and tapes filled with Arabic songs, and she longs to be different. Her name was almost Yasmeen, and she wishes that she was more graceful, beautiful, and popular. When Nima's life begins to unravel and she hurts those closest to her, she will have to take a supernatural journey to learn what life is really all about.

This heartbreaking novel in verse is a poignant commentary on family, identity, relationships, and belonging. The lyrical descriptions and unique verse enhanced the story and painted a picture of the prejudices and judgmental attitudes people have towards one another. I was personally impacted by a couple of the lessons that Nima learned about gratefulness and self acceptance. Though some of the plot was not realistic at all, I believe it was instrumental in getting the point across to Nima and the reader. This short, important read is great for teens and adults alike and I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.