Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali, The

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana is Bangladeshi-American and faces typical teenage issues, including graduation from high school, first love, and a scholarship to a university far from home. But, she also must deal with strict, immigrant parents who expect her to live by old world customs and when they discover that she is gay they whisk her off to Bangladesh where she faces an arranged marriage and Rukhsana must battle her parents, culture, and her view of the world to secure the life she wants. This coming-of-age novel deals with issues family dynamics, the immigrant experience, LGTBQ issues, and the angst of first love, and is suitable as a literature circle or independent novel choice. Social considerations noted.