A Very Large Expanse of Sea

<p><strong>Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People''s Literature!</strong></p><p><strong>From the <em>New York Times </em>and <em>USA Today </em>bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about</strong><strong> fear, first</strong><strong> love, and the devastating impact of prejudice. </strong></p><p>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.</p><p>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 frustra