American

A true, moving, and funny account of a teenager's experience growing up in America as an undocumented immigrant from the Middle East, this is perfect for fans of Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham's novels. At 13, Sara Saeedi, a straight-A student with a sharp eye, discovered a dangerous family secret: she was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. When she was just two years old when her parents fled Iran, she only learned of her refugee status when her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job but couldn't because she didn't have a Social Security number. Her fear of deportation kept her up at night, but it didn't stop her from being a teenager. She desperately wanted a green card, clear skin, her own car, and a boyfriend. Americanized follows Sara's journey toward a green card, but that's only part of her experiences as an Iranian-American teenager. From discovering her parents' secret divorce to facilitate her mother's green card application to learning how to tame her unibrows, Sarah gracefully navigates the prospect of being deported from the country at any moment to the equally terrifying prospect of being the only one among her friends without a date at prom. This touching, often hilarious story is relevant to anyone who has shared either of these fears.