Here to Stay - by Sara Farizan (Hardcover)

About the Book

After a cyberbully alters a picture of basketball hero Bijan Majidi to look like a terrorist and sends it to the entire school, the administration promises to find and punish the culprit. But Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened in this powerful novel from the award-winning author of "If You Could Be Mine."

Book Synopsis

"A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice." --Entertainment Weekly

Bijan Majidi is:

• Shy around girls
• Really into comics
• Decent at basketball

Bijan Majidi is not:

• A terrorist

What happens when a kid who's flown under the radar for most of high school gets pulled off the bench to make the winning basket in a varsity playoff game?
If his name is Bijan Majidi, life is suddenly high fives in the hallways and invitations to exclusive parties--along with an anonymous photo sent by a school cyberbully that makes Bijan look like a terrorist.

The administration says they'll find and punish the culprit. Bijan wants to pretend it never happened. He's not ashamed of his Middle Eastern heritage; he just doesn't want to be a poster child for Islamophobia. Lots of classmates rally around Bijan. Others make it clear they don't want him or anybody who looks like him at their school. But it's not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends.

Here to Stay is a painfully honest, funny, authentic story about growing up, speaking out, and fighting prejudice.

From the Back Cover

I had it in my head that if I became popular, every day would feel like my birthday. I'd have no trouble talking to girls. I'd be admired by my peers. I did not think everything would turn to crap salad in a bucket.

In all the movies, the popular kid who ascends from dorkdom has their day in the sun, and then it's smooth sailing. Marty McFly gets the truck. Daniel LaRusso gets to crane-kick Johnny. But my name isn't Marty or Daniel.

My name is Bijan, and the world won't let me be the hero in my own damn life.

Review Quotes

A Booklist Top 10 Sports Book for Youth, 2018

"A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice."
--Entertainment Weekly

"With humor, power, smarts, and honesty, Farizan has written a conversation-starter."
--The Boston Globe

"Here to Stay tackles serious, timely issues with grace, humor, and urgency--as the best YA novels do."
--HelloGiggles

"The novel effortlessly tackles several important societal issues, keeping them in the foreground without detracting from the main focus: Bijan's entertaining internal color commentary that reveals his thought processes. The resulting is an engaging page-turner. Powerful."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Islamophobia, racism, homo- and heterosexuality, toxic masculinity, offensive sports mascots, activism, friendship, immigration, school politics, gun rights, and a splash of Iranian history make this about a lot more than high-school sports."
--Booklist

"Farizan portrays the richness and warmth of the Persian culture of Bijan's proud mother. A touching subplot explores the romance and high school politics of a budding lesbian relationship. Recommended for all high school collections."
--School Library Journal

"Here to Stay is refreshingly frank, revealing the unsettling truth that the very social stigmas we pretend we have conquered still exist."
--The Salisbury Post

About the Author

Sara Farizan is an Iranian American writer and ardent basketball fan who was born in and lives near Boston. The award-winning author of If You Could Be Mine and Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, she has an MFA from Lesley University and a BA in film and media studies from American University. Here to Stay is her third novel.