2017 William C. Morris Award Finalist

Almost seventeen, Rani Patel appears to be a kick-ass Indian girl breaking cultural norms as a hip-hop performer in full effect. But in truth, she's a nerdy flat-chested nobody who lives with her Gujarati immigrant parents on the remote Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, isolated from her high school peers by the unsettling norms of Indian culture where "husband is God." Her parents' traditionally arranged marriage is a sham. Her dad turns to her for all his needs--even the intimate ones. When Rani catches him two-timing with a woman barely older than herself, she feels like a widow and, like widows in India are often made to do, she shaves off her hair. Her sexy bald head and hard-driving rhyming skills attract the attention of Mark, the hot older customer who frequents her parents' store and is closer in age to her dad than to her. Mark makes the moves on her and Rani goes with it. He leads Rani into 4eva Flowin', an underground hip hop crew--and into other things she's never done. Rani ignores the red flags. Her naive choices look like they will undo her but ultimately give her the chance to discover her strengths and restore the things she thought she'd lost, including her mother.

Sonia Patel is a psychiatrist who works with children and adults. She was trained at Stanford University and the University of Hawaii. She lives and practices in Hawaii. Rani Patel In Full Effect is her first young adult novel.

BookExpo America Editor's Buzz Selection 2016

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books 2016

New York Public Library 50 Best Teen Books 2016

Book Page Top 10 Best Teen Book 2016

Texas Library Associations Top 10 Teen Books 2017

Multnomah County Library Best Books 2016

The Volumes Bookcafe Staff's Best 20 of 2016

2017 Amelia Bloomer List Recommended Feminist Literature For Birth Through 18
15 Essential Novels Of The #MeToo Movement, Bustle

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
Published: 10/11/2016
ISBN: 9781941026496
Pages: 224
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.10d
Award: William C. Morris YA Debut Award - Finalist

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2016
Kirkus Reviews Fall Preview 08/15/2016 pg. 74
Booklist 09/01/2016 pg. 109
BookPage 10/01/2016
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2016 - Recommended - Better Than Most
School Library Journal 10/01/2016 pg. 114