Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win

Susan Azim Boyer

It’s 1979, and Jasmine Zumideh is ready to get the heck out of California and immerse herself in New York City’s exploding music scene. With NYU her dream school and journalism her intended major, she’s been obsessed with the East Coast the past four years.

There’s just one teeny problem: Due to a deadline snafu, she’s maaaaaaybe said she’s Senior Class President-Elect on her application—before the election takes place. But honestly, she’s running against Gerald Thomas, a rigid rule follower whose platform includes reinstating a dress code—so there’s no way she can lose. And she better not, or NYU will rescind her application.

But then, a group of students in Iran, fed up with the U.S.’s interference in Iranian politics, takes the American Embassy in Tehran—and the people within it—hostage. The Iran Hostage Crisis dominates the news, and suddenly, as an Iranian-American, Jasmine’s life becomes about a lot more than typical high school drama.

Fixated on her goals, Jasmine decides to downplay her heritage to win the election. But her brother, Ali, has become increasingly vocal about the U.S.’s toxic relationship with Iran. And Gerald’s empty campaign promise to “help” bring the hostages home (sure, good luck with that) has students suddenly sympathetic to his campaign. Now Jasmine is stuck between claiming her heritage or hiding it, standing by her brother or turning her back, winning the election or abandoning her dreams for good.

Told with biting insight and fierce humor, Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win is a fresh, unforgettable story of one Iranian-American young woman’s experience as she navigates her identity, a budding romance, friendship, family, and her future, all set against life-changing historical events with present-day relevance.