Nazemian, Abdi

At the elite boarding school of Chandler, five teens from very different backgrounds come together in the Circle, a writing group known for creating life-changing friendships and revealing secrets better left secret--Beth the "townie," who is coming back after a tense year with her roommate, Sarah; Amanda Priya "Spence" Spencer, who knows her family name is privileged in NYC; Ramin Golafshar, the gay student from Iran, who gets hazed for "tradition" in the boys' dorms; and Freddy Bello, the senior boy who knows he may have to sacrifice his friends and future to stand up to his friends for what they did to Ramin.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this intergenerational story, examining queer identity at the end of different decades, follows three boys in the same Iranian family as they each gain a new understanding of their history, their culture, and themselves.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this intergenerational story, examining queer identity at the end of different decades, follows three boys in the same Iranian family as they each gain a new understanding of their history, their culture, and themselves.

"Fifteen-year-old Kam is head over heels for Ash, the boy who swept him off his feet. But his family and best friend, Bodie, are worried. They struggle to understand Ash. He also has a habit of disappearing, at times for days. When Ash asks Kam to join him on a trip to Joshua Tree, the two of them walk off into the sunset, but only Kam returns. Two years later, Kam is still left with a hole in his heart and too many unanswered questions. So it feels like fate when a school trip takes him back to Joshua Tree. On the trip, Kam wants to find closure about what happened to Ash, but instead finds himself in danger of facing a similar fate. In the desert, Kam must reckon with the truth of his past relationship--and the possibility of opening himself up to love once again"--OCLC.

"Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this sweeping intergenerational story, examining queer identity at the end of different decades, follows three boys in the same Iranian family as they each gain a new understanding of their history, culture--and themselves"--BTCat.

"At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born--and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?"--Provided by publisher.

Iranian-born New Yorker Reza is terrified of his own homosexuality amid the 1980s AIDS crisis, equating being gay with dead men. He meets aspiring fashion designer Judy and her best friend Art, an openly gay photographer, who are united in AIDS activism because of their mutual love of Judy's uncle Stephen, who is gay and has AIDS. Both Art and Judy are attracted to Reza, and believing he should be with a woman, Reza and Judy begin dating despite the undeniable feelings Reza and Art have for each other.

"Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating. Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud teen. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs. As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won't break Judy's heart--and destroy the most meaningful friendship he's ever known"--Provided by publisher.

"Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He's terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he's gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media's images of men dying of AIDS. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating. Art is Judy's best friend, their school's only out and proud teen. He'll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs. As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won't break Judy's heart--and destroy the most meaningful friendship he's ever known"--Provided by publisher.

"Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage, unlike some of the 'Nose Jobs' in the clique led by her former best friend, Heidi Javadi. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real. But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking about her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. It seems everyone is keeping secrets. And it's getting harder to know who she even is any longer. With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally off limits, Daria doesn't have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of control-can she figure out how to stay true to herself?"--Amazon.