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When You Ask Me Where I'm Going #2
by Jasmin Kaur
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur, this heartrending story told in prose, poetry, and illustration weaves together the stories of a mother and daughter's lives.
In this stunning sophomore novel, acclaimed writer Jasmin Kaur explores trauma, fear, courage, community, and the healing power of love in its many forms.
Kiran flees her home in Punjab for a fresh start in Canada after a sexual assault leaves her pregnant. But overstaying her visa and living undocumented brings its own perils for both her and her daughter, Sahaara.
Sahaara would do anything to protect her mother. When she learns the truth about Kiran's past, she feels compelled to seek justice—even if it means challenging a powerful and dangerous man.
if i tell you the truth
that i've dug
from the hardened depths
of this shrapnel-filled dirt
with these aching, bloody hands
would you believe me?
would you still love me?
"The strength, resilience, and compassion Kaur seamlessly weaves between prose, poetry, and illustration allows readers to connect with and recognize themselves in Kiran and Sahaara...A story that beautifully touches a multitude of tough topics, this one is for readers of S.K. Ali's Saints and Misfits, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up, and Maika and Maritza Moulite's Dear Haiti, Love Alaine." - School Library Journal (starred review)
"At times the prose feels overwritten, however, overall this is a fast-paced story that will keep readers engaged. A thoughtful, loving examination of immigration, sexual assault, and chosen family." - Kirkus Reviews
"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A bold and heartrending story unflinchingly told in poetry and prose." - Ms. Magazine
"Bold and evocative, Jasmin Kaur's sophomore novel proves she is an unflinching writer. Tackling several tough topics, If I Tell You the Truth is a book that invites much-needed conversation." - Jasmine Warga, New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor-winning author of Other Words for Home
"Timely and rare, this bold, pull-no-punches book deftly tackles immigration, rape culture and what it means to be undocumented in today's society. You'll smile, you'll cry, you'll want to burn down the patriarchy." - Sona Charaipotra, author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and co-author of Tiny Pretty Things
This information about If I Tell You the Truth was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jasmin Kaur is a writer, illustrator, and spoken word artist living in Vancouver, BC. Her writing, which explores feminism, social empowerment, love, and survival, acts as a means of healing and reclaiming identity. As an arts facilitator and fourth-grade teacher, Jasmin has been leading creative writing workshops for young people across North America, the UK, and Australia over the past five years.
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