Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Monday, December 9, 2019

An Inside Look #118 (Author INTERVIEW)

1
An Inside Look with Abdi Nazemian
(Author of Like a Love Story)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to the blog which was called "Season #ONE".  This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017.  It was great to get back to Season #TWO.  This season ran throughout the summer.  

 


*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017-2018.  

*The next season (season #FOUR) of interviews took place during the summer and fall of 2018.  With each interview I became more and more impressed with the authors I was having interactions with.  

*Season #FIVE ran during the 2018/2019 school year.  I took a little break at the start of June 2019.  

*During my summer 2019 vacation I continued a series of interviews in which I put under the heading of Season #SIX.

*To kick off my 29th year of teaching, I'm adding Season #SEVEN with a whole new season of authors, books, and interviews.  


*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the FIFTEENTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SEVEN.  

*Thank you to Abdi Nasemian for being the One-Hundred Eighteenth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the One Hundred Seventeen interviews…


SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

























SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)






















SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)










Interview #81 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Great Jeff)

Interview #82 with Susan Ross (Author of Searching for Lottie)

Interview #83 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Caterpillar Summer)

Interview #84 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly)

Interview #85 with Ali Standish (Author of August Isle)

Interview #86 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried)

Interview #87 with Greg Howard (Author of The Whispers)

Interview #88 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of Shouting at the Rain)

Interview #89 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of One for the Murphys)

Interview #90 with Laurie Morrison (Author of Up for Air)

Interview #91 with Jody J. Little (Author of Mostly the Honest Truth)



SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)

Interview #92 with John David Anderson (Author of Finding Orion)

Interview #93 with Lisa Thompson (Author of The Light Jar)

Interview #94 with Keith Calabrese (Author of A Drop of Hope)

Interview #95 with Alicia D. Williams (Author of Genesis Begins Again)

Interview #96 with Kim Ventrella (Author of Bone Hollow)

Interview #97 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Over the Moon)

Interview #98 with Cynthia Lord (Author of Because of the Rabbit)

Interview #99 with Tina Athaide (Author of Orange for the Sunsets)

Interview #100 with Elly Swartz (Author of Give and Take)

Interview #101 with Amy Rebecca Tan (Author of A Kind of Paradise)

Interview #102 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Count Me In)

Interview #103 with Laura Resau (Author of Tree of Dreams)



SEASON #SEVEN (2019/2020)

Interview #104 with Laurel Snyder (Author of My Jasper June)

Interview #105 with Lisa Bunker (Author of Zenobia July)

Interview #106 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Other Words for Home)

Interview #107 with Barbara Dee (Author of Maybe He Just Likes You)

Interview #108 with Graham Salisbury (Author of Banjo)

Interview #109 with Donna Gephart (Author of The Paris Project)

Interview #110 with Jake Burt (Author of The Tornado)

Interview #111 with Jess Redman (Author of The Miraculous)

Interview #112 with Karen Strong (Author of Just South of Home)

Interview #113 with Nicole Melleby (Author of Hurricane Season)

Interview #114 with J.J. and Chris Grabenstein (Authors of Shine)

Interview #115 with Susan Vaught (Author of Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalyse)

Interview #116 with Chris Baron (Author of All of Me)

Interview #117 with Meredith Russo (Author of Birthday)



*Abdi was kind, gracious, and giving with his answers to the questions.  It is an honor to post his responses here on the blog. 

*Thank you Abdi Nazemian for writing this incredible and thought-provoking book.

*Here is my book review...



Like a Love Story

by Abdi Nazemian

(June 4, 2019)


    How did you come to know Reza, Art, and Judy?
 I feel like I’ve known these characters since I was a teenager myself, because so many of my experiences and emotions are in there. Reza is the most similar character to me. Like him, I moved to the United States at a young age and felt culturally isolated, and was deeply afraid of coming out, and deeply obsessed with Madonna. But Art and Judy are pieces of me too. Art is an embodiment of the rage and anger I felt as I realized how much injustice and homophobia was around me. And Judy is the love that guided my way forward. Their voices really spoke through me as I started to write this book, which usually means they’ve been living inside me for a little while.


What do you think are Reza, Art, and Judy's
 most admirable qualities
It’s hard for me to answer this question about Reza, because he’s so similar to me in core ways, and talking about your own admirable qualities is so uncomfortable. But I do admire his ability to challenge the Iranian culture he’s raised in. I wish I had challenged my family and my culture as a teenager like he does. It took me a lot longer to build the confidence and find the courage. Judy is all heart. I admire the love she gives to her friends, and her bravery in being a true ally when it’s not a popular thing to be. Art is who I wish I could’ve been for most of my life: a person who is unafraid of fighting for what he believes in, and who isn’t concerned with what others think of him.


Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
Not really. There’s a lot of heartbreak and hurt feelings in their story, but that’s a part of the characters’ growth as people. I’m not interested in perfect characters or people anyway. It’s the flaws that make us beautiful, and each of these characters are flawed in human, lovable ways. They led me through their story (I don’t plot my books out, so the plot of this novel unfolded for me in surprising ways), and I love them dearly and wouldn’t change a thing. 


What do you think these three young adults can offer
to others that are experiencing similar situations
 to what they went through?
When I was writing this book, I was struck by how relevant the themes still are. Unfortunately, there’s still so much injustice out there, against the queer community and so many other communities. I hope that readers feel less alone when they read this book, and also that they find strength in a story that celebrates the power of fighting back through love, anger and community. 


How did you research the three characters
 and the circumstances they found themselves in?
I grew up in this era, so part of my research was emotional excavation. But I wanted to make sure I got the history right and honored ACT UP by properly representing their work, so I immersed myself in books and documentaries about the organization. I also was lucky enough to speak to two former members who read early drafts of the novel and helped me make sure I was properly depicting the actions I dramatize. The end of the book has a lot of recommendations of authors to read and films to watch for those who are interested in learning more about the heroes of the movement and about queer history.


Do you and the characters share any similarities?
See Question 1!  But yeah, I share similarities with all three characters,
though certainly Reza is the most like me, 
which is probably why he was the hardest one to write and the one my editor had the most notes on.


What was the hardest scene to write about them?
I struggled the most with writing the sex scenes. Initial drafts of the book had a lot less sex, which may have been because I was nervous about writing such frank depictions of sex for teens, or maybe because I was still holding onto some of the residual shame that the book itself explores. My editor really pushed me to write honest sex scenes for these characters, and I’m so happy she did. I think it’s so important for today’s teens to see sexuality reflected in all its complicated beauty, so that they don’t feel the shame my generation felt about it.


Who do you think were their biggest supporters and why?
These characters don’t live in a time that supports them easily or openly for a variety of reasons, but they’re lucky to have champions in each other, and in some members of their families. For Judy and Art, Uncle Stephen is their greatest supporter, and for Reza, it’s his sister. I wanted to show true depictions of queer life in the 1980s and 1990s and that meant depicting families who didn’t accept their queer children with open arms. But I find that in so many families, other family members step up and love even harder. 


Why do you think some young people, like Art and Judy, can truly be who they were meant to me, and others; like Reza, are so terrified to be their authentic self?
We all have different personality types, and we all come from different backgrounds. Part of what’s so beautiful about writing books is getting to tell very specific stories that show how varied the human experience is. I think Art and Judy are more outspoken about who they are because they had each other to lean on, and because they had access to a community that helped give them a voice. Reza is terrified to be his authentic self because no one – until Art, Judy and Stephen – has made him feel safe enough to expose his vulnerabilities. That’s what this book celebrates most of all: the love of the people who give us the strength to be our true selves.


What do you think Art, Reza, and Judy are doing as the present time?
Reza is answering questions for a great blog while he awaits Art and Judy’s next visit to see him. They’re all going to see Madonna’s Madame X tour together in outfits designed by Judy!
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