If I Tell You the Truth is the powerful tale of a mother and daughter pair, Kiran and Sahaara, which alternates between each of their viewpoints. The basic premise is this: Kiran has fled her home in India after being sexually assaulted by her fiance’s brother, leading to a pregnancy for which she is shamed by her family. She begins to attend university in Canada as previously planned; but after Sahaara is born, and her family cuts ties with her, it becomes more and more difficult to attend school while working to support herself and her child.

The story follows Kiran as she overstays her visa, doing what she must to raise and protect her daughter, while fearing she will be deported due to her undocumented status. As Sahaara grows older and learns the truth of her conception, she fights to help her mother both remain in Canada and raise her voice against the violations she has faced.

Because of the weighty subject matter broached by Kaur in this book—sexual assault, trauma, immigration, domestic violence, mental health, substance use—she is deliberate about placing a trigger warning front and center for readers. And rightfully so. Through Kiran’s experiences, Kaur highlights cultural expectations as related to gender roles, marriage, and control of making choices in one’s own life (or, rather, the lack thereof). The disbelief and lack of support Kiran is faced with over and over as she tells her story, the fact that she is essentially disowned by her family, are astounding yet true-to-life. The compounded trauma of not just being raped, but also of raising a child who is the product of rape in an unfamiliar country while facing separation from family, lacking supports, and fearing deportation is absolutely crushing.

Yet, despite all of this, Kaur emphasises how Kiran is a remarkably resilient woman. The vast love and hope she holds for her daughter are beautiful and inspiring, as she sacrifices time and again to provide for her daughter’s interests and future. She builds a network of supports and a home of her own with the love and help of friends; after all, family is more than just the group of people you are born into. And, perhaps most powerfully, Kiran demonstrates the strength it takes to walk through life holding such heavy secrets, as well as the courage required to raise one’s voice against injustice.

It is not the subject matter alone which makes this such a compelling read; the power of Kaur’s writing is what takes this book to the next level. The use of poetry throughout to push the narrative forward, but also as a form of catharsis for the characters, is innovative. The clear messages about the intersection of power, class, gender, race, and ethnicity—as well as how these factors are used to oppress and silence — are both timely and necessary.  And Kaur also instills hope: that single voices can make a difference IF we take the time to listen, and that the world at large can then change as a result of these voices IF we take the time to act.

While If I Tell You the Truth is marketed for young adults, I highly recommend this one for adults as well. Kaur’s one-of-a-kind style is captivating and the story she tells here is critically important on so many levels.

If I Tell You The Truth is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 19th 2021. Many thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Will you be picking up If I Tell You The Truth? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Told in prose, poetry, and illustration, this heartrending story weaves Kiran’s and Sahaara’s timelines together, showing a teenage Kiran and, later, her high school–aged daughter, Sahaara.

Kiran is a young Punjabi Sikh woman who becomes pregnant after being sexually assaulted by her fiancé’s brother. When her fiancé and family don’t believe her, she flees her home in India to Canada, where she plans to raise the child as a single mother. For Kiran, living undocumented means constant anxiety over finances, work, safety, and whether she’ll be deported back to the dangers that await her in Punjab.

Eighteen years later, Kiran’s daughter, Sahaara, is desperate to help her mother, who has been arrested and is facing deportation. In the aftermath, Kiran reveals the truth about Sahaara’s conception. Horrified, Sahaara encourages Kiran to speak out against the man who raped her—who’s now a popular political figure in Punjab. Sahaara must find the best way to support her mother while also dealing with the revelation about her parents.

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Read on to discover a few of our January picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be checking any of them out!

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
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An alien artifact turns a young girl into Death’s adopted daughter in Remote Control, a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment from Nebula and Hugo Award-winner Nnedi Okorafor.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
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A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

The Divines by Ellie Eaton
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With the emotional power of Normal People and the reflective haze of The Girls, a compulsively readable literary debut set in a secluded boarding school, exploring the intoxicating, destructive relationships between teenage girls. 

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling romantic comedy debut.

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
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Darkly magical and intricately imagined, The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a rich and dazzling fantasy adventure in which a con artist, a vigilante, and a crime lord must unite to save their city.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
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The USA Today bestselling author of The Au Pair returns with another delicious, twisty novel–about a grand estate with many secrets, an orphan caught in a web of lies, and a young woman playing a sinister game.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
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Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a trilogy filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor.

The Frozen Crown by Greta Kelly
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A princess with a powerful and dangerous secret must find a way to save her country from ruthless invaders in this exciting debut fantasy, the first novel in a thrilling duology packed with heroism, treachery, magic, and war.

Be Dazzled by Ryan La Sala
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Project Runway goes to Comic Con in an epic queer love story about creativity, passion, and finding the courage to be your most authentic self.

Angel of Greenwood by Randi Pink
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A historical YA novel that takes place during the Greenwood Massacre of 1921, in an area of Tulsa, OK, known as the Black Wall Street.

If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Told in prose, poetry, and illustration, this heartrending story weaves Kiran’s and Sahaara’s timelines together, showing a teenage Kiran and, later, her high school–aged daughter, Sahaara.

Blood Heir by Ilona Andrews
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From award-winning author, Ilona Andrews, an all-new novel set in the New York Times #1 bestselling Kate Daniels World and featuring Julie Lennart-Olsen, Kate and Curran’s ward.

What January 2021 releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post January 2021 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going is a thought-provoking debut novel which weaves together poetry, prose, and illustrations in a rare and extraordinary fashion.

Perhaps a daunting concept to other debut writers, Kaur censors herself little in this book. With a dynamic, resounding voice she explores themes that are profound yet easy to consider and engage with throughout the text. Dividing the book into six sections, Kaur groups the lessons and insight she imparts into topics named primarily for parts of the human body: “skin,” “nerve,” and “heart,” for example. Within these sections she then tackles a multitude of themes that resonate within our contemporary personal and political worlds—race, ethnicity, and discrimination; trauma, abuse, and mental health in the context of interpersonal relationships; the daunting journey of motherhood, made a heavier task by the compounding external factors of today’s society.

Perhaps the greatest theme, however, the theme underlying all others, is that of identity. How we define ourselves, our inherent value and worth, as well as how it is defined for us by others based upon their own (often skewed) lens of people and the world around them. Kaur explores the idea of being assessed by one’s appearance rather than what is underneath or held inside. She conveys the pain of being categorized as “other” based on one’s race, ethnicity, or culture and fighting the pressure to fit a certain “mold” formed by the assumptions of others. She explores the process of learning to be comfortable as oneself rather than being trapped by the meaning all too often assigned by others when you are part of a certain group. And she then underlines these ideas by providing a historical context, both personal and global.

Tagged for ages 14+, this deeply moving work is sure to draw both young and older adults. Raw and introspective, both painful and uplifting to read, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going seamlessly conveys a vast spectrum of emotions in a very real way that the reader can easily connect with. Much of the subject matter is quite difficult to process, however Kaur does not flinch, does not hide from it. She writes with anger and outrage, with confidence and empathy, with sadness and hope. Her authorial voice is crisp and clear, bold and determined. Kaur expresses a genuine desire to embrace life and to see the world – in fact, to see each human being – do better.

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of October 1st 2019. Many thanks to Harper Collins for gifting me this book to review for The Nerd Daily. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Jasmin Kaur is a woman of many talents. She has traveled across the world as a spoken word artist and facilitator of creative writing. When You Ask Me Where I’m Going is her debut collection of poetry and prose; however, her work has also been celebrated and shared by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, and Sophia Bush. Kaur has been featured in publications including Harper’s Bazaar India, Huffington Post, KaurLife Magazine, and Sikh Formations Journal. Per her website, “Jasmin Kaur is fascinated by words and the power they hold to shape our environment. As a writer, Jasmin honours the powerful human connection experienced through storytelling and the common ground found through our diverse narratives.”

Will you be picking up When You Ask Me Where I’m Going? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur and Elizabeth Acevedo, Jasmin Kaur’s stunning debut novel is a collection of poetry, illustrations, and prose.

scream
so that one day
a hundred years from now
another sister will not have to
dry her tears wondering
where in history
she lost her voice

The six sections of the book explore what it means to be a young woman living in a world that doesn’t always hear her and tell the story of Kiran as she flees a history of trauma and raises her daughter, Sahaara, while living undocumented in North America.

Delving into current cultural conversations including sexual assault, mental health, feminism, and immigration, this narrative of resilience, healing, empowerment, and love will galvanize readers to fight for what is right in their world.

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