Yara's Anthem (Paperback or Softback)

The Life of Yara Shaheen—Palestinian Refugee, French Belle, American Lawyer

Amman, Jordan. 1963. Sixteen-year-old Yara has only ever known life in a Palestinian refugee camp, but when she receives an opportunity to work in Paris for the summer, the trajectory of her life shifts entirely. In the care of the sophisticated Allard family, Yara is introduced to city life and habits and experiences a sexual awakening with the family’s son.

The Allards help Yara secure a spot at Berea College in Kentucky, where she has further romantic adventures and meets Moens Thomasson, a half-Black student who has ambitions of becoming a Supreme Court justice. As Yara progresses through higher education, she meets influential friends including Rachel and Jameela, whose families adopt Yara by affection. When Moens suddenly reappears in Yara’s life, she discovers he is a manipulative sexual predator who holds troubling racial views and resorts to life-threatening measures to reach his goals.

Enlisting the help of Rachel, Jameela, and family members, they set into action a lengthy battle, legal and otherwise, that could jeopardize their standing with the university and the authorities. Yet through all of this, the three friends prevail and end up forming tight bonds, even finding love in unexpected places.