Rani Patel in Full Effect

by Sonia Patel

Overview

In 1990s Moloka'i, Hawai'i, sixteen-year-old Rani is fully present as MC Sutra, whose lyrics say "Call my solution a female revolution / retribution in the form of rhyme electrocution," but her life is in shambles.

Almost seventeen, Rani Patel appears to be a kick-ass Indian girl breaking cultural norms as a hip-hop performer in full effect. But in truth, she's a nerdy flat-chested nobody who lives with her Gujarati immigrant parents on the remote Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, isolated from her high school peers by the unsettling norms of Indian culture where "husband is God."

Her parents' traditionally arranged marriage is a sham, and her dad turns to her for all his needs—even the intimate ones. When Rani catches him with a woman barely older than herself, she feels like a widow, and—like the widows in India are often made to do—she shaves off her hair.

Her sexy bald head and hard-driving rhyming skills soon attract the attention of Mark, a hot older customer about the same age as her dad who frequents her parents' store. When Mark makes his move, Rani goes with it and finds herself working with 4eva Flowin', an underground hip hop crew. And with Mark, she finds herself doing other things she's never done.

Rani ignores the red flags. Her naive choices look like they will undo her but ultimately give her the chance to discover her strengths and restore the things she thought she'd lost, including her mother.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941026502
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	10/11/2016
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sonia Patel knows teenagers inside and out. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, trained at Stanford University and the University of Hawaii, she has spent over fifteen years listening to and understanding the psyche of teenagers from all walks of life. She's also been a teenage girl herself, growing up on Moloka'i as a first generation Gujarati-American. As a writer, Sonia is passionate about giving voice to the underrepresented youth she treats. Her YA debut featuring a Gujarati-Indian American teen, Rani Patel In Full Effect, was a finalist for the Morris Award and was listed on YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults and Kirkus' Reviews Best Teen Books of 2016. Her second YA novel, with a Gujarati-Indian trans boy and a mixed ethnicity girl, Jaya and Rasa: A Love Story, was selected for the 2019 In the Margins Book Award Recommended Fiction Book List. She chose South Korea as the setting for her third YA novel, Bloody Seoul, because of her extensive treatment experience with Korean and Korean American teens on Oahu (and her love for the Korean gangster film genre).

Editorial Reviews

Though suffering is at the core of this debut novel, it's also about living through pain by harnessing what brings happiness.

The New York Times Book Review - Jen Doll

"Though suffering is at the core of this debut novel, it's also about living through pain by harnessing what brings happiness. And the dip into '90s nostalgia, not to mention the awesome Rani persevering and conquering as MC Sutra — but more important, as herself — makes reading all the slam poetry well worth it." — The New York Times

* "Debut author Sonia Patel offers a unique perspective in Rani, whose punchy first-person narrative, peppered with early-'90s hip-hop references, Hawaiian, Hawaiian pidgin, Gujurati phrases, and her own slick rhymes packed with an empowering feminist message, commendably and strikingly stands out in the YA landscape." — Booklist, starred review

* "A powerfully particular, 100 percent genuine character commands this gutsy debut." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Sonia Patel sets her powerful debut novel in 1991, filling it with bygone rap references and an electric verbal blend of Gujarati, slang, Hawaiian pidgin, and the rhymes Rani crafts. Patel compassionately portrays Rani's entangled emotions, lack of self-confidence, and burgeoning sense of empowerment as she moves forward from trauma." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Will appeal to readers who prefer gritty, darker fiction without a pat, happy ending, and characters who don't always overcome their challenges but must face them repeatedly. A strong, unique choice for YA collections." — School Library Journal, starred review

"Readers will find a kindred spirit in Rani through Sonia Patel's skillful crafting of her internal battle. Patel doesn't turn away from the difficult issues Rani is facing, especially the 'emotional turmoil' that results from incest. Throughout Rani Patel in Full Effect, Patel—a child and adolescent psychiatrist—is respectful of what abused teens survive without sugarcoating. Teens recovering from sexual trauma will be inspired by a heroine who gathers her inner strength despite setbacks; others will gain insight into how trauma makes people act unexpectedly. And all readers will appreciate the authentic detail and development of Rani's Gujarati-Hawaiian-hip-hop world of 1991." — Shelf Awareness

"Rani's environment leaps off the page in vivid and satisfying detail, from the winding roads and small shops of Moloka'i to the intricacies of '90s hip-hop fashion.... Author Sonia Patel is a psychiatrist, and her determination to portray Rani's response to trauma truthfully is unrelenting." — BookPage

Amelia Bloomer Book List - American Library Association (ALA)
Best Fiction for Young Adults - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
TAYSHAS Reading List - Texas Library Association (TLA)
William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

From the Publisher