ALL THE YELLOW SUNS

An Indian American girl navigates the stakes and sacrifices of rebellion in this queer coming-of-age story.

At Citrus Grove High School near Orlando, it’s an unspoken truth that students of color are disproportionately punished over their White counterparts. Maya Krishnan, a sophomore and talented artist, is used to playing the invisible observer. But deep inside her, rage is simmering, and she can’t keep quiet about the injustice she sees anymore. Maya stumbles on an opportunity to make waves when her paintings catch the eye of Juneau Zale, a rebellious White girl who leads the Pugilists, a secret group of students who protest Citrus Grove High’s policies through guerilla activism. Under their wing, Maya feels empowered to be more daring than she ever imagined, but it comes at a cost: Her friends are resentful of her sudden secretiveness, her relationship with her single mother is faltering, and her future will be on the line if she’s caught. Complicating things further is Maya’s growing infatuation with Juneau, whose fearlessness both exhilarates and unnerves her. As she’s pulled deeper into Juneau’s orbit—and her whims—Maya begins to realize that she may be in over her head. The protagonist’s passion, outrage, and longing are vividly expressed through ruminative first-person prose and sharp dialogue. Maya’s problems pile up quickly, but the author handles each plot thread deftly and brings the journey to a satisfying conclusion.

A turbulent and cathartic account of self-discovery, activism, and first love.