Afghan-American Mafi’s sophomore year gets a whole lot more complicated when she accidentally exposes family secrets, putting her family back in Afghanistan in danger in this sharply written coming-of-age novel.
“Sharp, funny, and written with fierce love. This book is a hand over the heart and a nod to hope for the future of Afghanistan.”—Julia Walton, author of Words on Bathroom Walls
“An emphatic and empathetic debut that doesn’t shy away from exploring grave themes such as imperialism, intergenerational trauma, war, and xenophobia.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Sixteen-year-old Mafi Sha hin knows life is not always fair. If it were, she’d have just as much freedom as her older brother, Rafi, and her crush—basketball star Jalen Thomas—would see her as more than Rafi’s kid sister. And if life were fair, Mafi’s family in Afghanistan wouldn’t have to flee their homes to be safe.
Life may not be fair, but as her high school’s secret avenger—known as the Ghost—Mafi vows to make it a bit more even, meting out karmic justice on behalf of classmates who’ve been wronged. They simply leave a revenge note detailing the transgression in the knot of the SOL tree, and Mafi takes care of the rest.
But there are rules to being the Ghost: Don’t get caught. Never reveal your identity. Never involve the police, and definitely don’t get emotionally involved. But at the start of sophomore year, everything changes when a wish turns up in the tree instead—a wish that makes Mafi break all her rules, putting her heart and even her family in Afghanistan at risk. Now Mafi will have to decide who she wants to be—the Ghost making the world a more just place from the shadows, or someone real, standing up for what’s right in the light of day.
The daughter of Afghan and Australian immigrants,
Lila Riesen was raised in the United States. Her undergraduate studies in English were completed at Indiana University and the Australian National University. In 2017, Lila graduated with a master’s degree in English literature and linguistics from the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Free Radicals is her first novel, inspired by her cashew-coveting baba and all the Afghans fighting for peace, in the US and abroad.
“Riesen’s debut is a rich, multifaceted story that . . . interweaves racism and discrimination, immigration and injustice, sexism and double standards, family expectations and intergenerational trauma, and more, all written to great effect and with a broadly diverse supporting cast. A smart, powerful, poignant tale of identity, freedom, and family.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review“By deploying a healthy dose of sharp humor across a pacey plot that’s populated by an intersectionally diverse cast, Riesen crafts an emphatic and empathetic debut that doesn’t shy away from exploring grave themes such as imperialism, intergenerational trauma, war, and xenophobia.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review“
Free Radicals is a deeply moving and keenly drawn story of courage, resilience and familial love, filled with tenderness, heart, romance, and hilarity. Lila Riesen is a talent to watch.”
—Jeff Zentner, award-winning author of The Serpent King“Sharp, funny, and written with fierce love. This book is a hand over the heart and a nod to hope for the future of Afghanistan. It is impossible not to fall in love with Mafi, Raf, and Jalen. I laughed with and ached for these characters. Riesen’s story is a heartfelt song for Afghanistan.”
—Julia Walton, author of Words on Bathroom Walls“In this modern tale of a young Afghan American girl coming to terms with her identity. . . Riesen raises awareness of issues many young adults experience, such as family drama, xenophobia, racism, prejudice, and trolling. Teens will relate to the protagonist’s struggles to build trust and be honest with others, all the while carrying trauma.”
—Booklist“Whip-smart, heart-rending and often hilarious . . . this compelling debut novel by Lila Riesen, calling upon her own experience as a biracial Afghan-American teenager. . . offers an unforgettable coming-of-age tale in this poignant novel of a family trying to start anew in the U.S. and caught up in the tragic fallout of the turmoil in Afghanistan.”
—The Buffalo News
