Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Pakistani Canadian teen strives to break away from his often violent neighborhood in this thoughtful debut. Despite his small stature and his mother's disapproval, Fawad Chaudhry dreams of becoming the first NBA player of Pakistani descent. Those ambitions are a far cry from the realities of life in Regent Park, a housing project in a rapidly gentrifying section of Toronto. Since Fawad's father's death in a traffic accident two years earlier, the family has been struggling more than ever to get by. When the older brother of his best friend, Yousuf, is killed on their street, Fawad's world is once again shaken. When he begins dating Ashley, a well-to-do Chinese and White classmate from the nicer part of the neighborhood, he is introduced to a world of fancy dining and wealth he'd never before experienced. But when Ashley sees firsthand how tumultuous life for kids from Regent Park can be, Fawad begins wondering if he can ever be perceived as more than just a teen from the projects. Khan creates a moving portrait of an immigrant teen who has experienced grief and poverty from an early age. The first-generation, multinational Muslim community of Regent Park is vividly portrayed, as are the culture clashes Fawad frequently has with his mother. Readers will become invested in caring and wondering about the impact of gentrification on the residents. An interesting and heartfelt portrait of a teen yearning to beat the odds. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
