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bookwormbullet's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and War
emi_coh's review
5.0
eARC provided by NetGalley
After lying (or, "accelerating the truth") about being senior class president on her NYU application, Jasmine Zumideh is more than determined to win the election IRL. She thinks it will be a breeze... but then, the Iran Hostage Crisis throws a wrench in all her plans. Suddenly, Jasmine is seen as the "I-rain-ian" candidate, particularly when her younger brother starts speaking out against US foreign policy. Jasmine finds herself embroiled in a toxic race against Gerald, her hyper-patriotic, xenophobic classmate who uses Jasmine's "foreign"-ness to campaign against her at every turn.
Jasmine is a sharp-witted protagonist who makes some excruciatingly poor decisions over the course of this novel. Basically, she's a realistic and engaging teenage character. Her struggles, big and small, will resonate with teen readers everywhere, and I found her feelings of "embarrassment" to be particularly poignant and timely. Racialized kids in America have, time and time again, been held collectively responsible for "their" (note the aggressively passive-aggressive quotation marks) countries' actions, and it's a really difficult thing to navigate at any age. JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN portrays that experience in an honest, heartbreaking, and often funny (yes, laugh-out-loud funny) way. I highly recommend picking up a copy.
After lying (or, "accelerating the truth") about being senior class president on her NYU application, Jasmine Zumideh is more than determined to win the election IRL. She thinks it will be a breeze... but then, the Iran Hostage Crisis throws a wrench in all her plans. Suddenly, Jasmine is seen as the "I-rain-ian" candidate, particularly when her younger brother starts speaking out against US foreign policy. Jasmine finds herself embroiled in a toxic race against Gerald, her hyper-patriotic, xenophobic classmate who uses Jasmine's "foreign"-ness to campaign against her at every turn.
Jasmine is a sharp-witted protagonist who makes some excruciatingly poor decisions over the course of this novel. Basically, she's a realistic and engaging teenage character. Her struggles, big and small, will resonate with teen readers everywhere, and I found her feelings of "embarrassment" to be particularly poignant and timely. Racialized kids in America have, time and time again, been held collectively responsible for "their" (note the aggressively passive-aggressive quotation marks) countries' actions, and it's a really difficult thing to navigate at any age. JASMINE ZUMIDEH NEEDS A WIN portrays that experience in an honest, heartbreaking, and often funny (yes, laugh-out-loud funny) way. I highly recommend picking up a copy.
agdunhom's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Jasmine Zumideh Needs A Win is a fantastic YA Historical Fiction novel set in 1979 amid the Iranian Hostage Crisis. It was so cool to read a book with great Iranian/MENA rep for the first time and I think the perspectives that the representation and the political backdrop brought are just so valuable for younger readers. Plot-wise it’s like the TV show ‘The Politician’ meets the spiral of deception of the musical Dear Evan Hansen. I personally have a little too much social anxiety for books that build up interpersonal conflict until the very end but if you like that sort of tension and release style writing you will definitely adore this must-read YA novel. Here’s to books about learning to fully love yourself and your background and to NetGalley for letting me read such a great book in advance in exchange for an honest review!
mcdermottcecelia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer is a fresh young adult novel that follows Jasmine's campaign for Senior Class President as she races to win the seat in an effort to get accepted into her dream school, NYU. This novel is quick, witty, and engaging as you connect with the storyline while also exploring Jasmine's identity as an Iranian-American in 1979 given the current events of the moment. It talks through themes including relationship conflicts, complex identities, and just how much you're willing to sacrifice to achieve your goals.
I originally was interested in this book because I've worked in politics and was pretty engaged with that starting in high school. I used to be engaged in politics in high school including student-led campaigning, so this book was immediately something I knew I wanted to hear more about. From there, I was able to connect with the characters and find myself fully immersed in Eisenhower High's student life. For fans of Netflix's The Politician, this is a great choice to get you into reading. I also really enjoyed the timing of this novel and that the author intentionally positioned this in 1979 versus opting for a contemporary storyline. It was a really accessible way to learn about historical moments through the eyes of students without feeling too disconnected from present-day interests. At times, it definitely feels like it's a young adult novel, but that was to be expected and that's what it's marketed as anyhow. It does use a lot of dialogue to move the story forward, but it wasn't distractingly reliant on back-and-forth conversations to progress. My one main area of critique is it would've been nice to have a bit more background/context and worldbuilding set-up in the early pages to help better connect with Jasmine earlier on, but the author ultimately makes up for this as you keep reading. I also think because I have a background in politics, some of the lines about "you have to do x to win" or "y is going to be a critical voting bloc" felt a little too cheesy and non-essential for actual campaign strategy, but that's just me getting into the weeds. Overall, it's an enjoyable, quick read, and it's worth picking up!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I originally was interested in this book because I've worked in politics and was pretty engaged with that starting in high school. I used to be engaged in politics in high school including student-led campaigning, so this book was immediately something I knew I wanted to hear more about. From there, I was able to connect with the characters and find myself fully immersed in Eisenhower High's student life. For fans of Netflix's The Politician, this is a great choice to get you into reading. I also really enjoyed the timing of this novel and that the author intentionally positioned this in 1979 versus opting for a contemporary storyline. It was a really accessible way to learn about historical moments through the eyes of students without feeling too disconnected from present-day interests. At times, it definitely feels like it's a young adult novel, but that was to be expected and that's what it's marketed as anyhow. It does use a lot of dialogue to move the story forward, but it wasn't distractingly reliant on back-and-forth conversations to progress. My one main area of critique is it would've been nice to have a bit more background/context and worldbuilding set-up in the early pages to help better connect with Jasmine earlier on, but the author ultimately makes up for this as you keep reading. I also think because I have a background in politics, some of the lines about "you have to do x to win" or "y is going to be a critical voting bloc" felt a little too cheesy and non-essential for actual campaign strategy, but that's just me getting into the weeds. Overall, it's an enjoyable, quick read, and it's worth picking up!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
apagecastingwitch's review against another edition
4.0
This is a super cute and quick read. There are many devastating moments and many serious issues that are tackled in this story. The main character battles with doing what is right and doing what she feels she needs to to achieve her dreams. I read it in an afternoon, it’s a great palette cleanser if you’re reading lots of larger, intense volumes.
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