by Safia Elhillo
Make Me A World, 2021. 215 pages. YA Fiction
Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn't feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn't feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen--the name her parents meant to give her at birth--Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might be more real than Nima knows. And the life Nima wishes were someone else's is one she will need to fight for with a fierceness she never knew she possessed.
I listened to this novel-in-verse as an audiobook, which was read by the author herself. I thought it an exquisite piece of writing. Elhillo captures the heartbreak and yearning of what it means to be the child of immigrant parents. She also includes some light magical realism, which I was not expecting. A masterfully written work that examines belonging, immigration, racism, generational trauma, guilt, identity, and home.
If you like Home is Not a Country, you might also like:
by Elizabeth Acevedo
Harper Teen, 2020. 417 pages. YA Fiction
An evocative novel in verse follows the experiences of two grieving sisters who navigate the loss of their father and the impact of his death on their relationship.
by Erika L. Sanchez
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2017. 344 pages. YA Fiction
When her seemingly perfect sister dies in a tragic accident, Julia, who longs to go to college and move into a home of her own, discovers from mutual friends that her sister may not have been as perfect as believed.
by Ibi Aanu Zoboi
Balzer & Bray, 2020. 386 pages. YA Fiction
Traces the story of a young artist and poet whose prospects at a diverse art school are threatened by a racially biased system and a tragic altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood.
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