Six Truths and a Lie

by Ream Shukairy

Overview

Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of America’s justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.

As fireworks pop off at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig—resulting in chaos and worse, murder.
 
At the center are six Muslim teens - six patriots, six strangers, and six suspects.  

An old soul caught in the wrong place. An aspiring doctor. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets to hide. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Each with something to hide and everything to lose.

Faced with accusations of terrorism, The Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against each other in exchange for exoneration. They must choose: frame each other to guarantee their own independence or expose their secrets to earn back freedom for them all.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316564595
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	88,395
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.31(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Ream Shukairy is the author of The Next New Syrian Girl and Six Truths and a Lie. She is a Syrian American born and raised full-time in Orange County, California and part-time over summers in Syria. Whether in California or Syria, she feels at home where her family is and wherever there’s a beach. She has a talent for learning languages and is always on the search for the next place she can travel and flex her words. The daughter of immigrants, there isn’t a stereotype she won’t try her hardest to defy. 

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/08/2024

In this audacious novel by Shukairy (The Next New Syrian Girl), a group of Muslim teenagers suspected of a terrorist attack face pressure from the press, the police, and their own families to turn against one another. Dubbed the Six, the teens—Abdullahi, Muzhda, Nasreen, Qays, Samia, and Zamzam—each come from varying backgrounds; some of them are looking forward to bright futures while others are barely surviving their everyday lives. When all six are picked up by police from Monarch Beach after an oil rig explosion on the Fourth of July, they experience overwhelming Islamophobic paranoia from authorities, are denied basic rights upon their detention, and are kept in the dark about their situations. As new evidence is revealed and investigators threaten to drag the teens’ own secrets into the spotlight, the Six are encouraged to inform on one another to secure their freedom. Now, they each must decide where their loyalties lie by opting to frame a friend or work together. Shukairy swings for the fences, breathing life into each of the six leads who narrate this exhilarating read; interweaving relationships establish a credible and indelible emotional through line, and the story’s resolution is both heartbreaking and stunningly executed. Ages 12–up. Agent: Serene Hakim, Ayesha Pande Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

* "... gorgeously written....  an illuminating read that interrogates themes of war, trauma, and healing."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Praise for The Next New Syrian Girl:

* "A story of friendship and family that finds hope through heartbreak."
 —Kirkus, starred review

* " Emotional, with respites of dry hilarity (plus an adorable halal romance), every page in Shukairy's debut exudes purpose."—Booklist, starred review

"The Next New Syrian Girl is a powerful and (sadly) relevant story...a testament to the power of young girls to change the world when they stand with one another instead of competing like society wants them to. Unputdownable, heart-breaking, and heart healing all at once."—Yamile Saied Méndez, Pura Belpré medalist author of Furia, a Reese’s Book Club selection

“The Next New Syrian Girl is an engrossing, crackling debut. Shukairy kept me tearing through the pages with masterfully executed twists, fraught family dynamics, and the blossoming friendship between Khadija and Leene. Heart-wrenching, heartwarming, and altogether healing.”—Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic

*"Shukairy swings for the fences, breathing life into each of the six leads who narrate this exhilarating read; interweaving relationships establish a credible and indelible emotional through line, and the story’s resolution is both heartbreaking and stunningly executed."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy is a remarkable debut. Shukairy's cross-cultural narrative skillfully weaves a rich tapestry of sisterhood, family, and friendship. Examining themes of generational trauma, PTSD, immigration, culture, and religion, Shukairy is unapologetic in asking tough questions about who we become based on the privileges we have or don't have. Shukairy's page turning writing is gracious, humorous, and insightful, offering the reader food for thought and soul. "—Echo Brown, Morris Award finalist and author of Black Girl Unlimited and The Chosen One

“Real, raw, and enthralling, Ream Shukairy crafts a moving story of friendship, redemption, and hope. You’ll fall in love with Khadija and Leene and the journey they take toward each other.”  —S. K. Ali, bestselling and award-winning author of Love from A to Z

"A poignant story of two girls who are so different yet the same. Shukairy lays out both sides of a diaspora and a refugee and the longing both feel towards a home that has lost too much. As a Syrian, I was seen. One word to describe this debut: beautiful.” —Zoulfa Katouh author of As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

"The Next New Syrian Girl captures the importance of friendship and the complicated journey one undertakes in the present to reconcile both past and future. A heartfelt and multifaceted novel that sings of hope." —Laila Sabreen, author of You Truly Assumed

“The Next New Syrian Girl finds empathy, light, and connections in a story that sheds insight into war, trauma, and loss. Khadija and Leene’s journey will stay with you long after the last page.”—Adiba Jaigirdar, award-winning author of Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

From the Publisher

2023-12-06
Muslim high school students in Los Angeles are accused of a terrorist attack on the Fourth of July.

When a fatal explosion causes tremendous damage at Monarch Beach, six Muslim teenagers become suspects. The story unfolds in chapters that alternate between the viewpoints of Nasreen Choudhry, who attends a private Catholic school where she’s the only Pakistani American in her classes; Palestinian Arab American Qays Sharif, a soccer player with a 4.4 GPA and a Stanford scholarship; Lebanese and Syrian American social media influencer Samia Al-Samra; Zamzam Thompson, who’s Black and an aspiring doctor; Afghan immigrant Muzhda Ahmad, whose family has a secret; and Sudani American Abdullahi Talib, an EMT in training. Each of them have something to hide from their families as well as complicated family relationships and expectations. Two white investigators, federal agent Kandi Favreau and Detective Micky Pennella, seem determined to use the teens’ Muslim identities and ethnicities to frame them. In her sophomore novel, Shukairy writes leads who have different goals, ambitions, and dreams. She clearly captures each of the characters’ confusion and fear as they are arrested. Facing pressure from family members and lawyers, the young people must decide whether they want to fight for their collective freedom and innocence or frame one another. Tensions run high as the trial proceeds, and readers will be surprised by a twist toward the end. This story of post-9/11 America clearly depicts how lives can change overnight when those in power control the narrative.

A powerful and timely read. (Fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews