One Half from the East

Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia, Thanhha Lai, and Rebecca Stead, internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for young readers is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a bacha posh―a preteen girl dressed as a boy.

Obayda’s family is in need of some good fortune, and her aunt has an idea to bring the family luck―dress Obayda, the youngest of four sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh.

Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. Their transformation won’t last forever, though―unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.

Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for adults, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, was a bestseller that shares a bacha posh character with One Half from the East.

But what happens when the lines between being a boy and being a girl begin to blur?

• Exploring Identity: When ten-year-old Obayda becomes Obayd, she discovers freedoms she never imagined—and challenges she never expected.
• An Unlikely Friendship: In another bacha posh named Rahim, Obayda finds her first true best friend, a confidant who understands her secret life like no one else can.
• Sisterhood and Family Bonds: As the youngest of four sisters, Obayda’s transformation tests her family’s bonds as they struggle to find their way after a tragedy.
• Life in Afghanistan: A powerful look at modern-day life in Afghanistan, from the bustling city of Kabul to a small, traditional village.

Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and daughter of Afghan immigrants. She is the author of four books for adults: The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, A House Without Windows, When the Moon Is Low, and Sparks Like Stars, as well as the middle grade novels One Half from the East and The Sky at Our Feet. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, suburbs.