SATA

PERSONAL

Born November 9, 1988, in CT; married Ransom Riggs (a writer), 2013; children: one.

EDUCATION:

Soka University of America (Aliso Viejo, CA), degree, 2009.

ADDRESS

• Home - Santa Monica, CA.
• Agent - Jodi Reamer, Writers House, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010-1083.

CAREER

Writer.

AWARDS:

National Book Award for Young People’s Literature nomination, 2018, for A Very Large Expanse of Sea.

WRITINGS

• “SHATTER ME” YOUNG-ADULT NOVEL SERIES
• “THIS WOVEN KINGDOM” YOUNG-ADULT NOVEL SERIES
• Furthermore (middle-grade novel), Dutton (New York, NY), 2016
• Whichwood (middle-grade novel; sequel to Furthermore ), Dutton (New York, NY), 2017
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea (young-adult novel), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2018
• An Emotion of Great Delight (young-adult novel), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2021
• Shatter Me, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2011
• Unravel Me, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2013
• Unite Me, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2014
• Ignite Me, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2014
• Restore Me, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2018
• Defy Me, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2019
• Find Me (novella), Harper (New York, NY), 2019
• Imagine Me, Harper (New York, NY), 2020
• Believe Me, Harper (New York, NY), 2021
• This Woven Kingdom, Electric Monkey (London, England), 2022
• These Infinite Threads, Harper (New York, NY), 2023
• All This Twisted Glory, Harper (New York, NY), 2024
• Watch Me, Storytide (New York, NY), 2025
• Every Spiral of Fate , Storytide (New York, NY), 2025

Film rights to Shatter Me were acquired by Twentieth Century-Fox.

SIDELIGHTS

Tahereh Mafi made an impressive literary debut at age twenty-three with Shatter Me, the dystopian thriller that also inaugurated her series of the same name. Mafi has also written fantasy novels including Furthermore and Whichwood, two works for middle-grade readers. In addition, she has tackled realistic fiction including the acclaimed novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea. Her YA fantasy series “This Woven Kingdom” draws on Persian mythology.

Set in a future world wrecked by environmental disaster and ruled by a military dictatorship, Shatter Me centers on seventeen-year-old Juliette, who has been removed from her home and institutionalized by the regime because of her lethal power. After enduring tremendous isolation, Juliette is thrilled when Adam, a handsome new cellmate, arrives. Adam is immune to Juliette’s deadly power and he has actually come to recruit her for a vital role inside the innermost circles of the dictatorship. As a romance blooms between them, Juliette is appointed to serve as protector of Warner, leader of the authoritarian Reestablishment. An underground resistance is working to unseat the powerful man and his cabal, and she must decide where her loyalties are.

“Inventive touches … help propel” Mafi’s storyline in Shatter Me, in the view of Booklist critic Cindy Dobrez, and a Publishers Weekly contributor called the novel “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Writing in School Library Journal, Saleena L. Davidson enjoyed the thoroughly dystopian landscape Mafi brings to life in her novel, the critic adding that “the horrendous consequences of ecological greediness” energize a narrative that “shines a light of hope through the idea that evolution always finds a way to adapt.”

In Unravel Me, Juliette is fully immersed in the underground movement and training to join the revolution alongside Adam. Fans of Shatter Me “will be thrilled with the secrets unveiled” here, noted Dobrez in Booklist, and in School Library Journal, Davidson predicted that Mafi’s fans “will enjoy following Juliette’s life and watching her mature.” A postwar resolution looms on the horizon in Ignite Me, causing a reset in Juliette’s relationship with Warner. In the view of Voice of Youth Advocates writer Johanna Nation-Vallee, this third “Shatter Me” novel “delves into relationships and emotional expression on a level uncommon in teen dystopian literature.”

After assassinating the leader of North America, Juliette begins ruling the country in Restore Me. She must face challenges from children of the previous establishment. School Library Journal writer Elizabeth Friend suggested: “Much of what drove the previous novels forward is lacking here.” However, Elizabeth Matson, critic in Voice of Youth Advocates, remarked: “The tight focus of the present tense, first-person narrative provides an emotional immediacy with high teen appeal.” Cindy Welch, a contributor to Booklist, noted: “The last pages build to a cliff-hanger that will have fans groaning aloud for the next installment.”

When readers first meet her in Furthermore, Alice lacks pigmentation in her skin and is ostracized by the other residents of Ferenwood, the color-obsessed, magic-enchanted realm where she lives. Joined by Oliver, a boy who once bullied her, Alice undertakes a cautious journey to the alternate realm of Furthermore, her hope being to uncover clues leading to information about her missing father. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly heralded Furthermore as “a lush, enchanting fantasy full of magic and mayhem” as well as a “richly imaginative story that embraces and celebrates individuality.” In a Kirkus Reviews critique, Mafi was cited for having a good grasp of her material, the critic stating that “rich, luscious, clever prose by an omniscient narrator” is enlivened by “chatty asides [that both] warn and inform.”

 

Whichwood, a sequel to Furthermore, finds Alice and Oliver serving as minor characters in a story that focuses on a thirteen-year-old girl with magical abilities named Laylee. Laylee is ostracized for her associations with dead people, and Alice and Oliver attempt to help her deal with how she is being treated. Regarding the setting of the book, Mafi told Kerri Jarema, a contributor to the Bustle website: “My mother spent many of the happiest years of her life as young girl in Azerbaijan and, though it currently stands as a sovereign nation, Azerbaijan was, in her childhood, still a part of Iran. It’s this fascinating, breathtaking part of the world that straddles the space between Iran and Russia, and has its own spectacular customs and traditions. … The clothes, colors, and landscapes of Whichwood, and Futhermore, actually, were occasionally inspired by specific scenes and places from my mother’s stories and memories.” “Fantasy fans looking for something new will find much to enjoy here,” asserted Erin Reilly-Sanders in School Library Journal. A Kirkus Reviews writer remarked: “Memorable new characters experience the restorative power of friendship in this darkly fascinating, somewhat ghoulish sequel to Furthermore. ” Julia Smith, reviewer in Booklist, described Whichwood as a “singular fantasy [with] an equally unforgettable heroine.” Nancy K. Wallace, writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, suggested that “this companion volume to Furthermore will either appall or engross young readers.”

A Very Large Expanse of Sea, which was nominated for a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2018, is set shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its protagonist is a Muslim girl named Shirin. She deals with community uproar when she dates a white boy named Ocean. In an interview with Agatha French on the Los Angeles Times website, Mafi stated: “It’s definitely the most autobiographical thing I’ve ever written. So much of it is inspired by things I’ve experienced in my life—conversations I’ve had with people, things that have actually happened to me—but it’s streamlined for fiction.” Mafi added: “I always knew I had to write this book. This is my story, the story I’ve been writing in my head for years.” Referring to Mafi, Karin Greenberg in School Library Journal commented: “Her writing is nuanced, smart, and lacks the sentimentality that often weighs down young adult books.” Booklist critic Qurratulayn Muhammad suggested: “Rich characters, incisive writing, and a powerful story will thrill readers beyond Mafi’s already stalwart fans.” “Intense, emotional and resonant, A Very Large Expanse of Sea is a riptide that pulls readers in,” asserted Erin Holt in BookPage.

Mafi released An Emotion of Great Delight in 2021. In an interview on the Young Adult Literature Convention website, Mafi explained, “The book is, at its core, a story of a pushing through sorrow and reclaiming joy.” The story is set in 2003, just after the United States has declared war on Iraq. Shadi struggles to make sense of this new landscape, which now includes the growing threat of hate crimes against Muslims. To make matters worse, Shadi and her family are having a difficult time adjusting to the untimely death of her brother. In addition, her best friend has distanced herself from Shadi, her father has just suffered from his second heart attack and is not doing well, her mother is struggling with the weight of responsibility and despair, and her sister, who has taken on most of the household management, seems to hate her. At school, Shadi keeps all of her issues to herself, but over time that becomes an increasingly difficult proposition. “I wanted, with this story, to depict the many variations on pain that might be experienced by a marginalized youth, who is just as susceptible to standard trauma as any other teenager,” commented Mafi in the same interview. In a separate interview with Mimi Koehler on the Nerd Daily website, Mafi helped set readers’s expectations, “Oh, it’s a very sad story. Hopeful, in the end! But I suppose I expect you to be sad. I also happen to think it’s the most ardent love story I’ve written to-date.” Commenting on An Emotion of Great Delight in Kirkus Reviews, a contributor concluded, “Mafi confronts issues of mental health, suicidality, racism, and self-love in ways that will leave readers reacting viscerally and powerfully.” Abby Hargreaves, writing in Booklist, declared the book “a bluntly powerful read that shouldn’t be missed.”

Mafi inaugurates a new series in This Woven Kingdom. Drawing on Islamic storytelling tradition, specifically the Persian epic poem Shahnameh, the book begins as a long, brutal war between humans and Jinn (mystical creatures in Arab mythology) has come to an end. However, the Jinn remain persecuted. A young Jinn, Alizeh, is especially at risk as she has royal blood. Meanwhile, the crown prince Kamran is trying to make the human empire more just. When the two meet, sparks fly, and a forbidden romance ensues. The pair must navigate their feelings for one another while trying to prevent violence from engulfing the world. “Mafi’s intricate worldbuilding sets high stakes” in this series opener, noted School Library Journal critic Emmy Neal. A Kirkus Reviews contributor also praised the book, calling it “gut-wrenchingly beautiful” and concluding, “richly textured, descriptive prose coupled with agonizing romance combine in this fantastical epic.”

In the sequel, These Infinite Threads, Alizeh is abducted by the Tulanian King Cyrus, who—manipulated by evil, fallen Jinn known as Iblees but desperately wanting to be free—intends to marry her. Alizeh plots to escape but is conflicted, knowing that marriage to Cyrus would bring some measure of peace and safety to her people. Meanwhile, Kamran is dealing with the murder of his father and battling a coterie of usurpers who want to prevent him from assuming the crown. Drawn still to Alizeh, Kamran ventures to Tulan to try to find her and bring about a better, more peaceful world. A Kirkus Reviews critic again praised Mafi’s narrative achievement, noting that she “continues to layer eloquent prose and exquisite emotional turmoil in a growing star-crossed love triangle that will leave fans hungry for more.”

BIOCRIT

PERIODICALS

• Booklist, October 15, 2011, Cindy Dobrez, review of Shatter Me, p. 59; March 15, 2013, Cindy Dobrez, review of Unravel Me, p. 84; September 15, 2017, Julia Smith, review of Whichwood, p. 55; March 15, 2018, Cindy Welch, review of Restore Me, p. 72; September 15, 2018, Qurratulayn Muhammad, review of A Very Large Expanse of Sea, p. 68; April 1, 2021, Abby Hargreaves, review of An Emotion of Great Delight, p. 56.

• BookPage, October, 2018, Erin Holt, review of A Very Large Expanse of Sea, p. 27.

• Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, March, 2013, Kate Quealy-Gainer, review of Unravel Me, p. 343.

• Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2011, review of Shatter Me; January 1, 2013, review of Unravel Me; January 15, 2014, review of Ignite Me; May 15, 2016, review of Furthermore; September 15, 2017, review of Whichwood; April 15, 2021, review of An Emotion of Great Delight; December 1, 2021, review of This Woven Kingdom; April 1, 2023, review of These Infinite Threads.

• Publishers Weekly, September 19, 2011, review of Shatter Me, p. 62; May 16, 2016, review of Furthermore, p. 57.

• School Library Journal, February, 2012, Saleena L. Davidson, review of Shatter Me, p. 126; July, 2013, Saleena L. Davidson, review of Unravel Me, p. 97; June, 2016, Erin Reilly-Sanders, review of Furthermore, p. 96; October, 2017, Erin Reilly-Sanders, review of Whichwood, p. 93; March, 2018, Elizabeth Friend, review of Restore Me, p. 120; September, 2018, Karin Greenberg, review of A Very Large Expanse of Sea, p. 122; May, 2022, Emmy Neal, review of This Woven Kingdom, p. 84.

• Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2014, Johanna Nation-Vallee, review of Ignite Me, p. 85; December, 2017, Nancy K. Wallace, review of Whichwood, p. 70; April, 2018, Elizabeth Matson, review of Restore Me, p. 72.

ONLINE

• Bustle, https://www.bustle.com/ (May 26, 2017), Kerri Jarema, author interview.

• Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/ (February 22, 2018), Agatha French, author interview.

• Nerd Daily, https://thenerddaily.com/ (May 30, 2021), Mimi Koehler, author interview.

• Shorty Awards website, https://shortyawards.com/ (October 8, 2021), author profile.

• Star2.com, https://www.star2.com/ (March 19, 2018), author interview.

• Tahereh Mafi website, https://www.taherehbooks.com (October 9, 2023).

• Young Adult Literary Convention, https://londonfilmandcomiccon.com/ (June 8, 2014), author interview.*