Getting Started - SKYCTC QEP Book Club - Spring 2020 - Here to Stay - Research Guides at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College

A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice

Join the SKYCTC book club Spring 2020 as we read Here to Stay by Sara Farizan.

Sara Farizan was born on August 2, 1984, in Massachusetts. Her parents immigrated from Iran to the United States in the 1970s. She has loved writing since she was a child and earned her MFA from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sara currently lives in Boston. Here to Stay is Sara's third YA novel.

Here to Stay is about a typical high school student. Bijan Majidi, an American kid of Iranian Jordanian decent, gets good grades, plays basketball, reads comic books, and hangs with his friends. After he shoots the winning basket at the big game, he suddenly is suddenly thrust into the spotlight at school. Some of the attention from his classmates is positive, but then he is targeted by a cyberbully who sends out a picture that makes Bijan look like a terrorist.

I had it in my head that if I became popular, every day would feel like my birthday. I’d have no trouble talking to girls. I’d be admired by my peers. I did not think everything would turn to crap salad in a bucket. - Bijan Majidi

Image Courtesy of Workman Publishing

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
ISBN: 9781616207007
"A powerful YA novel about identity and prejudice." --Entertainment Weekly Bijan Majidi is: Shy around girls Really into comics Decent at basketball Bijan Majidi is not: A terrorist What happens when a kid who's flown under the radar for most of high school gets pulled off the bench to make the winning basket in a varsity playoff game? If his name is Bijan Majidi, life is suddenly high fives in the hallways and invitations to exclusive parties--along with an anonymous photo sent by a school cyberbully that makes Bijan look like a terrorist. The administration says they'll find and punish the culprit. Bijan wants to pretend it never happened. He's not ashamed of his Middle Eastern herita≥ he just doesn't want to be a poster child for Islamophobia. Lots of classmates rally around Bijan. Others make it clear they don't want him or anybody who looks like him at their school. But it's not always easy to tell your enemies from your friends. Here to Stay is a painfully honest, funny, authentic story about growing up, speaking out, and fighting prejudice.

Here to Stay Book Reviews

I'm Your Neighbor Books - Review of Here to Stay
I’m Your Neighbor Books is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to use the accessibility and artistry of children’s literature to: (1) Create community conversations on immigration, (2) Celebrate the lives of New Arrivals and New Americans, and (3) Build a culture of Welcoming and Belonging
Kirkus - Review of Here to Stay
Kirkus is an American book review magazine that reviews over 7,000 titles per year.
Publisher's Weekly - Review of Here to Stay
Publishers Weekly is a weekly news magazine focused on the international book publishing business and is best known for its pre-publication book reviews, publishing some 9,000 per year.

Why We Write Podcast with Sara Farizan

Sara Farizan Interview at the Miami Book Fair 2018

Learn more about the SKYCTC QEP

What is a QEP?

QEP: Quality Enhancement Plan

Continual improvement

All colleges develop a project to enhance some aspect of student learning

What are the SKYCTC QEP goals?

To help transitional reading students become academically successful

To help students become better critical readers

To develop a literacy-rich campus culture

To learn more about the SKYCTC QEP visit the Advising for Reading Students webpage

Book Club selections through the years

Ways to Participate in the SKYCTC QEP Book Club

SKYCTC Book Giveaways

Wednesday, February 19

Thursday, February 20

Main Campus

Building E | Lounge Area | 10:45-11:15am
Building L | Lobby | 11:45am-12:15pm

Main Campus

Building E | Lounge Area | 12:30-12:45pm
Building L | Lobby | 12:30-12:45pm

Glasgow Health Campus

LRC B-302 | 12:30-12:40pm

KATI Campus

Front Lobby/Reception Desk Area |
9:00-9:30am

Franklin-Simpson Campus

Lobby | 12:00-12:15pm

Directions on how to join the Online Discussion

1. Login to Blackboard

2. On your Institution Page, scroll down to your list of KCTCS Student Resources

3. Click on Organization Search

4. Type book club into the Organization Search box and click Go

5. Click on the SKYC_QEP_Book_Club link

6. Click on the Enroll button and then click Submit

7. You are now enrolled in the SKYCTC Book Club.

In the future, to get to the SKYCTC Book Club, select Organizations from the left-hand navigation menu in Blackboard. You will see the SKYCTC Book Club listed under your Current Organizations.

As part of the SKYCTC Book Club Organization, you will receive emails about the new book selected each semester and the book club events on campus. You will also be able to participate in the online discussions, sharing your thoughts about the book and joining the conversation with your fellow students.

If you have any problems with enrolling or participating in the online discussion, please contact one of the following:

Kathryne LeFevre via email or by calling 270-901-1155
Coni Waggoner via email or by calling 270-901-1067
Teresa Ward via email or by calling 270-901-1238

SKYCTC QEP Book Club - Spring 2020 - Here to Stay: Getting Started