Jasmine Zumideh Needs A Win
Written by Susan Azim Boyer
Published by Wednesday Books
It’s 1979, and Jasmine Zumideh is ready to get the heck out of her stale, Southern California suburb and into her dream school, NYU, where she’ll major in journalism and cover New York City’s exploding music scene.
There’s just one teeny problem: Due to a deadline snafu, she maaaaaaybe said she was Senior Class President-Elect on her application—before the election takes place. But honestly, she’s running against Gerald Thomas, a rigid rule-follower whose platform includes reinstating a dress code—there’s no way she can lose. And she better not, or she’ll never get into NYU.
But then, a real-life international incident turns the election upside down. Iran suddenly dominates the nightly news, and her opponent seizes the opportunity to stir up anti-Iranian hysteria at school and turn the electorate against her. Her brother, Ali, is no help. He’s become an outspoken advocate for Iran just as she’s trying to downplay her heritage.
Now, as the white lie she told snowballs into an avalanche, Jasmine is stuck between claiming her heritage or hiding it, standing by her outspoken brother or turning her back on him, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for good.
Primary ISBN: 9781250833686
Publication Date: November 2022
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Iranian/Iranian American
Themes: Activism, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Friendship, Discrimination: Racial, Generation: 1st, Genre: Romance, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Welcoming by Individual
Setting: United States (California)
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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