Only This Beautiful Moment

De: Abdi Nazemian

Narrado por: Vikas Adam, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Iman Nazemzadeh

Stonewall Book Award Winner * A Best Book of the Year from the Guardian, ALA Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and BookPage

From the award–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a sweeping story of three generations of boys in the same Iranian family. Perfect for fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay.

2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.

1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.

1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.

A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Fiction for Young Adult category!

©2023 Abdi Nazemian (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

An inspiring surprise

A beautiful weave of three lives that gave me a unique glimpse into a world very much worth knowing and understanding. I loved this book!

One of the most beautiful stories I’ve read

The story was so incredibly impactful and I am thankful to have read this. So well written and captivating

The performer's accents

I loved the story. The only thing I didn't care for was some of the accents that were Indian. As an Iranian I would have expected someone with a Persian accent would read the parts instead of an Indian. Otherwise great book.

This is a must read!

I loved the multi-generational component of this story. I also loved how important elements of family, heritage and history are woven together. It made me question some of my long held ideas between people vs. government. Outstanding read!

Too many beautiful moments

Abdi Nazemian’s latest is more than just a touching tribute to family and inter-generational challenges and change, it is an exciting, interesting story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It left me wanting more yet completely satisfied. Can we get an Ava spinoff, please?! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

A Beautiful Novel

So well crafted and movingly told by the excellent narrators. A success literarily and also as a journey back and forth between different regimes in Iran and the US, between the queer and homophobic societies from the late 1920s to the late teens of the new century. I highly recommend this book. Bravo to Abdi Nazemian.

Lovely and emotional read

Loved this story telling, wonderful narration. This book paced perfectly and came together so beautifully. Love a book without loose ends. I am curious to know how accurate the first generation history was. It felt very current but was set nearly 100 years ago.

Binge-able

I am new to listening to audio books. This was my second and I wasn’t sure if I could handle the over ten hour run time. But the chapters slipped by. The characters felt real. The family was one I was rooting for, not just one person but all. I want to read more Iranian YA now and check out Rumi.

This is the right time for this book

This book has every element you would want in book. It is also a book that reflects our own world today. I am so glad I gave this one a chance.