It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

Zomorod Yousefzadeh is determined to start fresh at her junior high in Newport Beach. Her first move? Picking out a "normal" American name (Cindy) and setting her sights on new friends. But fitting in becomes nearly impossible when the Iranian Revolution and the American hostage crisis start making headlines. Set in the late 1970s, readers can take a lot from this perspective on the immigrant experience.