Yes No Maybe So
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed comes a heart-warming, hilarious story about the power of love and resistance.
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state candidate - as long as he’s behind the scenes. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is cancelled, her parents are separating and now her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing - with some awkward guy she hardly knows ...
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer - and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.
Praise for Yes No Maybe So:
'Heartwarming, poignant and very, very funny' Waterstones
‘[An] entertaining story of love, politics and idealism’ The I
'A novel bursting with hope, truth and action . . . Yes No Maybe So is about speaking up, showing up and being an effective ally. But at its core it’s a reminder that the Greta Thunbergs, Malala Yousafzais and Autumn Peltiers of today were once Jamies and Mayas: everyday teenagers who saw their house was on fire and worked tirelessly to extinguish the blaze' The New York Times Book Review
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
When it comes to politics or social activism, almost everyone feels helpless sometimes. But Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed’s novel is an inspiring reminder that everyone holds the power to effect change. Pushed by their families into canvassing for a local politician, Maya and Jamie are kind of stuck with each other for the whole summer. Despite Jamie’s social anxiety and Maya’s troubles at home, the duo slowly develop a touching friendship—and more. The teens navigate their cultural differences (he’s Jewish, she’s Muslim) with all the messiness you’d expect in real life and all the sensitivity that comes with real love. But while we’re here for the laughs and romance, it’s their political awakening that makes Yes No Maybe So really resonate. In an age where teen heroes like the Parkland kids and Greta Thunberg offer up rays of light, Jamie and Maya’s journey is a welcome story of standing up for something you truly believe in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Once childhood friends, deeply shy Jamie Goldberg, who is Jewish and white, and stability-loving Maya Rehman, who is Pakistani-American and Muslim, reconnect when pressured into working on the campaign of a progressive Senate hopeful. At 17, both are reluctant to dedicate their summers to canvassing in the Atlanta heat; this is especially so for Maya, whose best friend is college-bound at summer's end, but her need to escape the constant reminders of her parents' separation compels her to team up with Jamie to inform and persuade local voters. Soon, swept up in the passions and pressures leading to Election Day, the pair starts falling for each other, though Maya doesn't date. They also learn firsthand that the political is personal when a proposed bill calls for "a partial ban on head and facial coverings while participating in certain public activities." Albertalli and Saeed's collaborative authorship is seamlessly achieved via alternating first-person narratives that offer a nuanced lens on the current U.S. political climate and individuals' roles in democracy. With a convincing, relevant message about democratic responsibility, studded with references to activists, the authors offer an honest handling of cultural misunderstandings, microaggressions, and open communication via Jamie and Maya's tight-knit families and developing relationship. Ages 14 up.
