Perfectly Parvin: a PersianVoices rom-com

Perfectly Parvin a debut young adult chapter book by Olivia Abtahi is a romantic comedy and coming of age story about a Persian-American 14 year old named Parvin and her first few months of high school.  It is a good book to understand the dual identity many people face in their lives and the issues that go along with that.  Parvin's half-Persian but she looks like she is 100% Persian.  Her American mom cannot give her any advice about grooming, colors to suit her complexion or help her with her Farsi schoolwork.  Parvin relies on her aunt who lives in Iran for guidance and she is hoping to get a visa to come and visit soon.  Being an adolescent and going through puberty as your friends of other nationalities and cultures go through their own struggles is what shines in this story.  

Parvin's love life seems to be off to a good start when she ends the summer with her crush, Wesley, who asked her to be his girlfriend.  Once the school year starts, though, Wesley breaks up with her claiming she is too loud for him.  Parvin is convinced that if she can get a cute sophomore, Matty, to ask her to Homecoming then that will prove to Wesley that she can be the docile, quiet and mousey girl that he seems to really want her to be.  But is that who Parvin truly wants to be?

Her friends, Fabian and Ruth, want her to avoid the plan and just be herself.  While she gets closer to her goal, Parvin attends Farsi school and gets tutored by Amir, a 100% Persian classmate.  She is herself around him and he develops feelings for her.  What should she do?  This is when her aunt can help her but when she is detained by ICE at the airport that puts Parvin's family into emotional stress.

This is a well-written, realistic book about the cost of fitting in, finding your identity and being a good friend to those around you who want the best for you.  I enjoyed Parvin's journey and especially appreciated the cultural information about her friends' backgrounds, too.  

Listen to Abtahi talk about her book HERE on Vimeo.  She also on a panel on body positivity on Vimeo, too.