The Search for Us

September 1, 2023
Not knowing the other exists, half siblings Samira and Henry each take DNA tests and are surprised by the results. Samira Murphy takes on too much responsibility. Ever since her grandfather died, she's taken on even more, including caring for her grandmother and supervising her older brother's participation in AA, all while preparing for college. After she decides to put her college funds toward rehab following her brother's latest DUI, Samira takes a DNA test, hoping to track down and get overdue child support from their absentee father. Meanwhile, Henry Owen feels caught between his flighty biological mom and the overbearing, xenophobic aunt and uncle who've raised him. Hurtling toward a future he didn't shape, Henry longs to slow down and forge a connection to his missing father and his Iranian heritage, and so he takes a DNA test too. When the test results link Samira and Henry to each other instead of Mohammed Safavi, as they expected, the two 17-year-olds continue their quest together, redefining family and untangling their U.S. Army veteran biological father's complicated past. Readers are taken on a moving emotional journey through self-discovery, strained family ties, and the impacts of substance abuse and mental illness. The author effectively explores a number of substantive subjects with nuance in this ultimately hopeful story told through dual narratives. Samira and Henry are multiracial teens living in white families; additional ethnic diversity is shown in supporting characters. Relatable, poignant, and full of hope. (Fiction. 12-18)

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October 15, 2023
Grades 8-12 Two teens in different places in California take DNA tests; each is trying to find a long-absent father. What they discover, however, is that they are half-siblings, although no connection to their mutual Iranian American father appears. They each have different goals for the search: Samira wants to find her father for overdue child-support payments to relieve her family's financial burden, while Henry longs to find belonging and an escape from the strict rules of his prejudiced aunt and uncle who are raising him. They ultimately unite to find their father, and his circumstances are not at all what either of them expected. When they finally meet him, they both begin to fill gaps in their understanding of their lives and gain a richer perspective on their father and their respective families. The narrative switches between Samira's and Henry's points of view, heightening the tension and pressure they both feel. Boyer sensitively explores the complexities of identity, family, and responsibility in a plot fueled by a compelling search for answers and healing.

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