How It All Blew Up
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-25 09:54:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Arvin Ahmadi
- ISBN：1471409929
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Simon vs。 the Homo Sapiens Agenda goes to Italy in Arvin Ahmadi's newest incisive look at identity and what it means to find yourself by running away。
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy--he just didn't think it would end in an airport interrogation room。 But when faced with a failed relationship， bullies， and blackmail， running away to Rome is his only option。 Right？
Soon， late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature。。。 until his old life comes knocking on his door。 Now， Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer， or risk losing his hard-won freedom。
At turns uplifting and devastating， How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi's most powerful novel yet， a celebration of how life's most painful moments can live alongside the riotous， life-changing joys of discovering who you are。
Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy--he just didn't think it would end in an airport interrogation room。 But when faced with a failed relationship， bullies， and blackmail， running away to Rome is his only option。 Right？
Soon， late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature。。。 until his old life comes knocking on his door。 Now， Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer， or risk losing his hard-won freedom。
At turns uplifting and devastating， How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi's most powerful novel yet， a celebration of how life's most painful moments can live alongside the riotous， life-changing joys of discovering who you are。
Reviews
Diana Kalaf
，
Com certeza um dos melhores do ano！ Todo mundo deveria ler esse livro！！！！！
Jonathan
，
An unusual coming out story， in that it has an Iranian American central character， Amir， and is based around interviews with him and his family from airport security interview rooms。 It also includes blackmail， romance， a lack of understanding from Amir's parents， a sweet and supportive younger sister， an escape to Rome， and many life lessons given by Amir's new Italian friends。 The story moves along at a fair pace， and Amir， despite his flaws and mistakes， is a very likable character。 An unusual coming out story， in that it has an Iranian American central character， Amir， and is based around interviews with him and his family from airport security interview rooms。 It also includes blackmail， romance， a lack of understanding from Amir's parents， a sweet and supportive younger sister， an escape to Rome， and many life lessons given by Amir's new Italian friends。 The story moves along at a fair pace， and Amir， despite his flaws and mistakes， is a very likable character。 。。。more
Ann
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2022-2023 Gateway Preliminary Nominee
tar
，
some of the lines really broke my heart， and the author managed to put the exact feelings i've had about culture clash and being queer into words。 it really touched me。 this is such a great book in terms of describing how torn someone can feel between two "contradicting" identities。 i also really liked how in the beginning， he idolizes rome， his new friends， and the life he'd built there， but as time goes on his perfect vision begins to crack。 one thing i didn't like that much was the interrogat some of the lines really broke my heart， and the author managed to put the exact feelings i've had about culture clash and being queer into words。 it really touched me。 this is such a great book in terms of describing how torn someone can feel between two "contradicting" identities。 i also really liked how in the beginning， he idolizes rome， his new friends， and the life he'd built there， but as time goes on his perfect vision begins to crack。 one thing i didn't like that much was the interrogation room scenes， because i found them to be awkwardly worded。 also i didn't like all the different perspectives of his family in those scenes， i think it was a bit much。 otherwise i have no major complaints that aren't little things that i personally disliked。 。。。more
kglibrarian （Karin Greenberg）
，
One of the best YA coming out stories I've read in a while--I can't wait to recommend this to my high school students！The main character， Amir， struggles to live his life as a gay teenager and a Muslim American。 He is terrified of his Iranian-born parents finding out about his sexuality。 When a bully at school blackmails him， he runs away to Rome， where he realizes that being himself is the only way to lead a worthy life。 Torn between his deep family ties and the pull of his identity， Amir faces One of the best YA coming out stories I've read in a while--I can't wait to recommend this to my high school students！The main character， Amir， struggles to live his life as a gay teenager and a Muslim American。 He is terrified of his Iranian-born parents finding out about his sexuality。 When a bully at school blackmails him， he runs away to Rome， where he realizes that being himself is the only way to lead a worthy life。 Torn between his deep family ties and the pull of his identity， Amir faces some of the most difficult decisions he's ever encountered。 Funny， moving， intense--I could not put this one down！ 。。。more
Steve
，
"How It All Blew Up" tells the story of 18 year-old Amir Azadi and his efforts to be true to himself。 Through a generally believable set of circumstances Amir makes an impulsive decision to leave his family and travels to Rome。 What happens next strains credulity， but Amir spends most of the summer in Rome where he meets a varied cast of characters who spend a great deal of time partying。 Arvic Ahmadi does an excellent job of portraying the fears and hopes of Amir， an Iranian-American from a fai "How It All Blew Up" tells the story of 18 year-old Amir Azadi and his efforts to be true to himself。 Through a generally believable set of circumstances Amir makes an impulsive decision to leave his family and travels to Rome。 What happens next strains credulity， but Amir spends most of the summer in Rome where he meets a varied cast of characters who spend a great deal of time partying。 Arvic Ahmadi does an excellent job of portraying the fears and hopes of Amir， an Iranian-American from a fairly conservative family。 Soraya， Amir's younger sister， is also a thoughtfully developed character。 Ahmadi is good at allowing us into the feelings of Amir， Soraya， and their parents。 While the Azadi family dynamic is well-handled， the implausible adventures of Amir in Rome made the book less fulfilling for me。 A decent read。 。。。more
Stacie （BTR）
，
2。5
Christopher Addison
，
A compelling exploration of identity set against the lush backdrop of Italy。 The struggle if the central character with their Iranian identity and gay identity was explored in a thoughtful and thought provoking way， and ultimately showed that whatever the case， love will always win
Malissa
，
"I can tell you this much: life is not a scoreboard， Amir。 It is a big， beautiful， messy equation。 One of those extra-complicated ones even a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician couldn't crack， let alone your poet friend who nearly flunked algebra。" "I can tell you this much: life is not a scoreboard， Amir。 It is a big， beautiful， messy equation。 One of those extra-complicated ones even a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician couldn't crack， let alone your poet friend who nearly flunked algebra。" 。。。more
Cinthia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed this book mainly because of all the experiences in Rome。 I loved learning a few things and how he portrayed Rome， not in the sense of all the things that make Rome awesome but in the little things people miss because they want to inhale Rome。 I liked that Amir got to meet people he loved there and that he got to be himself， find himself and enjoy life for that one summer。 I liked the way it was told。 I loved how the things that are so american hadn't really gotten to the people he met， I enjoyed this book mainly because of all the experiences in Rome。 I loved learning a few things and how he portrayed Rome， not in the sense of all the things that make Rome awesome but in the little things people miss because they want to inhale Rome。 I liked that Amir got to meet people he loved there and that he got to be himself， find himself and enjoy life for that one summer。 I liked the way it was told。 I loved how the things that are so american hadn't really gotten to the people he met， they were so involved in consuming the Roman culture since they were already there instead of trying to learn the American one。 I loved his sister she should be a private investigator lol。 。。。more
Marthabethan
，
3。5 rounded up！ This is a great YA book which I enjoyed a lot， but it didn’t blow me away。 It handled a lot of really important themes and was really insightful and interesting， particularly with regards to Amir and his family learning to accept his sexuality。 Seeing more of an insight as the book progressed into their thoughts and feelings as Muslims and Iranian’s was great and helped add depth to the narrative。 I liked the style it was written in， where it slowly came forward in time and also 3。5 rounded up！ This is a great YA book which I enjoyed a lot， but it didn’t blow me away。 It handled a lot of really important themes and was really insightful and interesting， particularly with regards to Amir and his family learning to accept his sexuality。 Seeing more of an insight as the book progressed into their thoughts and feelings as Muslims and Iranian’s was great and helped add depth to the narrative。 I liked the style it was written in， where it slowly came forward in time and also had scenes from the interrogation room。 You could tell it was a really personal story to the author， and I loved the authors note at the end！ Overall， a really good book！ 。。。more
amy macciocca
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really enjoyed the multiple perspectives and the use of flashbacks， and was overall very enjoyable！ i recommend reading if you are looking for a reasonably easy and short read
Vivian Marques
，
mto fofo
Sanjay L
，
What a stunning book！
Raimskie
，
Beautiful， gorgeous， and heartfelt。 A must-read for anyone （specifically AAPI readers） who are looking for a warm hug。
Ellie Edmunds
，
- oh Soraya， you own my heart - we love a gay adventure - the amount of times my jaw DROPPED - i can’t stop thinking about Jahan’s voicemail or had me in floods - i loved the ending so much but i wish it had an epilogue， i just needed to know a bit more yannoe
Trisha Goins
，
This book blew me away。 The story of a boy trying to find himself and find the courage to tell the truth to his family。 I was mesmerized how each character shared their story from their point of view and how each chapter unfolded a little bit more of the complex pieces that make up a family。 Highly recommend！
Momo
，
I read it in one day。 I cried。 It was great。 It's unrealistic and romanticised， so if you're looking for a factual report of an average Italian summer or an angsty tumultuous exploration of being Muslim in post-9/11 America， skip this one。 But if you want a sweet， semi-autobiographical but very， very romanticised coming out story， read this book！！！ No more pandemic， time to hop on a plane to Europe and immediately intertwine myself into a group of fresh， zany， gays。 （but don't actually。 there's I read it in one day。 I cried。 It was great。 It's unrealistic and romanticised， so if you're looking for a factual report of an average Italian summer or an angsty tumultuous exploration of being Muslim in post-9/11 America， skip this one。 But if you want a sweet， semi-autobiographical but very， very romanticised coming out story， read this book！！！ No more pandemic， time to hop on a plane to Europe and immediately intertwine myself into a group of fresh， zany， gays。 （but don't actually。 there's still very much pandemic。） 。。。more
Megan
，
This book got me out of a reading slump！ Great story， great characters。 Really opens your eyes to the struggles of POC LGBTQ+ people。 I don't think the ending is the best it doesn't really resolve。 This book got me out of a reading slump！ Great story， great characters。 Really opens your eyes to the struggles of POC LGBTQ+ people。 I don't think the ending is the best it doesn't really resolve。 。。。more
Tyler Brown
，
I loved this book， but the ending left me wanting more。 I feel like there were a few loose ends that never got tied up; even if I don't like how things end I still want to know HOW they end。 I don't like having to create my own story。 Still an incredible book。 I loved this book， but the ending left me wanting more。 I feel like there were a few loose ends that never got tied up; even if I don't like how things end I still want to know HOW they end。 I don't like having to create my own story。 Still an incredible book。 。。。more
marcela
，
3。75
raissa glazielle
，
Esse livro vai ficar marcado em mim pra sempre。"Talvez o truque seja esse。 Tempo。 Talvez os problemas de verdade não se resolvam com brigas e confusão， mas com o passar do tempo" Esse livro vai ficar marcado em mim pra sempre。"Talvez o truque seja esse。 Tempo。 Talvez os problemas de verdade não se resolvam com brigas e confusão， mas com o passar do tempo" 。。。more
Sincerely_Ariiiiii
，
It's seriously so fucking good！！ that fantasy I had about running away。。。 well I can kinda live that through this book。 Loved all the references from mean girls to what not lmao。 The best part about this was the Rome Queer element<33 kinda made my mind wonder in those night streets again which I read about in Call me by your name， trust me my friend it was such a bliss<3 PICK THIS UP RN！！ it's nothing less then perfection。 It's seriously so fucking good！！ that fantasy I had about running away。。。 well I can kinda live that through this book。 Loved all the references from mean girls to what not lmao。 The best part about this was the Rome Queer element<33 kinda made my mind wonder in those night streets again which I read about in Call me by your name， trust me my friend it was such a bliss<3 PICK THIS UP RN！！ it's nothing less then perfection。 。。。more
Ellis
，
A beautiful story about how hard it can be to come out。 I really loved it。
Oishe Paul
，
i loved the premise of this， but i think it fell a little flat。 i understand the interrogations gave us perspectives of the rest of mc’s family， but would’ve liked to see some of them as actual flashbacks to feel a little more immersive。other than that， i’ll never be mad at gays in italy :）
Barry Quinn
，
"I'm not a terrorist。 I'm Iranian。 And I'm gay。"Exploring the struggles of merging your gay identity with your Muslim family， How It All Blew Up was honestly breathtaking。 I literally devoured this book and struggled putting it down。 Arvin Ahmadi's semi-autobiographical novel broke down numerous stereotypes whilst exploring the importance of being true to yourself。 An absolute must-read！ 🏳️🌈🧕🏾 "I'm not a terrorist。 I'm Iranian。 And I'm gay。"Exploring the struggles of merging your gay identity with your Muslim family， How It All Blew Up was honestly breathtaking。 I literally devoured this book and struggled putting it down。 Arvin Ahmadi's semi-autobiographical novel broke down numerous stereotypes whilst exploring the importance of being true to yourself。 An absolute must-read！ 🏳️🌈🧕🏾 。。。more
Emily
，
This was my second book this summer about a teen who runs off to a foreign country （in this case unplanned） to escape community， religious， and familial homophobia。 （A trend？） After being extorted by high school classmates and certain he's going to be outed to his family， Amir heads to Rome where he quickly falls into friendships with a community of slightly older international queer men。 When his parents and sister eventually track him down， Amir （who's Iranian and Muslim） must confront his and This was my second book this summer about a teen who runs off to a foreign country （in this case unplanned） to escape community， religious， and familial homophobia。 （A trend？） After being extorted by high school classmates and certain he's going to be outed to his family， Amir heads to Rome where he quickly falls into friendships with a community of slightly older international queer men。 When his parents and sister eventually track him down， Amir （who's Iranian and Muslim） must confront his and their fears。 The narrative is told mostly from Amir's point of view as he recounts his story to airport security after the family has a public argument on the plane on their way back to the US。 However， we also hear from the other members of his family who love him deeply and each struggle （or not） with his coming out differently。 I appreciated how this book contributes to the growing number of YA novels about LGBTQIA non-Christian BIPOC youth。 And， it's a good read。 I'd like to go to Rome， too。 。。。more
Ronald
，
Beautiful。 Brilliant。 Inspiring。 Sensationally good。 Impressive writing。 Funny。 There are so many positive words to represent Arvin Ahmadi's finest novel that he has written！ I loved this book and it's easily become one of my top books of all time。 A masterpiece in young adult literature， indeed！ Beautiful。 Brilliant。 Inspiring。 Sensationally good。 Impressive writing。 Funny。 There are so many positive words to represent Arvin Ahmadi's finest novel that he has written！ I loved this book and it's easily become one of my top books of all time。 A masterpiece in young adult literature， indeed！ 。。。more
Brianna Raquel
，
This kinda felt like one of those TV movies you randomly find that leaves you wanting more then you don’t think about it again for 3 years。 It was cute though。
sislasus
，
Could not engage in this story， I'm not sure why though。 Could not engage in this story， I'm not sure why though。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How It All Blew Up
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How It All Blew Up&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,How It All Blew Up&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0