Free Radicals

Starred review from February 27, 2023
Sixteen-year-old, prank-loving Mafi Shahin, who is white and Afghan American, doles out justice on her classmates’ behalf as an enigmatic vigilante called Ghost. The process is simple: the aggrieved leave a note with Mafi’s 12-year-old neighbor, Cole, who delivers it to Mafi. As Ghost, Mafi then seeks revenge in the form of harmless, but effective, pranks. Mafi only has four rules for herself: don’t get caught; never reveal your identity; avoid police involvement; and don’t get emotionally invested. But keeping her superhero-esque identity a secret means she must lie to her friends, family, and even her childhood crush. When Mafi’s mistruths compromise a family secret and jeopardize relatives in Afghanistan, she must decide whether to continue upholding her charades and deceptions, or own up to the truth. The vigilante plot device introduces an electrifying complication to the emotionally grounded, interpersonally focused conflict, adding textured layers to this anticipatory read. By deploying a healthy dose of sharp humor across a pacey plot that’s populated by an intersectionally diverse cast, Riesen crafts an emphatic and empathetic debut that doesn’t shy away from exploring grave themes such as imperialism, intergenerational trauma, war, and xenophobia. Ages 12–up.

March 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 Riesen makes her debut with this modern tale of a young Afghan American girl coming to terms with her identity. High-school sophomore Mafi Shahin has a few things on her mind: Baba's relatives in Kabul, her overachieving older siblings, the very hot Jalen Thomas, obtaining her license, and being the "Ghost" of Santa Margarita High. After a malicious rumor spread during her freshman year, Mafi became a social outcast. As a result, she turned into a vigilante for students who leave notes for the Ghost, and she secretly seeks revenge for them. As Mafi tries to live her idea of a normal life, her family's heritage resurfaces, which, for her own reasons, she's afraid to reveal. However, newfound friendships, love interests, and family connections soon allow her to strengthen her courage. Riesen raises awareness of issues many young adults experience, such as family drama, xenophobia, racism, prejudice, and trolling. Teens will relate to the protagonist's struggles to build trust and be honest with others, all the while carrying trauma.

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Starred review from January 15, 2023
In the fall of her sophomore year, Mafi breaks all her self-imposed rules--with unexpected consequences. Sixteen-year-old Mafi Shahin moonlights as Ghost, the vigilante who metes out revenge on behalf of students of Santa Margarita North, a secretive affair that depends on her carefully following her guidelines for engagement, two of which include never revealing her identity and not getting emotionally involved. But as the year progresses and Mafi develops new friendships--including one with Jalen Thomas, her brother's friend and her childhood crush--she comes to realize that her hidden identity and the secrets she is keeping go far beyond simply being the Ghost. They seep into her home life as the complex dynamics with her family--her Afghan dad, who is Hazara and Pashtun; White American mom; and siblings Rafi and Kate--as well as the history of their family left behind in Afghanistan come to a head. Riesen's debut is a rich, multifaceted story that grows from the high concept and seemingly straightforward Ghost storyline to encompass a tale that interweaves racism and discrimination, immigration and injustice, sexism and double standards, family expectations and intergenerational trauma, and more, all written to great effect and with a broadly diverse supporting cast. A smart, powerful, poignant tale of identity, freedom, and family. (Fiction. 13-18)

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