Sway with me

Title:

Sway with me

Author:

Summary:

Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. This includes the fact that when Nana dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish’s request in return? That Arsalan help her ruin her older sister’s wedding with a spectacular dance she’s been forbidden to perform. Despite knowing as little about dancing as he does about girls, Arsalan wades into Beenish’s chaotic world to discover friends and family he never expected. And though Arsalan’s old-school manners and Beenish’s take-no-prisoners attitude clash every minute, they find themselves getting closer and closer—literally. All that’s left to realize is that the thing they both really want is each other, if only they can get in step. At turns laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, and sincerely heartfelt, Sway With Me is a coming-of-age story for anyone trying to find their place in the world. -- Amazon.

Audience:

Ages 14 & up. Little, Brown and Company.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

328 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Bildungsromans.

Romance fiction.

Subject Term:

Pakistani Americans -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

Great-grandfathers -- Fiction.

Dance -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9780316492416

Publication Information:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2021.

Call Number:

YA MASOOD

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003556944	Young Adult	MASOOD	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

She's All That goes desi in this hilarious, affecting, and sweetly romantic comedy by the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face .

Arsalan has learned everything he knows from Nana, his 100-year-old great-grandfather. This includes the fact that when Nana dies, Arsalan will be completely alone in the world, except for his estranged and abusive father. So he turns to Beenish, the step-daughter of a prominent matchmaker, to find him a future life partner. Beenish's request in return? That Arsalan help her ruin her older sister's wedding with a spectacular dance she's been forbidden to perform.

Despite knowing as little about dancing as he does about girls, Arsalan wades into Beenish's chaotic world to discover friends and family he never expected. And though Arsalan's old-school manners and Beenish's take-no-prisoners attitude clash every minute, they find themselves getting closer and closer--literally. All that's left to realize is that the thing they both really want is each other, if only they can get in step.

At turns laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, and sincerely heartfelt, Sway With Me is a coming-of-age story for anyone trying to find their place in the world.

Author Notes

Syed M. Masood is the author of More Than Just a Pretty Face , The Bad Muslim Discount, and Sway With Me . He grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and now lives with his wife and children in Sacramento, California, where he is a practicing attorney. He invites you to visit him online at syed-masood.com and @syedmmasood.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--A story of Desi friendship, family, honor, love, and dancing. Seventeen-year-old Pakistani American Arsalan Nizami has lived with his great-grandfather, "Nana," since his mother's death. Raised with contempt for technology and modern pop culture, the teen is bright, but friendless and awkward. When he meets Beenish Siraj, nicknamed "Beans," who enrolls him in a dance competition, the two clash constantly because they come from different worlds. But as they grow closer, they see that they also share similarities. For example, Beans no longer talks to her mom, and Arsalan is away from his alcoholic and abusive father. Beans opens up Arsalan's social circle, not only through dancing but also by introducing him to new people and 21st-century culture. Though the story starts slow, the plot eventually gains momentum and each individual is fully developed into a complex character. There is much discussion of the Desi Muslim community in America and some of its internal conflicts. The family and friendship issues discussed in this book are deep and layered, which makes for a very well-developed story. VERDICT A great purchase for libraries, especially those serving Desi communities and collections where there are gaps in representation.--Carol Youssif, Taipei American Sch., Taiwan

Publisher's Weekly Review

Living in Sacramento, Calif., with his nearly 100-year-old great-grandfather, kind, dutiful Arsalan Nizami, 17, is eager to find a fiancée. Since he doesn't believe that the most eminent matchmaker in Northern California would take him on as a client, he approaches her stepdaughter Beenish "Beans" Siraj, who is Muslim and Pakistani American like him, instead. While Beans initially turns down Arsalan, she agrees to help him find a girlfriend--in exchange for Arsalan serving as her dance partner. While Beenish considers formerly homeschooled Arsalan to be a "Nerd Scout" and Arsalan thinks of Beenish as a "Newtonian force," they find common ground in dancing and witty banter. Typical romantic misunderstandings move the rom-com plot along, but a strong sense of humor pervades Masood's (More Than Just a Pretty Face) sophomore YA novel. References to Measure for Measure and The Epic of Gilgamesh abound, and a self-referential call-out--as the Desi uncle who wrote a novel called "something something Pretty Face"--adds a comedic meta layer, while Arsalan's past serves as just the right amount of darkness to balance the light that Beenish brings into his life. Ages 14--up. (Nov.)