Author: Deborah Ellis
Date of Publication: April 1st 2014
Pages: 224
Source: NetGalley Review copy-thank you!

Fifteen-year-old Farrin has many secrets. Although she goes to a school for gifted girls in Tehran, as the daughter of an aristocratic mother and wealthy father, Farrin must keep a low profile. It is 1988; ever since the Shah was overthrown, the deeply conservative and religious government controls every facet of life in Iran. If the Revolutionary Guard finds out about her mother’s Bring Back the Shah activities, her family could be thrown in jail, or worse.

The day she meets Sadira, Farrin’s life changes forever. Sadira is funny, wise, and outgoing; the two girls become inseparable. But as their friendship deepens into romance, the relationship takes a dangerous turn. It is against the law to be gay in Iran; the punishment is death. Despite their efforts to keep their love secret, the girls are discovered and arrested. Separated from Sadira, Farrin can only pray as she awaits execution. Will her family find a way to save them both?


Based on real-life events, multi-award winning author Deborah Ellis’s new book is a tense and riveting story about a world where homosexuality is considered so abhorrent that it is punishable by death.

Review:

Moon at Nine felt like a punch to the gut, and it left me heartbroken.

It’s post-revolution Iran, near the end of the war with Iraq. Farrin is our protagonist, and she is a young, rather privileged girl. Her naiveté is astounding. Farrin is sure of herself, and of her judgements of other people. A lot of this can be attributed to her rich upbringing, and I liked that she was so determined to get what she wanted, regardless of the consequences. This sort of determination always impresses me, and despite the problems caused by this character trait, I could believe it. Farrin knows what she wants and goes after it.

Sadira complemented Farrin. Sadira was wise and I perceived her as a calm, beautiful person. Farrin’s point of view completely expressed Sadira’s quiet grace. There’s a lot more to Sadira then one would think, and it’s really near the end of the story that Sadira just kills it. Like seriously, I was cheering for her so hard. She’s an intelligent person and a deep thinker. She’s a little different from Farrin, and the development of their relationship because of these differences was very well done. Sadira pushes Farrin to be a better person, and to look at the world outside of her bubble.

This story is a romance between Farrin and Sadira, two girls in a society where homosexuality is punished by death. I haven’t read very many lesbian romances, but this has to be among the sweeter romances I’ve ever read, period. It starts out very slow but then escalates aggressively. I could accept this sort of escalation because part of the romance’s sweetness was that it was the girls’ choice. The situation was very formative in the relationship, and gosh guys, I wish I could spoil some stuff and quote some extremely powerful pieces of writing.

It’s really the writing that makes me think this could be younger YA or MG. The themes are dark, but the writing is accessible and the power of this sort of writing really becomes apparent a little further into the story. I’m also very fascinated with how Deborah Ellis wrote the story. It was slow, and seemed like very little would happen, but then the plot accelerated and Moon at Nine was certainly not what I was expecting. It’s a lot more powerful, and there’s a certain element of political critique that I was extremely fascinated with.

I recommend Moon at Nine. It’s a story of injustice, and it’s an eye opener. It’s a very diverse story that takes place in a different setting than usual—Iran—and does it successfully. Very frankly, I think more people need to read stories about people in different countries. This is one of those, and it’s a good one.

-P.E.

A discussion between P.E. and Mari.

P.E.: I believe that the idea of needing diverse books is accepted by now. I read a comment somewhere that now, readers should start reading them. So, Mari, do you read diverse books?

MARI: Fascinating subject. I am super pro-diversity and I'm very happy to see diversity as a growing member of the community. I want diverse authors, diverse readers and diverse stories and characters. To answer your question yes and no. I read Outlander which is set in Scotland and features Scottish, English, Spanish and French people. I read I Hunt Killers which features a fantastic black character.

No, I don't or have not read books that are solely "diverse" which I think is slowly catching the meaning "about minorities". Diversity to me means not pushing aside the traditional white character, Caucasian people and characters are awesome and must be in book but what needs to change is the surroundings. Books need to realized that the main character can be of a "diverse" background and still associate with Caucasians. Or we can have Caucasian characters who have a diverse group of friends. It's the representation that is important. I want to read a book and be able to envision someone of my background there as well.

Lastly, I will read what catches my eye and if I should start reading diverse books, then those diverse books better start working for my attention.

P.E.: I'm curious: have you encountered books where white characters are pushed aside? I think it's valid to have books where there are not many white characters just because that is just as realistic as when there are mostly white characters, except much less represented in YA.

I guess what I'm thinking is that a book's marketing is often based on how much money the publisher will spend on sending out review copies and promotional material. Publishers will only promote books if they believe there is a market for them, and I think readers must be active in deliberately seeking out diverse books. What do you think?

MARI: I think readers have shown that they are indeed interested in reading diverse books which is the only responsibility they have in this process. The rest is business, a process of supply and demand. Readers demand it and now the onus is on the publishing companies to find the book, market it, and make it available for readers. If readers don't pick it up then it's a failure in the publishers side. They provided a good that customers didn't enjoy or want. This has nothing to do with the general topic more the specific venture. I think more effort needs to be put into it. And readers should be respected as the consumers they are who should have the highest expectations from the businesses that are supposed to cater to them.

As for books that have pushed whites aside, there are many (Before You by Amber Hart) where white people were pictured as Christian, racist and rich. I think the concept of diversity also owes all races a chance to be different from the stereotype.

P.E.: Yeah, but diversity doesn't mean the stereotypes don't exist. It means they aren't all that there is, which is why racist, Christian, rich white people isn't too unbelievable to me.

And what I'm thinking is that we've all said we want diverse books, but I disagree that we've clearly shown it. I'm thinking of what Natalia Sylvester said in this post about how end of the year book lists show a lack of diversity. Diversity is one of those things that everyone agrees must exist, but it's not like we're going from zero diverse books whatsoever to representative YA. Diverse books have always existed, and we're trying to say we need more of them, but are people actually reading more diverse books?

This is definitely a false equivalent, but maybe it will help clarify my argument: are readers actually seeking out diverse books, or are we those people constantly on diets saying we need to eat healthier, but reverting back to fast food because it's accessible and everywhere? I think it's too simple to blame publishers for the lack of diversity in books. Readers should be reading more diverse books, and if we're not buying it, it ain't happening. Consumers often demand something vocally but put their money towards nothing else. Look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are a perennial loser team, and their fans are always angry, but they still make the most money in the NHL and their revenues increase every year.

Personally, I can't say I'm doing all I can to support diverse books. I believe I have read more diverse books than in the past, but that was such a shoddy amount to begin with that I don't feel like it's worth any pride.

Mari: Reflecting on my own end of the year book list, I agree, I could've read more diverse books. But how many have you seen that you are very interested in reading and that are readily available for you to read? Accessibility and interest are important. A perfect diverse book society for me would be seamlessly integrated into all books and not require us to take note of how diverse our reading list is. Diversity is life and just like we don't take note of how many "diverse" friends we have, I would like to do the same with books.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's a three way road. Publishers, readers and authors have to work together for this transition. Great stories with representative characters have to be written, published and marketed with the help, interest and reviews of the audience. I will try to be more aware but I don't read to change the world. I read to enjoy myself and if a book with no evident diversity offers that for me then that's where my ship sails.

P.E.: I agree in some ways just because I'm not a huge contemporary reader and that's where the majority of diverse books are. I'm looking for more sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal diverse reads. It's hard to find them, but as We Need Diverse Books is growing, the visibility and amount of these titles is also increasing. For example, how good does Song of Blood & Stone look? I think the visibility is where we, as bloggers and members of the book community can come in by supporting the really good diverse books by giving them lots of press.

Books like Pointe, How It Went Down, Otherbound, and even undertones in The Walls Around Us give me hope because these are all books with phenomenal characterization, and diversity is a part of that. I'm looking forward to reading even more diverse books in 2015. Ideally, equal representation is seamless, but right now it isn't, so we need to work to make sure it is.

One idea I've always had is having more books from authors of different countries translated to English so we can read them. It feels like so many books are by Americans or take place in America and the American point of view is incredibly prominent in my reading. Now I want to explore the Chinese point of view, or a Middle Eastern perspective.

What do you think?

Here on The Sirenic Codex, we like to rant a lot. Although our rants vary in degree and topic, we always seem to come back to this one or at least I do. DIVERSITY! I love diversity and I was just about dancing in my chair when I saw the #WeNeedDiverseBooks trend on twitter.

The reason #WeNeedDiverseBooks: So both my daughters can see themselves—and each other—in books. pic.twitter.com/b96OHssagN
— gayle forman (@gayleforman) April 30, 2014

Recently, I stumbled on a new development while I was watching one of my favourite booktuber/vloggers Sanne @booksandquills. Sanne is Dutch, hence she is familiar with some dutch literature that the rest of the world has been deprived of. This got me thinking, there are so many countries, and cultures, and languages in which stories have been told but we in North America don't get access to them. Many of our stories get translated for other countries to enjoy but we don't get to try their books as often. 

Sanne then highlighted the company Pushkin Press, names after the Russian poet whose works would've forever remained a mystery if some kind hearted person hadn't translated them. Taking it a notch further, without the translation Paulina Simmons might have never written The Bronze Horseman one of my favourite books! Similarly, the role of Pushkin Press is to discover and translate popular works to English. 

This makes me so excited for the future. I wonder how many more companies are attempting the same task. I wonder how many amazing books have already been translated and made accessible to me but I had no idea. 

My vision for the future of the book world has always been a place where book from all times and places are available in many languages. I adore English but I also see the importance of preserving other languages and their stories. I'm looking for a diverse book world and it's definitely in the works. 

What's Your Vision? How Do You Feel about a Global Book Domination?

-MARI

There are many genres to choose from. With every supernatural or genre craze that has entered YA there has been an explosion of new books. I've read about vampires, werewolves, angels, zombies, cyborgs, and most recently, assassins.

I've enjoyed all of them in certain books. But some things that has been standing out is my increasing love for assassins who usually show up in high fantasy reads. Is it assassins I love or high fantasy? It really depends on the book. But high fantasy has definitely risen as my absolute favourite genre.

Why do I love high fantasy? Easy. First, let's get to know me a little bit. 

I’m a history nerd. 

• Preferably ancient history, but anything past the Renaissance to the Edwardian era is good too.

Fantasy tends to be set in these alternate history settings. They may not always be on Earth, but they resemble a time in history.

I love diversity.

Fantasy quenches this thirst. There are fantasies that capture the essence of many cultures, either by being set there or featuring diverse characters.

I also love action. 

• I really don't mind the guns though now that I think about it, there aren't many guns in YA (hmmm). Any who, I love swordplay, though I don't think I actually follow the actions properly; I just imagine some epic fighting. 

Strong female characters! 

• There was a time in fantasy when the female role was to be a damsel in distress, but the 21st century has shed a new light on females in fantasy and I love it. They are sassy, sexy and damn strong; corsets and swords all the way.

Lets talk about chivalrous knights! 

• Fantasy has introduced me to some of the most broodingly hot and chivalrous male heroes around. Want me to list ’em? 

1. Po (Graceling)
2. Chaol (Throne of Glass)
3. Robin Hood (Scarlet)
4. Gavriel Duval (Grave Mercy)

The list goes on!

Fantasy is a very rich genre. It’s rich of many things: characters, world, action, plot and writing. Obviously it depends on the book and the authors work, but at this point it’s kind of hard to have a fantasy book disappoint me. I read to escape and enjoy myself. I want to be enveloped in a completely different world, be thrust into situations I would never be faced with in life and live. Fantasy does this for me and so I can't help but adore it!

I Love Fantasy!

AND

THIS IS SPARTA!

-MARI

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, then you know I tend to sneak in some random gifs, from Lee Min Ho to Disney and back. To me these out of place funny little animations add a hint of a smile and a slice of life. 

I live in and go to school in a very diverse city. There are kids from all over the world. You name it, we probably have it. This means that I’ve grown very accustomed to seeing different cultures and different appearances. They are my normal. 

This might actually be one of the reasons as to why I’m so fascinated by the aspect of traveling. I see these people, they have completely different backgrounds than me but they are still just like me in many ways. It makes me crave to see how they were raised. I want to visit their countries of origin. But as usual, the age of poverty strikes and I’m left to read about them instead. So I search for books set in China/Russia/France…. Do I find them? Yes, but rarely.

This is a growing trend I’ve noticed with YA. There is a wide variety of books set in North America and by that I mean America. There aren’t as many set in Canada at all. I would love to read about a paranormal romance set in Toronto, or a summer read set in Nova Scotia. Still there are a few. There are also some books set in Paris, Tokyo, Russia, London and Germany if you like historical fiction. But how about the rest of the world?

Even authors who aren’t from the US, somehow tend to write about the US. The US is obviously a fantastic country with so many scenic and interesting places for authors to set their books. But as the world becomes more open for me to explore, I start to wish that the books I read would also. 

Going back to my diverse surroundings, diversity isn’t that common in YA. There definitely is the occasional person of colour or asian ethnicity but most of the time these things are mentioned in passing. For example, I had no idea that Tobias/Four from Divergent wasn't white. Apparently he has an “olive skin tone” which doesn’t say much and was probably why I didn’t register it.

Then there are characters like Rose Hathaway (Vampire Academy) who knows her origins and flaunts it. She is proud of her mother's Scottish and father's Turkish descent. Good for her. I want more Rose Hathaway's.

I also know that Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is Korean, which makes me very happy. This may be partly influenced by the fact that I’m in the midst of a Korean obsession... Anywho... I found it interesting that Ms. Rowell was asked by fans why Park was Korean. It goes back to the lack of characters like Park, so when they appear people are shocked. Here is Rainbow Rowell’s reply.

Diversity is great. It promotes acceptance and love and is an important factor in achieving world peace, since the root of conflict is prejudice and miseducation. Books are powerful tools; they introduce us to opinions, places and people. Maybe you’ve never heard of a certain person, place or thing. I know I’m not the most educated person out there, but we can learn.  

Lets put aside learning for a bit, it’s the holidays after all. Happy Holidays! 

We made that phrase to accommodate for all the different celebrations occurring at this time of year. Why? Because the Earth is filled with people who have some different but equally amazing cultures. So if not for world peace and k-pop lovers then why not in the spirit of the holidays, bring some diversity to YA?

-MARI