Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
Published by Balzer + Bray on May 9, 2023
ISBN: 0063039370
Pages: 400
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

“Only This Beautiful Moment” by Abdi Nazemian is a beautifully written, complex story of three generations of Iranian-American men. The narration alternates between the three as young men roughly the same age in different times – Bobby (Baba) in 1939, Saeed in 1979 and Moud in 2019, as well as switching settings between Los Angeles and Tehran. Bobby and Moud struggle with being gay during oppressive times and regimes, and Saeed struggles with accepting his gay father and gay son. Bobby is under contract in the 1930s at MGM studios, and forced to sign a contract with a “morals” clause, meaning he has to hide his true self. Saeed takes part in the protests in Tehran in the late 70s hoping to change his government to one of freedom and democracy, only to be sent to Los Angeles against his will by his parents for his own safety. Moud is openly gay in Los Angeles currently, but struggles with his feelings of being neither fully American or fully Iranian. He eventually goes with his father Saeed to visit Baba in Tehran, where he discovers the beauty of his homeland, despite the horror of knowing being gay in Iran can be punishable by death. Part historical fiction, part queer coming of age story, focusing on intergenerational family trauma, this book manages to weave two intricate plot lines of finding one’s identity simultaneously. 

 

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Recommended for grades 9-12.

Lee Remick, York Middle School, York