Shideh Etaat, who grew up in Calabasas and now lives in Woodland Hills, writes about a ‘well-intentioned dysfunctional family’ of Iranian immigrants whose daughter, Rana, likes girls.
In “Rana Joon and the One & Only Now,” the debut novel from Shideh Etaat, teenage Rana approaches high school graduation while managing grief, family struggle and the decision to open up about her sexuality.
“I spent years in research and diving into imagining a time and a place that was so far removed from my experience,” says Etaat, whose family is from Iran, about the book that landed her an agent. “I think after I finished that, I just really wanted to be in a world that felt like my own and felt very comfortable and I didn’t have to use my imagination in that way. I wanted to create a story in a time and a place that felt very real and familiar to me, but also wasn’t about me.
In the process of diving back into the 1990s, Etaat was able to incorporate some of what she had learned about mindfulness as an adult into the novel. “One thing after another started to open up and the mindfulness aspect of it became more a reflection of what I was really into at the time of writing it,” she says. There are references to Alan Watts, the self-described “philosophical entertainer” that Etaat recalls hearing as a teenager via her older brother.
That scene with the French fries morphs into a pivotal moment in the book when Rana’s mother, who is listening to an Iranian advice show on the radio, remarks, much to Rana’s dismay, “The neighbor’s child being gay I can handle, but not my own. Not ever you or Babak.”
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
Things to do in the San Fernando Valley, LA area, Sept. 21-28There’s always something different or new to do in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area.
続きを読む »
Free health screenings planned at San Fernando Cathedral fair in OctoberThe 30th annual San Fernando Health and Safety Fair will offer free health screenings for hundreds of men, women and children next month.
続きを読む »
‘Squid Game’ VR experience coming to Sandbox VRSandbox VR centers are located in San Francisco, Emeryville and San Ramon
続きを読む »
San Diego Police Officer Larry Turner Announces 2024 Mayoral Campaign -SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – San Diego Police Officer Larry Turner officially announced a 2024 campaign for Mayor of San Diego. Larry Turner is running as an Independent candidate, and his campaign vows to return dignity to San Diego’s streets. Turner’s website reads, “Larry Turner believes San Diego needs a strong leader to unit the left and the right, skip the...
続きを読む »