UNSETTLED

Narrator Ariana Delawari's accent and youthful voice are well suited to this novel in verse featuring Nurah Haqq, a new Pakistani immigrant who is making a difficult transition to life in Peachtree City, Georgia. Nurah and her confident older brother, Owais, find friends on the high school swim team, but the family suffers racism and bullying nonetheless. Listeners hear Nurah's sincere remorse when her failure to speak up results in harm to her family. Delawari's pacing is not to be faulted; however, listeners may find themselves backtracking to fully savor the artful verse in many of the shorter poems. Bonus material contains Nurah's family tree, a glossary of Urdu words used in the audiobook, and a recipe for kabobs. Delawari's reading of the author's note is particularly moving. L.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]