Free Radicals, Lila Riesen
Free Radicals, Lila Riesen
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

Free Radicals

Author: Lila Riesen

Narrator: Gilli Messer

Unabridged: 9 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/21/2023


Synopsis

Afghan-American Mafi’s sophomore year gets a whole lot more complicated when she accidentally exposes family secrets, putting her family back in Afghanistan in danger in this smartly written YA debut.

Sixteen-year-old Mafi Shahin is well-aware that life is not always fair. If it was fair, her parents might allow her to hang out with a member of the male species, other than her cat Mr. Meowgi. If it was fair, her crush and basketball hottie Jalen Thomas might see her as more than just her brother's kid sister. And if it was fair, her baba’s brother and wife would be able to leave Afghanistan and come to America.

Life might not be fair—but she can make it a bit more even. Working as the Ghost of Santa Margarita High, Mafi serves dollops of justice on her classmates’ behalf as the school’s secret avenger. They leave a note declaring the crime and Mafi ensures the offender receives an anonymous karmic-sized dose of payback. Keeping her identity as the Ghost a secret sometimes means Mafi has to lie. But as those lies begin to snowball both at school and at home, even compromising their family’s secret past and putting their relatives back in Afghanistan at risk, Mafi is forced to decide how she wants to live her life—trying to make the world more fair from the shadows or loudly and publicly standing up for what’s right.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Monte on June 22, 2023

This was a pleasant surprise. At the start of this book I thought that it would be similar in someways to another recent read, Ride or Die [ my review here ]. Mostly because in both books we are introduced to main characters that we are told do things that might be a little risky. We're introduced......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on March 19, 2023

Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary audio copy of this YA #ownvoices debut about an Afghan American teen girl navigating first love, high school drama and dangerous family secrets connected to her relatives still in Afghanistan. Equally entertaining and moving, this gave me a bit of Margot......more

Goodreads review by Kirin on February 16, 2023

3.5 This contemporary 400 page YA book about an American Afghan girl dealing with life and boys and worrying about family in Afghanistan since America's withdrawal from the country, is written by an Afghan Australian, raised in America, and thus it seemed like a book I should review from an Islamic l......more

ok this was such a good book tbh!! 😍 i gave it 3 stars for a few reasons but mainly the confusing storylines. i wasn't sure what was important and what was just randomly thrown in...for example: the SOL tree was supposed to be (i think) like a main plot point that the whole book revolved around, but......more

Goodreads review by Sofi on March 27, 2023

thank you so much to penguin teen and colored pages blog tours for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!! i have no idea what was i expecting from this book, but it was not this. a conversation about Afghans right in the middle of one of their crisis, another about mysoginy and h......more


Quotes

Praise for Free Radicals:
 
“Riesen’s debut is a rich, multifaceted story that . . . interweaves racism and discrimination, immigration and injustice, sexism and double standards, family expectations and intergenerational trauma, and more, all written to great effect and with a broadly diverse supporting cast. A smart, powerful, poignant tale of identity, freedom, and family.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

““By deploying a healthy dose of sharp humor across a pacey plot that’s populated by an intersectionally diverse cast, Riesen crafts an emphatic and empathetic debut that doesn’t shy away from exploring grave themes such as imperialism, intergenerational trauma, war, and xenophobia.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Free Radicals is a deeply moving and keenly drawn story of courage, resilience and familial love, filled with tenderness, heart, romance, and hilarity. Lila Riesen is a talent to watch.”—Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King

“Sharp, funny, and written with fierce love. This book is a hand over the heart and a nod to hope for the future of Afghanistan. It is impossible not to fall in love with Mafi, Raf, and Jalen. I laughed with and ached for these characters. Riesen’s story is a heartfelt song for Afghanistan.”—Julia Walton, author of Words on Bathroom Walls

“In this modern tale of a young Afghan American girl coming to terms with her identity. . . Riesen raises awareness of issues many young adults experience, such as family drama, xenophobia, racism, prejudice, and trolling. Teens will relate to the protagonist’s struggles to build trust and be honest with others, all the while carrying trauma.” —Booklist

Whip-smart, heart-rending and often hilarious . . . this compelling debut novel by Lila Riesen, calling upon her own experience as a biracial Afghan-American teenager. . . offers an unforgettable coming-of-age tale in this poignant novel of a family trying to start anew in the U.S. and caught up in the tragic fallout of the turmoil in Afghanistan.” —The Buffalo News