Kween
Written by Vichet Chum
Published by HarperCollins Publishers
Soma Kear’s verses have gone viral. Trouble is, she didn’t exactly think her slam poetry video through. All she knew was that her rhymes were urgent. On fire. An expression of where she was, and that place…was a hot mess.
Following her Ba’s deportation back to Cambodia, everything’s changed. Her Ma is away trying to help Ba adjust to his new life, and her older sister has taken charge with a new authoritarian tone. Meanwhile, Soma’s trending video pushes her to ask if it’s time to level up. With her school’s spoken word contest looming, Soma must decide: Is she brave enough to put herself out there? To publicly reveal her fears of Ba not returning? To admit that things may never be the same?
With every line she spits, Soma searches for a way to make sense of the world around her. The answers are at the mic.
Primary ISBN: 9780063223356
Publication Date: October 2023
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 13 or older
Community Represented: Cambodian/Cambodian American
Themes: Audiobook, Coming of Age, Cross-Group Dating, Cross-Group Friendship, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Deportation, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Family Separation: Different Immigration Status, Generation: 1st, LGBTQIA+, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Starred Review, The Arts
Setting: United States (Lowell MA)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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