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Behind the Book: Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Honor winning author of Like a Love Story, is back with Only This Beautiful Moment and you won't want to miss it! Told through the perspective of three generations of Iranian men, this book explores masculinity, sexuality, and the challenges of growing up.

2019. Moud (short for Mahmoud) is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.

1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.

1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles in three different eras, this sweeping tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.

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Praise for Only This Beautiful Moment

“This story, told in three points of view from three generations of the same family, is nothing short of masterful. This is the kind of story that young adult literature is made for—a story of the heart, of the very real human struggles young people face and that adults try to—but never truly—forget.”
  — ALA Booklist (starred review)
 
“Nazemian expertly bridges the past and the present, exploring racism, homophobia, and relations between the United States and Iran along the way. His elegant prose propels this historically resonant and culturally nuanced family drama. A stunning intergenerational coming-of-age story.”
  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“Nazemian combines interconnected narratives spanning three generations of an Iranian family in this ambitious read….Via the trio’s intimately realized alternating perspectives, Nazemian paints a transcendent and complex portrait of generational grief and self-discovery, expertly interweaving the boys’ individual experiences with homophobia, racism, and U.S.-Iranian relations to deliver a touching family drama.”
  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Three generations of an Iranian family have secrets and stories that, when finally shared, open metaphorical doors long closed and heal relationships that have scarred into distant hesitancy….This is a book about family, intergenerational trauma, love, and reconciliation set within two countries, a story that emphasizes the idea that where we are from is deeply influential in our identity making, while acknowledging that we are also formed out of who we love and who loves us.”
  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
 
“Only This Beautiful Moment is a queer epic, a defiant piece of art that transmutes the rallying cry of “we’re here, we’re queer, get used to it” into even more beautiful poetry that will almost certainly change the lives of those who read it.”
  — BookPage (starred review)

About the Author

Abdi Nazemian is the author of Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book, The Chandler Legacies, and The Authentics. His novel The Walk-In Closet won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction. His screenwriting credits include the films The Artist’s Wife, The Quiet, and Menendez: Blood Brothers and the television series The Village and Almost Family. He has been an executive producer and associate producer on numerous films, including Call Me by Your Name, Little Woods, and The House of Tomorrow. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog, Disco. Find him online at www.abdinazemian.com.

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