This Pride & Prejudice retelling brings New York Times bestselling Sayantani DasGupta’s trademark wit and insight to her bright and funny YA debut!
It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are two types of people in the hypercompetitive world of high school forensics competitions: speakers and debaters. Nobody knows this better than Leela Bose, a life-long speech competitor. When she meets Firoze Darcy, an incorrigible debater, Leela has no choice but to try and tolerate him. His elitist private school is included in the state league she’s competing in and their paths will inevitably cross.
But why simply tolerate Firoze when Leela can one-up him? She decides to switch into the debate category of the competition to prove that women are just as capable as men. But the situation is more complicated than Leela anticipated, and her participation in the tournament reveals that she might have tragically misjudged the debaters in the forensics league -- including Firoze Darcy.
Leela will have to confront her assumptions, not only about other people, but about herself, if she’s to have any hope of deciphering her complicated feelings for Darcy or succeeding in the forensics competition.
Author’s note.
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Gr 8 Up-The world of high school competitive speech and debate is rife with passion, dedication, and complexity. Fortunately, so is Leela Bose, a Bengali American feminist who is a devoted friend, a loyal daughter, and far more insecure than those who know her might guess. Unfortunately, the incorrigible competitor Firoze Darcy, also Bengali American, pushes all of her buttons. In this comedy of manners, a series of miscommunications (and very intentionally hurtful communications) drives a wedge between Leela and her speech friends and ongoing perceptions of classism continue to put Leela and Firoze into each other's chaotic orbit. This reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice centers a diverse cast of characters navigating through experiences of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia and gives voice to Austen characters who had been voiceless. But make no mistake, Leela and crew are not Austen's characters, they're DasGupta's own. VERDICT Perfect for fans of young adult realism, comedic romances, and feminist themes.-Sarah Voels