• Age: 15 to 18
• Grade: 10 to 12

September 1984, Thornton College private school.

After 15-year-old Zahabiya’s father remarries, she can’t wait to leave home and convinces him to send her away to boarding school. But will she fit in? She joins a clique of smart students but isn’t sure if she measures up or how to read the mixed messages from a guy she’s crushing on.

Seventeen-year-old Leesa has been at Thornton since middle school after her parents’ messy divorce. She’s been climbing the school’s social ladder with equal measures of meanness and manipulation. She’s also guarding a big secret that she has to work overtime to keep from her friends.

Fresh out of university, this is Nahla’s first real teaching job, and she’s drowning. She has her distractions though: the flirty art teacher and a cryptic notebook left behind by her deceased predecessor, Mademoiselle Leblanc.

Zahabiya and her friends — all racialized girls and victims of Leesa’s bullying — uncover Leesa’s secret. But can they help Leesa? Nahla, too, is embroiled in her own mystery, assisted by Mademoiselle Leblanc’s ghost. Each is indelibly changed by what they learn.

Masterfully crafted, The Beauty of Us is a gripping novel about surviving hardship, the power of friendship, and growing up.

Farzana Doctor is a Toronto-based Registered Social Worker who has been working with individuals and couples since 1993. As an activist, educator and writer, she has taught clinicians, co-written manuals for mental health providers and contributed chapters and articles about 2SLGBTQ+ issues, anti-oppression, self-care and female genital mutilation/cutting. She is the co-founder of WeSpeakOut and the End FGM Canada Network. She has written four critically acclaimed novels and a poetry collection.

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“This novel’s quiet genius lies in how it reminds us that we are all always recovering and starting over; this is a story for everyone. A moving and seriously empathetic novel, as faceted as a jewel.” — Thea Lim, author of An Ocean of Minutes

“Tightly plotted and vibrant, The Beauty of Us is an important exploration and condemnation of the abuses and dangers faced in teenage girlhood and third-culture experiences.” — SJ Sindu, author of The Goth House Experiment

“Undeniably cinematic.” — Catherine Hernandez, author and screenwriter of Scarborough the book and film

“The author successfully gives distinctive voices to all three protagonists, sharing their compelling family stories and struggles, their everyday losses, and their triumphs in the face of bigger ones ... Thoughtfully explores crushes, crushed dreams, and friendships.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Riveting and immersive, The Beauty of Us transports readers to the 1980s with evocative detail, highlighting resilience and personal growth. Doctor skillfully amplifies her protagonists' voices and explores their struggles, capturing the fleeting magic of youth, the excitement of crushes, and friendships that shape us. With richly developed characters and masterful storytelling, The Beauty of Us celebrates human experiences, showing that true beauty lies in moments of connection and empathy.” — NRI Pulse