How It All Blew Up
Written by Arvin Ahmadi
Published by Penguin Young Readers Group
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy—he just didn’t think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right?
Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature… until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom.
At turns uplifting and devastating, How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi’s most powerful novel yet, a celebration of how life’s most painful moments can live alongside the riotous, life-changing joys of discovering who you are.
Primary ISBN: 9780593202876
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older
Community Represented: Iranian/Iranian American, Persian/Persian American
Themes: Cross-Group Dating, Detention, Discrimination: Cultural, Discrimination: Religious, Family Relationship: Parents, Generational Differences: Dating, LGBTQIA+, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Muslim
Setting: United States, Italy
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Visiting
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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