Summary

The novel begins with a date “September 1989” and a quote from James Baldwin, “It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6, or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance . . . has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, and although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you” (1). Page 3 begins with the chapter title “REZA” (3). Reza begins the novel talking about how there should be a limit to how long a person has to wear braces. Reza thinks tomorrow he starts his senior year of high school and he is done with the braces and being invisible.

He is watching two television shows at the same time - The Golden Girls and The Neverending Story. He starts to pull at the edge of...