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aw teen's dark famity histery, teaving c rechen with his heritage, tegacy, and identity in this fiery, cenversaficn-starting nevet. VSM tet ct Ng WHAT MAKES US RAFI MITTLEFEHLDT haron knows nothing of his father except that he left 1p was a baby. Now a senior in high school and living whe! ‘with his protective but tight-lipped mother, Eran is a passionate young man deeply interested in social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a program to increase traffic stops, Eran organizes a peaceful protest. But a heated moment at the protest goes viral, and a reporter connects the Sharon fami to a tragedy fifteen years earlier —and asks hing like his father, a supposed terrorist. Soon ‘enough, Eran is wondering the same thing, especially when the if Eran is any people he's gone to school and temple with for years start to look at him differently. Timely, powerful, and full of nuance, Rafi Mittlefehldt’s sophomore novel confronts the prejudices, fears, and strengths of family and community, striking right to the heart of what makes us who we are. eee o prevent them from knowing, being, and lo Fee Me eS TRU aN eet Poses a Srsceet eee Pogo een hope and acceptance” — Pub A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR A Re ee Oe ccc eee USL mentioned one of the bombers having left behind a wife and three-year-old daughter. It was a throwaway line, but it stuck with me—I couldn't stop thinking about that girl, who CCC enc a a een a eee tag was, and how would she process that? How would others react to learning about her family DCS a coe Ee Cad What Makes Us began very simply as a story exploring those questions. But as I fleshed out the two main characters, Eran and Jade, their personalities took the story deeper; toward matters that are personal to me but relatable to so many. Eran’s volatility and tendency to react instinctively force him to confront issues of impulse control and anger management. RO Coe Late ee oe eee self-determination and to ask, What makes a person? As the novel switches between Eran’s DU eG ics eee EMC a CUE sacra enc all against the backdrop of a community on the brink of chaos ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rafi Mittlefehldt is a writer who has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance theater critic, and children’s author. His debut novel was It Looks Like This, Rafi Mittlefehldt lives with his husband in New York City. Reet polerce eet

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