The worst thing is that when she finally let him in and things inevitably go bad, she questions whether she is worth all the drama and hatred that is brought his way. She tries to push him away to try to protect him but also to protect herself from the world of hurt. She doesn’t know why a guy like him would be interested in a girl like her and knows that while he might be a nice boy the world is not. That was until she met Ocean James, a boy who seemed interested in actual getting to know her. She went through the motions at school and break-danced after school with her brother and that was it. She had seen the worst of humanity after the post 9/11 fear of all things Islam and her wearing a headscarf made her an easy target. She tried to convince herself that she didn’t care that people called her names or insulted her or just plain treated her like a walking stereotype.
It was just easier for her to get through her day to just shut down and not let people in. She is a 16 year-old Muslim girl living in the US 1 year after 9/11. I knew it was going to be good but I was really touched by Shirin’s story. Published in 2018, best-selling author Tahereh Mafi’s first standalone novel was long-listed for a National Book Award.I really did not expect to be so drawn into this book. A Very Large Expanse of Sea crafts a powerful exploration of cultural identity, cross-cultural relationships and the ways that post-9/11 prejudice still echoes in America. As Shirin and Ocean’s relationship grows deeper, the couple faces prejudice and criticism from nearly everyone around them-forcing Shirin to make a heartbreaking decision.
But when star basketball player Ocean James, her white lab partner at her new high school, begins showing a genuine interest in getting to know her, Shirin’s guard slowly starts to come down. In response, she’s withdrawn into herself, only emerging from her shell whenever she practices her dance moves with her brother and his break-dancing crew. Shirin, a 16-year-old Iranian American who wears a headscarf, has spent the year since the attacks of 9/11 enduring an onslaught of racist and Islamophobic abuse from peers, teachers and strangers.
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