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A Very Large Expanse of Sea

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A Very Large Expanse of Sea

By: Tahereh Mafi
Narrated by: Priya Ayyar
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A National Book Award Longlist title!

From the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating impact of prejudice.

It's 2002, a year after 9/11. It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a 16-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments - even the physical violence - she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her - they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds - and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not sure she'll ever be able to let it down.

©2018 Tahereh Mafi (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Contemporary Contemporary Romance Difficult Situations Fiction Islamic Heritage Literature & Fiction Multicultural Racism & Discrimination Romance Discrimination Heartfelt Tearjerking

Editor's Pick

Timely and important
"I was immediately enticed by this audiobook simply because of its beautiful title—and then it became a story I had to hear. A Very Large Expanse of Sea is drawn from author Tahereh Mafi’s own experiences as a Muslim teen facing violence and racism in the turbulent times following 9/11. It explores a side of things that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention and one that I think is as important to hear now as it was then. Priya Ayyar’s narration perfectly captures the voice of the main character, Shirin—a bright and insightful 16 year old with wisdom beyond her years. This is also a wonderful coming-of-age story, a sweet romance, and a solid sibling relationship tale—plus it has break-dancing!"—Catherine H., Audible Editor

Beautiful Love Story • Nuanced Representation • Great Voices • Powerful Message • Engaging Characters
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This an amazing story I didint want it to end. You love the persistence of both characters and fall in love with their tale.

Amazing

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Listen, if I were a teenager this probably would've been one of my top 5 books but as an adult it was a bit too "first love" for me. It was adorable just not my thing any more. However, seeing life through an Islam girl's eyes right after 9/11 was heartbreaking. (in a good way?) the characters were all interesting and charming. Even side characters seemed to be well thought out. Fantastic book, 4 out of 5 stars only because I don't think I'm quite the target demographic.

Super cute

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Children are not born racist/prejudice, they are taught abd well indoctrinated. I feel that this book does a good job at showing how devastating racism can be. I am happy that Sharen and Ocean were able to come to a peaceful resolve and sad that they couldn't enjoy each other. The book was a great listen.

Bitter Sweet

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Following Shirin and her life was a great read and her struggle through this coming of age story is really inspiring! I liked everything about this book! It is important that young adult girls read this book to learn from Shirin and her friends and family. Her journey touched my heart. I hope to read more books like A very large expanse of sea in the future!

Amazing Book!

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I first picked this book, because it seemed interesting. But even as the story started, it had such a good story line! I love everything about this book, and I will definitely be buying it in book form!

LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!

SOOOO GOOOD

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I can honestly say this is one of the best books I have ever read. And the world would be a better place if more people did read it.

Fenomenal

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I thought I was past enjoying stories about teenagers but this was an intriguing and entertaining story— (probably) true. As humans, we have to do better. Love thy neighbor and all that! I have hope for future generations.

Teenagers

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Beautiful story with amazing performance! I loved the simplicity of the storyline, the characters were well defined and the plot believable. Would read it all over again.

Nice!

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A Very Large Expanse of Sea was a novel I picked up after reading the Shatter Me series. After reading the amazing series, I decided to read more of Tahereh Mafi’s work, and this novel did not disappoint. It is such a powerful story, one that opens up to the public to reveal the story of a struggling teen during turbulent times. The struggles this novel portrays captivates its readers and brings awareness to the prejudices a young, innocent girl received as a result of her culture and religion.

The story portrays the struggles Shirin ensures and how prejudice takes a hold of her life for so long that she closes herself off to the world. The story takes the reader on a journey of discovery and is full of emotion, anger, sadness, and raw insight into the life of a young Muslim girl who struggles to find herself in a world that sees her in such a negative manner. Shirin manages to find passion and a love for breakdancing and music and as a result discovers who she is as a result.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea is a beautifully written story. I enjoyed it and found it to be extremely enlightening. After reading so much science fiction and fantasy, it was so different to pick up a novel that places me back into the ‘real world’ and make me aware of the events that inspired so many authors. This novel is Tahereh Mafi’s testimony of hard times and how she managed to find love and happiness in music and breakdancing.

Audible Review:

Ayyar’s narration captivate the emotions in such a way that bring the story to life for listeners. The narration allows readers to keep listening and latches on to the frustration Shirin displays and her battle against prejudice. I extremely enjoyed listening to the story at a 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.75 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.5 speed and 3.0 speed to be the best speeds. 3.5 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator’s reading speed.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea Book Review

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Emotionally charged story of a Muslim girl in America in 2002 who meets and begins dating a white boy. Much to think about in terms of identity, family, race, and discrimination.

Great ya book on being Muslim in America

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