-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
In this debut YA friendship story set in Saudi Arabia, two girls navigate typical teen issues - crushes, college, family expectations, future hopes, and dreams.
Sixteen-year-olds Leena and Mishie are best friends. They delight in small rebellions against the Saudi cultural police - secret Western clothing, forbidden music, flirtations. But Leena wants college, independence - she wants a different life. Though her story is specific to her world (a world where it's illegal for women to drive, where a ten-year-old boy is the natural choice as guardian of a fatherless woman), ultimately it's a story about friendship, family, and freedom that transcends cultural differences.
"Starred Review. Whether describing the freedom of learning to drive ("Raw power flowed through my veins") or her humiliating punishment when discovered disguised as a man ("I felt rather than heard my hair fall"), Leena's commanding voice conveys her desperation, courage, and intellect in a riveting, ultimately exhilarating page-turner. Ages 13-18." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. The fast-paced narrative and unexpected twists make for an engaging yet educational novel with a powerful message about the complexities of being a woman in a man's world." - Kirkus
This information about Driving by Starlight was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Anat Deracine is the pseudonym of a professional wanderer, whose passports include stamps from Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey. She grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she watched scud missiles fall from the sky during the Gulf War. She studied engineering and philosophy at Cornell University, and political science at Oxford University. Today, she lives in San Francisco but travels to discover new cultures and perspectives.
If you liked Driving by Starlight, try these:
by Rosena Fung
Published 2024
A powerful coming-of-age graphic novel about how mothers and daughters pass down—and rebel against—standards of size, gender, race, beauty, and worth.
The Most Precious Substance on Earth
by Shashi Bhat
Published 2023
Journey Prize winner Shashi Bhat's sharp, darkly comic, and poignant story about a high school student's traumatic experience and how it irrevocably alters her life, for fans of 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, Girlhood, and Pen15.
by Tanaz Bhathena
Published 2019
A timeless exploration of high-stakes romance, self-discovery, and the lengths we go to love and be loved.
The thing that cowardice fears most is decision
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
