American Heart

A gripping and timely YA debut from New York Times bestselling author Laura Moriarty that asks readers to consider how they themselves would react to injustice

Imagine a United States in which registries and detainment camps for Muslim Americans are a reality.

This is the world of fifteen-year-old Sarah-Mary Williams of Hannibal, Missouri. Sarah-Mary, who has strong opinions on almost everything, isn’t concerned with the internments, as she doesn’t know any Muslims. She assumes that everything she reads and sees in the news is true, and that these plans are better for everyone’s safety.

When she happens upon Sadaf, a Muslim fugitive determined to reach freedom in Canada, Sarah-Mary at first believes she must turn her in. But Sadaf challenges Sarah-Mary’s perception of right and wrong, and instead Sarah-Mary decides, with growing conviction, to do all she can to help Sadaf escape. The two set off on a desperate journey, hitchhiking through the heart of an America that is at times courageous and kind but always full of tension and danger for anyone deemed suspicious.

American Heart is a powerful new novel from bestselling adult author Laura Moriarty that is thought-provoking, compelling, and sure to spark conversation.