Drawing Deena
by Hena Khan (Author)
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Booktalk: Deena’s never given a name to the familiar knot in her stomach that appears when her parents argue about money, when it’s time to go to school, or when she struggles to find the right words. She manages to make it through each day with the help of her friends and the art she loves to make.
While her parents’ money troubles cause more and more stress, Deena wonders if she can use her artistic talents to ease their burden. She creates a logo and social media account to promote her mom’s home-based business selling clothes from Pakistan to the local community. With her cousin and friends modeling the outfits and lending their social media know-how, business picks up.
But the success and attention make Deena’s cousin and best friend, Parisa, start to act funny. Suddenly Deena’s latest creative outlet becomes another thing that makes her feel nauseated and unsure of herself. After Deena reaches a breaking point, both she and her mother learn the importance of asking for help and that, with the right support, Deena can create something truly beautiful.
Snippet: “Crooks!” Mama grumbles from the privacy of our car. “Four hundred dollars! For a piece of plastic! They’re always finding new ways to take people’s money at this place.”
She’s talking about the mouthguard, and not even the filling. The grand total for my dental failures, which I’ve been hearing about from the moment we walked out of the office, is a whopping six hundred eighty-five dollars.
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