Author Description

<p> "<b>[Ahmed] employs high stakes, increasing tensions, romantic near-misses, and adult hypocrisy to powerful effect</b>." <b>-<i>Publisher's Weekly</i>, starred review</b><br> <br> <br> <br> <b>From the</b> <i><b>New York Times</b></i> <b>bestselling author of</b> <i><b>Internment</b></i> <b>comes a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe. </b><br> <br> <br> <br> After her dad abruptly abandons her family and her mom moves them a million miles from their Chicago home, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school, away from everything and everyone she knows and loves.</p> <p>Reeling from being uprooted and deserted, Noor is certain the key to survival is to keep her head down and make it to graduation. </p> <p>But things aren't so simple. At school, Noor discovers hundreds of books have been labeled "obscene" or "pornographic" and are being removed from the library in accordance with a new school board policy. Even worse, virtually all the banned books are by queer and BIPOC authors. </p> <p>Noor can't sit back and do nothing, because that goes against everything she believes in, but challenging the status quo just might put a target on her back. Can she effect change by speaking up? Or will small-town politics--and small-town love--be her downfall? </p>