This ownvoices middle grade novel centers an Iranian girl growing up in California in the late 1970s, and specifically focuses on anti-Iranian racism during the hostage crisis. The most compelling thing about it was the voice; Zomorod comes through so clearly and intensely. She drew me in right away, with her focus on surviving middle school, coping with a mother who has depression, and making friends. This is a book that is firmly historical, that also feels very relevant and resonant. 
 Trigger Warning: (view spoiler)[ Zomorod's mother has depression, and this is a constant worry of hers. There are many racist micro-aggressions in this book, and also some straightforward racist aggression. The family grapples with economic instability, and fear based on the changes in Iran and the possibility that the family may need to return. There is an awful incident with a dead animal that is the focus of the plot for a rather long while. (hide spoiler)]