This book's been on my bookshelf for some time--I must have picked it up at a used book sale--and I was intrigued by the title. It takes place in the 1980s, when Bush sets us on our first war in Iraq. Jasira, age 13, is sent to live with her Lebanese dad in Texas after her mom becomes concerned that her boyfriend is more interested in her daughter than he is in her.
Everywhere she goes, Jasira craves love and affection, but she gets it nowhere. She's bullied at school (Texas, after all) and has no friends. Her father is strict, unaffectionate, and cold. Her mom is a drama queen and wants everything to be about her.
Jasira seeks out affection in the unhealthiest of places--with the racist neighbor next door (twice her age or older) and by developing a sexual relationship with a boy at school.
I found this story to be extremely sad and disturbing, evidence of what happens when a child does not experience healthy love and affection. Jasira has no understanding of what is good, healthy, and loving, and she makes bad choices constantly.
The end brings some positive resolution, but I can't help but think that if she were real, Jasira would continue to make bad choices and seek out love in the wrong places.
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