The Authentics
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Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage, unlike some of the âNose Jobsâ in the clique led by her former best friend, Heidi Javadi. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real.
But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking about her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. It seems everyone is keeping secrets. And itâs getting harder to know who she even is any longer.
With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally off limits, Daria doesnât have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of controlâcan she figure out how to stay true to herself?
āŠ°āŦāŠāŠŋāŠāŠ āŠ āŠĻāŦ āŠ°āŠŋāŠĩāŦāŠŊāŦ
āŠēāŦāŠāŠ āŠĩāŠŋāŠķāŦ
Abdi Nazemian is the author of Only This Beautiful Momentâwinner of the 2024 Stonewall Award and 2024 Lambda Literary Awardâand Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book and one of Time magazineâs 100 Best YA Books of All Time. He is also the author of the young adult novels Desert Echoes, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artistâs Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series Ordinary Joe and The Village. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at abdinazemian.com.
