If I Tell You the Truth

by Jasmin Kaur

Overview

Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur, this heartrending story told in prose, poetry, and illustration weaves together the stories of a mother and daughter’s lives.

In this stunning sophomore novel, acclaimed writer Jasmin Kaur explores trauma, fear, courage, community, and the healing power of love in its many forms.

Kiran flees her home in Punjab for a fresh start in Canada after a sexual assault leaves her pregnant. But overstaying her visa and living undocumented brings its own perils for both her and her daughter, Sahaara.

Sahaara would do anything to protect her mother. When she learns the truth about Kiran’s past, she feels compelled to seek justice—even if it means challenging a powerful and dangerous man.

if i tell you the truth

that i’ve dug

from the hardened depths

of this shrapnel-filled dirt

with these aching, bloody hands

would you believe me?

would you still love me?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062912640
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	112,425
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jasmin Kaur is a writer, illustrator, and spoken word artist living in Vancouver, BC. Her writing, which explores feminism, social empowerment, love, and survival, acts as a means of healing and reclaiming identity. As an arts facilitator and fourth-grade teacher, Jasmin has been leading creative writing workshops for young people across North America, the UK, and Australia over the past fi ve years. Visit her online at www.jasminkaur.com.

Editorial Reviews

An emotional journey that will enlighten, inspire and empower readers everywhere.

Amanda Lovelace

"Weaving prose, poetry, and art, Jasmin Kaur’s original voice gives us a searing insight into the lives of a mother and daughter and the secrets we keep and how they shape our lives."

Aisha Saeed

This impactful, relevant, powerful work is part novel in verse, part prose, and Kaur narrates her own work, shifting musically between poetry and prose... Kaur's narration is evocative, culturally illuminating, and emotionally incisive, enhancing this moving work.

Booklist (starred review of audio edition)

"A bold and heartrending story unflinchingly told in poetry and prose."

Ms. Magazine

A fierce reminder of the irreplaceable and irrepressible nature of our own voices and the power they hold.

Trista Mateer

Jasmin Kaur’s work is divine and essential. She sees you and then hands you the mirror to see yourself. There is a sweet, fierce and true vulnerability in every piece. Cling to this book, it is honest and it will bring you home to yourself.

Upile Chisala

Kaur weaves a captivating narrative that reminds us of what it means to be raw, to be powerful, to be beautifully unique—beautifully human. So many people need this book. I’m one of them.

Kristin Cast

PRAISE FOR When You Ask Me Where I'm Going: “Kaur’s debut collection explores what it means to be a young woman in a world that not only fails to hear her but that often refuses to see her. The novel begins with poems that are more than pretty words; they carry weight and breathe fire. Power is reclaimed through self-acceptance and love.

ALA Booklist

Raw and introspective, both painful and uplifting to read, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going seamlessly conveys a vast spectrum of emotions in a very real way that the reader can easily connect with.

The Nerd Daily

Timely and rare, this bold, pull-no-punches book deftly tackles immigration, rape culture and what it means to be undocumented in today’s society. You’ll smile, you’ll cry, you’ll want to burn down the patriarchy.

Sona Charaipotra

Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring, all in the same breath. That’s how I feel about When You Ask Me Where I’m Going. Jasmin Kaur writes the type of poetry that you never want to stop reading. The type of poetry that makes you want to cry, laugh, stop and think, scream, and then use your own voice to tell your stories and speak your truth without apology. This book will change you.” 

Layla Saad

Jasmin Kaur epitomizes a powerful, assertive, and unapologetic voice, speaking candidly about the deep, dark, and hidden while maintaining a tone of optimism and resilience. As she challenges expectations and brutal truths, Jasmin offers an insightful commentary on the world from her eyes that is bound to resonate.

Madisen Kuhn

"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A searing and gorgeous debut. This book made me feel seen, but it also educated me—it’s sure to provoke many necessary and meaningful conversations.

Jasmine Warga

"This is a stunning and breathtaking multigenerational Punjabi story told as only Jasmin Kaur can tell it. Such expert storytelling in multilingual cadence with deep cultural nuance is incredibly rare. This complex story gripped my heart, stunned me page after page and lingered in my imagination long after I closed the book. I became so invested in the characters as if they were my relatives. Not all books can give us this gift. In fact, I can not think of many that do."

Dr. Gayatri Sethi

"Deftly layered with prose and poetry, Kaur tells a story of culture, courage, and heart. I was moved beyond words." 

Nisha Sharma

"Kaur draws on her experience of being a Sikh woman in Canada to express feelings of anger, grief, and tentative hopefulness that will resonate deeply with young women who feel unheard and unseen because of their ethnicity, their immigration status, and/or their experience of domestic abuse."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

★ 12/01/2020

Gr 9 Up—Follow two women's stories through 20 years of life. Assaulted and pregnant, Kiran leaves Punjab, India, to begin college in Vancouver, Canada. Rejected by those she trusts most, Kiran braves living undocumented as a single mother. Fast forward 18 years and her daughter, Sahaara, struggles to follow her dreams while ensuring her mother gains Canadian citizenship. As both women grapple with security, Kiran begins unraveling truths about her past that haunt the very fabric of their beings. This powerful sophomore novel explores womanhood over the span of two decades through the eyes of a mother-daughter pairing. The strength, resilience, and compassion Kaur seamlessly weaves between prose, poetry, and illustration allows readers to connect with and recognize themselves in Kiran and Sahaara. The journey they embark upon will spark much-needed conversations about being silenced, reconciling the past, and basic human rights. As Sahaara is given more information about Kiran's past, she learns to respectfully listen to others' stories; for a person cannot grow if they are unwilling to accept another's reality. A list of trigger warnings precedes the novel, which includes endnotes about COVID-19, historical context, and the Canadian immigration process. VERDICT A story that beautifully touches a multitude of tough topics, this one is for readers of S.K. Ali's Saints and Misfits, Kekla Magoon's Light It Up, and Maika and Maritza Moulite's Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.—Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL

School Library Journal

2020-09-10
Punjabi teen Kiran Kaur lands in Canada with a terrible secret: She is pregnant with the child of the man who raped her.

Although her mother tries to force her to get an abortion, Kiran decides to keep the baby. Abandoned by her family, Kiran moves in with her queer friend Joti and gives birth to a girl she names Sahaara. Unable to keep up with studying, raising a newborn, and paying rent, Kiran drops out of university, loses her student visa, and becomes undocumented. As Sahaara becomes a teen herself and discovers her family’s secrets, she must learn how to protect her mother—and survive in a body she now associates with her mother’s sexual assault. Following up on When You Ask Me Where I’m Going (2019), Kaur fills in details of both women’s stories and personalities with care and grace. The plot is tightly woven and action packed, and readers will quickly become invested in their complex journeys. The book alternates between poetry and prose as well as between Kiran’s and Sahaara’s perspectives, though the majority is told from Sahaara’s point of view. Sahaara's voice, in particular, is fresh, honest, and a pleasure to read. At times the prose feels overwritten, howeveroverall this is a fast-paced story that will keep readers engaged.

A thoughtful, loving examination of immigration, sexual assault, and chosen family. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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