Rana Joon and the One and Only Now

Starred review from May 8, 2023
In 1996 San Fernando Valley, shy, Tupac-obsessed high school senior Rana Joon struggles to hide her queer identity from her strict Iranian parents while navigating loss in Etaat’s vivacious debut. The only person who knew Rana was a lesbian was her biracial best friend Louie, an aspiring rapper who died in a car accident one year prior. Knowing that Louie’s dream was to win annual rap battle the Way of the Wu, Rana signs up to participate in Louie’s honor, planning to use one of his pieces. But when her coach reminds her that “the competition is about revealing truth,” Rana knows that if she wants to win, she can’t recycle someone else’s story. Even as she wrestles with her fear of public speaking, and as familial conflicts threaten to overwhelm, a budding romance and support from her community might be what she needs to finally live as her authentic self. Abundant era-specific cultural and musical references imbue the narrative with a nostalgic vibe and the effervescent air of a summer block party, expertly complementing the heady seasonal California setting. Through Rana’s magnetic POV and striking poetry, Etaat conveys Rana’s anger, desire, and grief, making for a lively and thought-provoking exploration of self-love and self-discovery. Ages 14–up. Agent: Margaret Danko and Kim Perel, Irene Goodman Agency.

May 15, 2023
High school senior Rana finds a way to honor her late best friend--and express her own voice. It's almost one year since Louie's sudden death, and the loss feels just as fresh as the day Rana heard the news of his car accident. Fast friends who first bonded over a Tupac concert and rap, Louie pushed Rana to explore her interest in poetry and encouraged her to speak her truth. Feeling inspired for the first time since losing Louie, Iranian American Rana decides to fulfill his dream: competing in the Way of the Wu rap battle. First prize: opening for Wu-Tang. Set in 1996 San Fernando Valley, California, this intimate narrative deftly weaves together grief, art, immigrant family dynamics, gender expectations, sexuality, disordered eating, and self-discovery. Communication runs through the core of each theme: From learning to speak up in class and overcoming her fear of public speaking to being confident enough to share her emotions through her poetry and rap, Rana discovers the value of verbalizing her thoughts and opinions. She becomes vulnerable with those who are accepting and pursues her first romance with a girl. With family, Rana voices her complicated feelings toward her distant father, golden-boy brother, and controlling mother, and together the family begins mending their communication breakdown. Rana is an engaging lead with a satisfying journey of self-growth. A full, diverse, and well-developed secondary cast rounds out this lyrical read. Emotionally honest and open. (Fiction. 14-18)

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July 1, 2023
Grades 10-12 It's 1996 in the San Fernando Valley, and almost a year ago, Rana Joon's best friend Louie died. Now in her senior year, Rana's still reeling from the loss and feels like a spectator to the life that's spiraling out of her control. To celebrate Louie's life, Rana decides to fulfill his dream of reading one of his poems at The Way of the Wu, a rap battle for people serious about spoken word. She's encouraged to read her own work, but she's not ready to speak her truths: the way she strains against her Iranian mother's image of perfection, the once-a-year father who doesn't understand his family, the unacknowledged privileges her brother's ""golden penis"" grants him, how she eats to cope with stress, and that she has always liked girls. Through excerpts of Rana's poetry, we see how her bold exterior masks the breadth of her pain. The end isn't tidy or certain, but it offers hope as Rana sees the value in her voice and its demand for truth.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 27, 2023

Gr 9 Up-On the cusp of high school graduation in 1996, Rana is adrift, grieving the sudden death of her best friend and struggling to balance her true self with her parents' expectations for her to be the perfect Persian daughter. She knows she likes girls, but isn't ready to come out as a lesbian. She writes poetry, but doesn't have the confidence to share it. She wants to honor her best friend's memory by entering a rap battle competition, but fears public speaking. As Rana navigates these complexities, the narrative is by turns lighthearted and devastating. With prose that ranges from raw to lyrical, Etaat's debut creates a tender, realistic portrait of the tumultuous transition between high school and college. Despite some anachronistic slang, the mid-1990s Los Angeles setting is fully realized, with landline phone calls, shopping trips to Nordstrom's in the local mall, and partying to a soundtrack of Tupac and Ginuwine. Etaat has created such an intimate, layered portrait of Rana and her world that readers will root for her journey to healing and self-actualization, and will miss her after the last page is turned. VERDICT A thoroughly engrossing, poignant story of self-discovery with positive representation of intersectional identity.-Allison Tran

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