{"product_id":"towelhead-9780743285124","title":"Towelhead","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe story of a girl failed by her parents and by a conflicted America, \u003ci\u003eTowelhead\u003c\/i\u003e is an ultimately redemptive and moving work that no one can afford to ignore.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe year is 1991. When Jasira's mother finds out what has been going on between her boyfriend and her thirteen-year-old daughter, she has to make a choice--and chooses to send Jasira off to Houston, Texas, to live with her father. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA remote disciplinarian prone to explosive rages, Jasira's father is unable to show his daughter the love she craves--and far less able to handle her feelings about her changing body. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBewildered by extremes of parental scrutiny and neglect, Jasira begins to look elsewhere for affection, but Saddam Hussein has invaded Kuwait, and high school has become a lonely place for a \"towelhead.\" When her father meets, and forbids her to see, her boyfriend, it becomes lonelier still. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut there is always Mr. Vuoso -- a neighboring army reservist whose son Jasira babysits. Mr. Vuoso, as Jasira discovers, has an extensive collection of \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e magazines. And he doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with Jasira's body at all. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePainfully funny, tender, and sexually charged, \u003ci\u003eTowelhead\u003c\/i\u003e is that rare thing: a gloriously readable novel unafraid to take risks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlicia Erian\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of a short story collection, \u003ci\u003eThe Brutal Language of Love.\u003c\/i\u003e Her work has appeared in \u003ci\u003ePlayboy, Zoetrope, Nerve, The Iowa Review, \u003c\/i\u003e and other publications. This is her first novel\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50412943540498,"sku":"9780743285124","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bce78256-e998-48e9-8c64-b95a4736d557.jpg?v=1729335215","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/towelhead-9780743285124","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}