William C. Morris Award for YA Debut Novel Finalist, American Library Association (ALA)
Amelia Bloomer Project - Feminist Task Force, American Library Association (ALA)
Best Teen Books, Kirkus Reviews

Rani's fully present as MC Sutra, "Call my solution a female revolution / retribution in the form of rhyme electrocution."

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.

AUTHOR

Sonia Patel

Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes

Rani Patel In Full Effect

Gita Desai Is Not Here to Shut Up