Here to Stay by Sara Farizan

Sara Farizan's novel Here to Stay was a fantastic read.  It hits on tough subjects like prejudice, racism, and self-discovery, while at the same time interjecting humor, mainly through the voices of Reggie Miller and Kevin Harlan as they comment on the events of Bijan's life.  And while this cover will tell you it is a book about basketball, it is so much more about what happens off the court rather than what happens on it.

Bijan, of Middle Eastern descent, is a student at a private high school and a staple of the JV basketball team.  After an injury, he is called up to the varsity squad and makes an immediate impact, scoring the game winning basket in a big playoff game.  Things start looking up for this quiet and unassuming student.  But it isn't always high fives and high school parties.  He becomes the target of some students who don't like the color of his skin or the way his name sounds.  Some hide behind the anonymity of the internet while others say things straight to his face.  As he tries to navigate this new world of his, Bijan has to figure out who he is and where he fits in to his own world.  Here to Stay is an engaging story that will have you rooting for Bijan to become the hero of his own story.  

From Amazon:

“A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice.” —Entertainment Weekly

Bijan Majidi is:

• Shy around girls
• Really into comics
• Decent at basketball

Bijan Majidi is not:

• A terrorist

What happens when a kid who’s flown under the radar for most of high school gets pulled off the bench to make the winning basket in a varsity playoff game?

If his name is Bijan Majidi, life is suddenly high fives in the hallways and invitations to exclusive parties—along with an anonymous photo sent by a school cyberbully that makes Bijan look like a terrorist.

The administration says they’ll find and punish the culprit. Bijan wants to pretend it never happened. He’s not ashamed of his Middle Eastern heritage; he just doesn’t want to be a poster child for Islamophobia. Lots of classmates rally around Bijan. Others make it clear they don’t want him or anybody who looks like him at their school. But it’s not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends.

Here to Stay is a painfully honest, funny, authentic story about growing up, speaking out, and fighting prejudice.