young adult

‘Go Home’

A timely young adult novel about love, loss, immigration and the search for belonging

Find at your local indie bookstore
Also available on Amazon
Book Jacket: art by Shonagh Rae, design by Michael Solomon

Groundwood Books

Set on the New Hampshire Seacoast, the story follows Olive and Gabe as they build a future together while grieving the loss of Olive’s brother. When Samir and his family move into the neighborhood to begin a new life, their families’ worlds become intertwined in unexpected ways.

Through the experiences of two families from different backgrounds, “Go Home” explores questions of identity, prejudice, loyalty and what it means to welcome others.

Terry Farish and Lochan Sharma have traveled and met with many groups engaged in welcoming and building trust with immigrant communities in their cities.

For more about literary collaboration across cultures, please read “Terry Farish Reflects on What Good Intercultural Author Collaboration Looks Like.”

Book Jacket: art by Shonagh Rae, design by Michael Solomon

Praise for ‘Go Home’

  • “Farish and Sharma bring important current social issues to light in ‘Go Home’ which is exciting, engaging and well worth the read.”

    — CM:  Canadian Review of Materials, highly recommended 5-star review

  • “Terry Farish and Lochan Sharma are from different generations and different cultures – differences they showcased in a new young adult novel they spent four years writing together..Go Home shows how teenage characters are grappling with some of the same questions igniting the political debate around immigration.”

    — Boston Globe

  • “One of the most striking moments in the book is Samir learning to swim—not just crossing a river, but confronting fear, finding his strength, and proving his determination to build a place for himself and his family in a new world.”

    — Tulsa N Sh, former teacher in Nepal and librarian in Bhutan and Narendra Sharma, Professor, Elizabeth City University, North Carolina

  • “Beautiful and powerful! Highly recommended. This is the only Nepali co-authored young adult novel I’ve ever found. I hope it’s included in lists of South Asian books.”

    — Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor–winning author of “The Surrender Tree”

  • “A powerful novel. … This book is an in-depth look at real life factions across the country and can serve to generate awareness of a serious problem.”

    ― The International Educator Blog

  • “Go Home gives humanity to all of those involved in the protracted debate over immigration.”

    — Lyn Miller-Lachmann, author of LA Times “Best YA Book of the Year,” “Torch”

  • “The teens discover a deep connection through warm moments such as Olive’s teaching Samir to swim. Meaty and complex … a character-driven tale.”

    — Kirkus Reviews

  • “GO HOME is one of the bravest books I’ve read…Co-authors Lochan Sharma and Terry Farish entangle their characters in misconceptions of immigration and then ask those characters to find their way out. This is a book for this exact moment.”

    — Kirsten Cappy, I’m Your Neighbor Books

  • “This novel, told in alternating viewpoints, is a love story with a political edge. The tale goes deep and humanizes characters on both sides of the immigration debate. Essential reading!”

    — Kidlit603

  • “I’m hoping everyone will get to experience this powerful book, enough to ask big questions of themselves and each other. Questions similar to those that surface in the book, such as: What would you do for your family, how far would you go?”

    — Writers’ Rumpus

Discussion guide

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Discussion guide for ‘Go Home’
Discussion guide for ‘Go Home’

This discussion guide for “Go Home” invites readers to explore themes of home, identity, belonging, family and displacement. Through thoughtful questions and activities, it encourages young readers to consider the experiences of refugees and immigrants, the meaning of home, and the ways stories can help us better understand lives and perspectives different from our own.

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