Moon At Nine (Deborah Ellis)

Deborah Ellis is an author I really admire. She seems to easily write about difficult topics. She seems to have a particular interest in the middle east. I have loved many of her other books like The Breadwinner (about the war in Afghanistan), as well as the rest of the books in that series, No Ordinary Day , Three Wishes, The Heaven Shop (about aids in Africa)

In this book, Moon at Nine, Deborah Ellis tackles another difficult topic: LGBQ issues. She handles it with ease. Although, the story broke my heart.


Here is the Goodreads Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Farrin has many secrets. Although she goes to a school for gifted girls in Tehran, as the daughter of an aristocratic mother and wealthy father, Farrin must keep a low profile. It is 1988; ever since the Shah was overthrown, the deeply conservative and religious government controls every facet of life in Iran. If the Revolutionary Guard finds out about her mother’s Bring Back the Shah activities, her family could be thrown in jail, or worse.

The day she meets Sadira, Farrin’s life changes forever. Sadira is funny, wise, and outgoing; the two girls become inseparable. But as their friendship deepens into romance, the relationship takes a dangerous turn. It is against the law to be gay in Iran; the punishment is death. Despite their efforts to keep their love secret, the girls are discovered and arrested. Separated from Sadira, Farrin can only pray as she awaits execution. Will her family find a way to save them both?

Based on real-life events, multi-award winning author Deborah Ellis’s new book is a tense and riveting story about a world where homosexuality is considered so abhorrent that it is punishable by death.

The story is called Moon at Nine because the two girls, when banned from being together, decide that they will each look at the moon at 9 and think of each other. If this book doesn't cause you to want to do something about human rights, I'm not sure what will. Astounding story. Well worth the read. When I was reading this book I wondered if perhaps Deborah Ellis could also be gay. Sure enough!