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.

 

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!

 

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! a middle grade chapter book by Jessica Kim is a fast-paced, humorous, yet touching book about a 6th grade daughter of Korean immigrants who has to tackle the difficult decision of following a dream that is different than what is expected by family elders.

Yumi is constantly in the shadow of her genius, older sister, Yuri.  Yumi loves stand-up comedy and even though she is shy, it doesn't deter her from wanting to pursue it.  When Yumi accidentally ends up in another person's slot in a comedy camp, she cannot give up her opportunity to feel a part of a community in which she belongs.  

Unfortunately, as in the common experience of children of immigrants who cannot face disappointing their parents, Yumi lies in order to stay in the camp.  When one lie turns into another in order to avoid getting caught, Yumi loses control of the situation.  Will she be able to express herself to her family and come clean with her comedy crew?

As a teacher, librarian, and daughter of immigrants, I can relate to the family pressure that she feels.  When discussing this book with students they can share times when their personal interests were or weren't supported by family members and how they handled those situations.  Another way that students can use this book is to compare how Yumi's choices are the same or different as to what they would do if they were in her shoes, her sister's shoes, and even her family and friends' shoes if they saw what Yumi was doing.

Overall I would recommend this book to readers in grade 4 and up, and their parents, too.  As an educator and parent I learned about how important it is to listen to children and support their interests while expressing expectations for them, at the same time.  Kim, who is Korean, writes with authenticity and care for her characters.