Just a Hat, S. Khubiar
Just a Hat, S. Khubiar
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

Just a Hat

Author: S. Khubiar

Narrator: Ramiz Monsef

Unabridged: 6 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/18/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

It’s 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can’t help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos—which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend’s beautiful daughter put him in all sorts of danger, Joseph must find new ways to cope at home and at school.As he struggles to trust others and stay true to himself, a fiercely guarded family secret keeps his father at a distance, and even his piano teacher, Miss Eleanor—who is like a grandmother to him—can’t always protect him. But Joseph is not alone, and with a little help from his friends, he finds the courage to confront his fears and discovers he can inspire others to find their courage, too.Just a Hat is an authentically one-of-a-kind YA debut that fuses the humor of Firoozeh Dumas’s Funny in Farsi with the poignancy of Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue.

About S. Khubiar

S. Khubiar is a retired federal law enforcement officer, and she is now self-employed as a subject matter specialist. She holds a BS and MEd from East Texas State University and a PhD in philosophy. A student of her Persian ancestry, she incorporates (Mizrachi) Middle Eastern Jewry into her fiction. Also an avid student of archaeology, she travels to volunteer for digs. Khubiar is a sometime resident and always fan of most things Texas.

About Ramiz Monsef

Ramiz Monsef has spent several seasons as a member of Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s acting company, and he is the playwright of OSF’s 2013 production The Unfortunates. He has also appeared onstage in New York and in numerous regional productions.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Samantha on April 30, 2024

Just a Hat is the coming-of-age story of a Mizrahi Jew who was born in California and was raised in Texas in the 1970s. It follows Joseph (Youssef) as he learns about his family's history as immigrants, the hardships of his friends, and the typical struggles of love and identity when you're a minori......more

Goodreads review by MandM on November 05, 2023

So many lessons can be learned from this wonderfully written and thoughtfully told book. Needs to be required reading for young and old and in between. One of my favorite reads this year. Says so much in 245 pages. When is a hat not a hat??????......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on May 14, 2023

This one started a bit slow for me but I really grew to love the characters and the many layers of complexity to all of the stories. It made me reflect on how multifaceted people are and see a new lens into people. I found myself getting emotional as Joseph and his Baba learned to connect with each......more

Goodreads review by Ian on January 01, 2024

An endearing coming of age story with a protagonist (Youssef) that you are rooting for the entire way. Khubiar’s writing transports you to a town in Texas and deftly portrays the challenges of the Persian Jewish family through Youssef and by extension, other perceived “foreigners”. In doing so, she......more

Goodreads review by Claire on June 22, 2024

Excellent coming of age story. The voice is excellent. Explores a Persian Jewish teenage boy living in a rural Texas town during the Iran hostage crisis with wonderful details of faith, gender roles, junior high hierarchy, Texas football, etc. Excellent read.......more

Quotes

“[A] high-energy novel…Joseph is a wonderful creation—both deeply good and prone to mischief—and he will captivate readers.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era coming-of-age novel if more relevant than ever.” Center for the Study of Multicultural Literature

“This irresistible tale of a second-generation immigrant navigating 1970s Texas reaches across time and space to resonate powerfully in our current moment: an underdog love song that managed to pull off my favorite hat trick: it made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think.” Sarah Combs, author of Breakfast Served Anytime and The Light Fantastic

“Just a Hat is a powerful and important depiction of the hatred and discrimination of America’s past and the hatred and discrimination we continue to see today. There is much to learn from history, and Shanah illuminates an area of Jewish life that we haven’t seen in kid-lit—Iranian Jews and immigration to America. This book is a first, and it showcases the diversity of the Jewish people.”  Liza Wiemer, award-winning author of The Assignment

“I dare you not to fall in love with Youssef, a young Persian Jew trying to find his place in a small Texas town filled with bigotry. Khubiar deftly weaves the tumultuous history of Iran into a poignant page-turner all too relevant today. Read this and weep and laugh and weep again.”  Cambria Gordon, award-winning author of The Poetry of Secrets

“A welcome window into a Jewish American experience and American history that is rarely shown in children’s literature.” Tablet

Awards

  • National Jewish Book Award
  • Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books
  • CSMCL Pick
  • Reading the West Book Award
  • Writers' League of Texas Book Award
  • Tablet Best Jewish Children's Book
  • Jewish News Pick
  • Book Riot Pick
Add to Cart
Add to Wish List