Shideh Etaat is an Iranian American writer living in Los Angeles. She received her MFA in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is the author of Rana Joon and the One and Only Now and has also had her work published in Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers, Day One, Foglifter, Nowruz Journal, and My Shadow Is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora. When she isn’t busy writing, you can find her helping her young son navigate life.
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*2023 Booklist Editors' Choice (Youth Audio)*
*A Publishers Weekly Summer Reads Pick*
★ "A vivacious debut [with] a nostalgic vibe and the effervescent air of a summer block party. . . . Through Rana’s magnetic POV and striking poetry, Etaat conveys Rana’s anger, desire, and grief, making for a lively and thought-provoking exploration of self-love and self-discovery."
– Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
"By turns lighthearted and devastating. . . . Readers will root for [Rana's] journey to healing and self-actualization, and will miss her after the last page is turned. A thoroughly engrossing, poignant story of self-discovery."
– School Library Journal
"Rana is an engaging lead with a satisfying journey of self-growth. . . . [a] lyrical read."
– Kirkus Reviews
"Achingly beautiful and devastatingly funny. Rana Joon is the big sister I wish I'd had growing up. Required reading for every Iranian-American teen."
– Olivia Abtahi, award-winning author of Perfectly Parvin and Azar on Fire
"Like the greatest Persian poets, Rana Joon asks big questions: about life and death, love and loss, the pain of a fractured family and the pleasure of a well-tended garden. Shideh Etaat's debut is a breath of fresh air and punch to the gut all rolled into one."
– Adib Khorram, award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay
"This fantastic novel has all you want: a fast-paced plot with a hit of 90s nostalgia and a heroine as fierce as she is soulful and wise. I adore this book."
– Jasmin Darznik, New York Times bestselling author of The Bohemians
"Rana Joon and the One and Only Now is a stunning book full of grief, courage, and the joy and connection music can inspire. I loved witnessing Rana’s journey toward herself, as she navigated the messiness of coming of age and of coming out. Etaat's prose is poetic and lovely, propelling the plot ahead with a lyricism that sings. I devoured this honest, fierce, and tender story in a matter of days. It is one I will come back to again and again—a must read."
– Mariama J. Lockington, Stonewall Honor and Schneider Family Book Award-winning author of In the Key of Us and Forever is Now
"This book had me at Tupac Shakur—rap legend and hero to sixteen-year-old Rana and her late best friend, Louie. But Rana Joon and the One and Only Now is about so much more than rap—it’s a story for anyone who’s ever missed someone, who’s wondered when and how to step out of the shadows, who’s turned to art to explain the inexplicable. From page one, sixteen-year-old Rana invites you into her heart and takes you by the hand as she figures out how to navigate loss, re-find her family, and unfold the promise of her queerness. Deftly written and emotionally honest, Rana Joon and the One and Only Now is nothing if not true to itself, a book as genuine and open-hearted as its heroine."
– Shanthi Sekaran, author of Boomi's Boombox and Lucky Boy
"Rarely do we see a main character as real, tough, and refreshingly honest as Rana Joon. As she navigates life after the loss of her best friend, Rana discovers how grief, the pull of first love, and the importance of being true to oneself are all entwined and inevitable in the messy but glorious orbs of our lives. A moving and heartfelt debut."
– Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and Together Tea
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