She’s All That goes desi in this hilarious, affecting, and sweetly romantic comedy by the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face.
Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. This includes the fact that when Nana dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish’s request in return? That Arsalan help her ruin her older sister’s wedding with a spectacular dance she’s been forbidden to perform.
Despite knowing as little about dancing as he does about girls, Arsalan wades into Beenish’s chaotic world to discover friends and family he never expected. And though Arsalan’s old-school manners and Beenish’s take-no-prisoners attitude clash every minute, they find themselves getting closer and closer—literally. All that’s left to realize is that the thing they both really want is each other, if only they can get in step.
At turns laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, and sincerely heartfelt, Sway With Me is a coming-of-age story for anyone trying to find their place in the world.
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Gr 7 Up-A story of Desi friendship, family, honor, love, and dancing. Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American Arsalan Nizami has lived with his great-grandfather, "Nana," since his mother's death. Raised with contempt for technology and modern pop culture, the teen is bright, but friendless and awkward. When he meets Beenish Siraj, nicknamed "Beans," who enrolls him in a dance competition, the two clash constantly because they come from different worlds. But as they grow closer, they see that they also share similarities. For example, Beans no longer talks to her mom, and Arsalan is away from his alcoholic and abusive father. Beans opens up Arsalan's social circle, not only through dancing but also by introducing him to new people and 21st-century culture. Though the story starts slow, the plot eventually gains momentum and each individual is fully developed into a complex character. There is much discussion of the Desi Muslim community in America and some of its internal conflicts. The family and friendship issues discussed in this book are deep and layered, which makes for a very well-developed story. VERDICT A great purchase for libraries, especially those serving Desi communities and collections where there are gaps in representation.-Carol Youssif, Taipei American Sch., Taiwan