Books
Kids
Popular
Authors & Events
Recommendations
Audio
Look Inside
Mar 26, 2019 | ISBN 9781524717827 | Young Adult Buy
Feb 06, 2018 | ISBN 9781524717810 | Young Adult Buy
Buy from Other Retailers:
Mar 26, 2019 | ISBN 9781524717827 | Young Adult
Feb 06, 2018 | ISBN 9781524717810 | Young Adult
In development as a television series from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company and ABC Studios! This hilarious, poignant and true story of one teen’s experience growing up in America as an undocumented immigrant from the Middle East is an increasingly necessary read in today’s divisive world. Perfect for fans of Mindy Kaling and Trevor Noah’s books. “Very funny but never flippant, Saedi mixes ‘90s pop culture references, adolescent angst and Iranian history into an intimate, informative narrative.” —The New York Times At thirteen, bright-eyed, straight-A student Sara Saedi uncovered a terrible family secret: she was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. Only two years old when her parents fled Iran, she didn’t learn of her undocumented status until her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job, but couldn’t because she didn’t have a Social Security number. Fear of deportation kept Sara up at night, but it didn’t keep her from being a teenager. She desperately wanted a green card, along with clear skin, her own car, and a boyfriend. Americanized follows Sara’s progress toward getting her green card, but that’s only a portion of her experiences as an Iranian-“American” teenager. From discovering that her parents secretly divorced to facilitate her mother’s green card application to learning how to tame her unibrow, Sara pivots gracefully from the terrifying prospect that she might be kicked out of the country at any time to the almost-as-terrifying possibility that she might be the only one of her friends without a date to the prom. This moving, often hilarious story is for anyone who has ever shared either fear. FEATURED ON NPR’S FRESH AIR A NYPL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST OF THE BEST BOOK SELECTION A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! “A must-read, vitally important memoir. . . . Poignant and often LOL funny, Americanized is utterly of the moment.”—Bustle “Read Saedi’s memoir to push out the poison.”—Teen Vogue “A funny, poignant must read for the times we are living in today.”—Pop Sugar
Sara Saedi was born in Tehran, Iran smack-dab in the middle of a war and an Islamic Revolution. As the story goes, she entered the world to the sounds of bombs exploding near the hospital. Though her memory of the… More about Sara Saedi
“A timely reflection on the realities of immigrant lives, a must-read for anyone who has ever struggled with their identity or finding their place in the world.”—Bustle“Filled with pop culture references, journal excerpts, photographs, and relatable coming-of-age content, this book will keep readers fully entertained while pushing them to deeper cultural understandings. ”—School Library Journal, starred review“This irresistible and timely memoir is hard to put down.”—Booklist, starred review“With gumption, Saedi draws from her American-ness and Iranian-ness for a successful depiction of immigrant life in the U.S.: a must-read.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“This is an encounter with a family that many readers will understand and others will long to be a part of, and it may inspire them to reconsider and chronicle their own family tales.”—Bulletin, starred review
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award NOMINEE 2020
Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice Master List NOMINEE 2019
New York State Charlotte Award NOMINEE 2021
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award NOMINEE 2019
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books SELECTION 2018
NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies SELECTION 2019
Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List SELECTION 2019
Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network
Stay in Touch
By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Start earning points for buying books! Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.
