A Very Large Expanse of the Sea

By: Tahereh Mafi
Image result for 9781405292603
Location: FIC MAF
Genre: Contemporary Fiction


...But I think the greatest takeaway from this book and the lesson that is so central to Shirin's arc is to not let the tangle of fury and grief and despair define your life and your interactions with the world. It's easy sometimes to let the repeated exposure to cruelty parch away the belief that there is goodness in the world still, and this book was a nice reminder of that."- Goodreads


It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-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.


This is a critical story that I hope not only makes an impact on YA literature, but also on society in general. It's the type of book that I would recommend a thousand times over. It’s one that I desperately want everyone to read, to learn from, and I’m so thankful Tahereh Mafi shared it with us.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea has all the aspects of your average YA contemporary, but what makes it so unique, and important, is this: the insight on what is means to be a Muslim American living in a post 9/11 world. We follow a teenager as she navigates the typical aspects of high school, from the friend and family dynamics, to schoolwork, to romance, while also experiencing brutal racism in her day to day life. This story is told in such a honest and raw way. There’s funny moments, and sweet moments, but also heartwrenching ones as it brings attention to the harsh reality of xenophobia in our society.

Every single one of us can learn from this book and feel it's impact in one way or another, but more than anything, I am so grateful that Muslim teenagers specifically will have this story in their lives. Even with strides being made for diversity in YA literature, it's still not common enough for their voices and stories to be represented like this. I hope that this book inspires a change. I hope that it only continues to pave the pathway for more proper representation in the future.

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