One Word, Six Letters

by Adib Khorram

Two teen boys grapple with identity and accountability and set off a ripple effect within their community after a school assembly is disrupted by a shouted slur.

★"[A] searing, deeply felt dual-POV novel," —Publishers Weekly, starred review

Freshmen Dayton and Farshid couldn’t be more different—or so it seems.

When Dayton takes a dare and shouts the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event, it sets off a chain reaction that forces both boys to face parts of themselves they’d rather ignore.

Dayton, grappling with the fallout of his actions, faces rejection from his friends, disappointment from his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he’s caused. Meanwhile, Farshid is left to untangle his own feelings—about himself and about the quiet struggle of coming to terms with his queerness in a world steeped in heteronormativity.

As their lives unexpectedly intersect, Dayton and Farshid must reckon with what kind of men they want to become and whether they have the courage to defy toxic masculinity and societal expectations.

Timely, raw, and deeply thought-provoking, this novel is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 17, 2026

About the author

ADIB KHORRAM is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. When he isn’t writing, you can find him learning to do a Lutz jump, practicing his handstands, or steeping a cup of oolong. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person. You can find him on Twitter (@adibkhorram), Instagram (@adibkhorram), or on the web at adibkhorram.com.

Reviews

[Marieke (mariekes_mesmerizing_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. And so important.

One Word, Six Letters is YA. Lower YA, maybe even upper MG with fourteen-year-old main characters. And still, this is a story all ages should read.

This book is based on a true event. Adib Khorram was giving a talk to an auditorium full of high schoolers when someone interrupted him, shouting that six-letter slur. He started thinking about it. Why did the boy do it? How are the ones who will remember this for the rest of their lives healing from it? What does it mean to forgive? What does it mean to remember? Will that boy ever be given a chance to reflect on his mistakes, apologize for the hurt he caused, and allowed to heal it? Will his classmates ever get to feel safe and welcome in their school again?

Dayton is the one who throws out the slur. For a bet. For $20. Because he is hungry.

Farshid is the one who gets scared. Who hears the slur in the hallways constantly. Who is afraid to come out.

Both POVs are incredibly strong. Maybe the second-person narrative will throw you off. I needed my time with it too. But I urge you to pull through. Choosing this narrative makes the story incredibly intimate and the events hardly able to escape.

So, so powerful. And important.

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC!

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[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But safety’s all relative, at least here in America, where strangers can come and shoot you in class. As opposed to back in Iran, where the police could come and kidnap you from class, and then kill you later in secret."

The second person POV might be a bit of a challenge for some readers, but despite that, this was a really great YA contemporary read.

Adib Khorram captured the reality of being a teenager so well that, at times, I had such a visceral reaction whenever a character was experiencing major anxiety. I'm far removed from my teenage years, but I kept getting flashbacks to scenarios from high school that I'd rather not think about.

So, kudos to the author for writing such realistic and relatable scenes.

I loved that the author explored teenage growing pains such as wanting to fit in, body image issues for boys, having questionable friends, juggling familial expectations with school and friends, coming out, etc. There were so many of these little details and scenarios that combined to make this book such a great read and with such realistic characters.

I'd definitely recommend this novel. This was such a well-written and multilayered story.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and NetGalley for this arc.

[Monica Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan publishing for providing the ARC. I was drawn into the alternating perspectives of Dayton and Farshid immediately. The pacing of the story was excellent, and as a teacher at an all-boys school, I can think of many ways in which this book would be invaluable to students in our community. I am excited for it to be released so that I can share it more widely with my colleagues.

[Papillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a lovely read. Had I had the time, I would’ve read it in one sitting. I didn’t want to put it down. But I read what I could last night and finished it up this morning, and I’m very impressed.

Farshad and Dayton were well-written. Unfortunately being able to relate, I noticed the signs with Farshad immediately. He was very relatable on multiple fronts. I’m glad he got the help he needed early on that path. And I love how Dayton wasn’t just a bad person, period. He actually had layers. And I got to watch him grow and become a better person and friend.

The only thing I personally didn’t love was the creative choice of using 2nd person to tell the story. I understood the purpose, especially since I just recently created and taught a lesson plan to my kids about point of view and author’s purpose. But, I do think this was a good choice when the intended audience are middle grade students.

Overall, this is a great and quick novel to pick up. I recommend.

[Bethany Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much @henryholtbooks / @macmillanusa for this advanced copy to review and to @adibkhorram for always writing the most incredible books that speak to my heart directly (And for always, always, always indulging me. I am so happy I found you and I can’t wait to hug you!!!).

This will be a spoiler free review. And also - once you finish this book, please do NOT skip Adib’s author’s note. My face was a waterfall by the end and I’m continuously impressed by the way Adib makes me feel everything.

This book is written in second person and it’s the most effective way to tell this story. You truly feel inserted into what is going on. Being inside Dayton and Farshid’s heads was eye-opening and heart-wrenching. Their journeys could not be more different. Yet, I found myself quietly observing, wanting to know how this story would wind up.

I was deeply satisfied by the ending. It really made me think and encouraged me to ask more questions, try to be better than I was the day before, and to hold onto the ones you love.

I will not stop thinking about this book for a long time. I can’t wait for you to experience it. I’ve never read anything quite like it, and I’ve read a LOT of books. I’m sitting here just staring at my phone, trying to think of more words. But I’ll leave you with this to entice you to pick up this book:

“One word. Six letters like daggers, shouted for all the school to hear. So why does it feel like they’re aimed at you?”

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this novel.

One word, Six letters. A word that can stop time itself and make you wish you'd disappear. A word that can create terror and fear in any gay man. You can ask an queer person and they can probably tell you an experience they had with this word or a closely similar slur. I personally have taken back this word and use it in pride. But I know even though I may seem like I don't care but I know my world would crumble if someone used this word to describe me. Khorram delivers a deeply emotional story about the consequences of ones actions and where people want to fit into the world.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed One Word, Six Letters! It is definitely the best YA book I've read in awhile and I appreciate it's relevance to our current world. Not far into the book I noticed Khorram's use of 2nd person narrative, which I appreciated. This was a concept I struggled with in school (many years ago :P ) because not many books are written in this narrative. I think this is a particularly great choice of narrative given the intended audience who will no doubt have plenty of exposure to first and third person narrative in school. It also helps the reader feel the emotions more deeply of the two main characters.

The dual point of view was another fantastic choice as we saw not only into Farshid's inner struggle about his identity and place in this world, but Dayton's as well as he grapples with the social and familial repercussions of yelling out the slur during an assembly. Both points of view spoke to me and I think Dayton's in particular is important for the target audience to see you can make a mistake (even a huge one) and learn and grow from it. Forgiveness and empathy are central to this book and it illustrates the struggle especially for young teens.

I also noticed "the word" was not used a single time in the book and I really appreciated that and felt this choice only added to the powerful message of this book. Words are powerful, but not using them, as in this case, can be equally powerful. For me it made it even more clear how much this one ugly word impacted Farshid specifically long after the incident.

This is my first book by Adib Khorram and it definitely won't be my last as I really appreciated his writing style and how he took on complex topics in a real and raw way. I would recommend this book for any 9th/10th grader (and really, 9th graders in particular seem under-represented in YA books). I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co/Macmillan Publishers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Aaron Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In One Word, Six Letters, a student shouts a slur during an assembly. The story follows, for the remainder of the school year, the consequences for the student who shouts the word, and another student who is deeply hurt by it. Dayton knows what he did was wrong, but struggles as he finds that few accept his willingness to make amends, including his friends. Farshid struggles as the word is used against him in other contexts and he grows fearful of how he is perceived by others.

When I started reading this novel, I really struggled with the fact that it was told in 2nd person perspective, and had a hard time getting into it. I also took some issue with how the book seemed to hide the titular word "faggot" by excluding it from the novel. It doesn't appear once. To me, it seemed like the author lacked trust in the reader to handle the word. It wasn't just unwritten, but deliberately censored, which I thought really cheapened the gravity of the word itself; the word is more significant than an em dash.

However, as I kept reading, I found myself more into the unorthodox 2nd-person perspective and invested the story and characters. The characters really grew on me more as I read. I still had some issues with both perspectives sounding similar, but I do think they started to diverge more as the novel progressed. I have some mixed feelings about some of the characters still. Nonetheless, I was hooked trying to find out how the characters would react to other character's actions. I would recommend this book if you found the description intriguing.

I received an electronic advance copy of this book for review and for making recommendations in library purchases and acquisitions.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good! It took me a minute to adjust to the second person narrative but I really think it was a great choice for this novel. This should be required reading for middle and high school students because they are often unaware of how their words affect others. Especially when they think they are being funny. This was another fabulous novel by Khorram - writing, pacing, character growth are top tier.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

[Katie Nuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed “One Word. Six Letters” by Adib Khorram. The beauty of the story lies in the grey areas which Khorram tackles head on - in this era of “cancel cultire,” is there room for a kid to make a mistake, even a terrible and hateful one, and to learn and grow and heal from it? The dual point of view gives a chance for the audience to see the complexity of not just the issue at hand, but of adolescence and growing up in general.

And I love how Khorram makes it through the whole book without ever actually saying the word.

This is a beautiful book. Thank you so much to Net Galley for the opportunity to read it and to talk about it with others.

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

When an alumnus, now a published author, visited his former high school to give a talk, one student shouted a homophobic slur at the assembly. That actually happened to Adib Khorram, and he decided to build a story out of this incident—not about how it affected him personally, but about the dynamics at a fictionalized version of that high school that are revealed as a result of it. The book thus follows two high school freshmen. One is Dayton, who shouted the slur as a prank instigated by a classmate. The second is Farshid, who has no idea yet whether the sexuality-related label has anything to do with him (he’s 14; he just stopped playing with Lego a couple of months ago) but who knows he has many other reasons to stand out (foreign-sounding name, race, immigrant origin, religion), and the revelation might mean he's not welcome or safe.

I liked this story a lot. It’s a bit unusual (by contemporary YA prose conventions) in that it is told in the second person: each protagonist is referred to as “you” in their respective sections. Unusual, maybe, but also quite powerful in terms of reader identification. Though this is not stated literally, it works as “imagine you ended up in this situation: what would you do?” That turns what we might perceive (in real life and in a text) as a person defined by a couple of traits that circumscribe who they are and what to expect of them into a “generic person,” a rational subject in strange circumstances. After all, each of “us” is always a subject in strange circumstances, while “they” are those pre-defined functions, right? (I’m joking, of course — but there are studies in psychology that point to this exact cognitive bias.)

One more thing this book made me realize is that I haven’t actually been reading much about boys’ coming of age lately. Of course, throughout the history of literature, the vast majority of stories were about boys and men, so when, more recently, so many strong stories about girls and the gender-specific experience of figuring out the changing self and the world began to appear, I mostly switched to those. This, then, was a welcome addition in terms of pointing out a blind spot, and not just in my own reading, either. There have been observations about how YA fiction (especially genre fiction) has become much more focused on girls than boys. I can easily imagine this book being a valuable example to have at hand for those going through similar changes: body image, acceptable interests, community dynamics. Fragrances! I absolutely appreciated that this book addresses and normalizes the idea of thinking about fragrances as something that in no way signals anything about one’s gender identity or sexuality.

Publication date: March 17, 2026.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.

[Terina Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Word, Six Letters
by Adib Khorram
Pub Date: Mar 17, 2026
Whew, what a wake-up call! I think I may have just read one of the top YA reads for 2026!
Told in alternating viewpoints, this book is one that would make a phenomenal book club book on empathy.
Ninth grade... For most, that's the grade that they never want to go back to. It's a time of uncertainty, hierarchies, and hormones. Farshid is a somewhat loner minority who decides he wants to get in top shape during his Freshman year. He deals with body dismorphia while he grapples with his sexual identity and what others might be saying about him. Dayton, who has always had his closest buddies support, finds himself adrift and flailing when he takes a bet from an acquaintance and yells out a homophobic slur in the middle of a guest speaker's presentation. Six letters, one word and suddenly the school thinks he's homophobic. They don't understand it was just a bet, just a joke; they don't even give him a chance to explain. He doesn't understand the impact of words and becomes a social pariah. In in-house suspension, he makes a new friend, one that has his back since his old buddies abandoned him.
Meanwhile Farshid, who has always been cool with Dayton, feels like everyone knows that word was about him. He's not even sure he IS that word, is he? Because of that one incident (or "mistake" if you ask Dayton), Farshid doesn't feel safe in his own school. The public incident seems to have made some people more brazen with their hate, but it also, thankfully, rallies allies.
Then Dayton and Farshid are paired together for a project and all the fear and hate finally boil to a head.
Six letters, one word... The power of a word can break so many things: your friendships, your self-confidence, your soul. It's what we learn in the process that makes us who we are.
This is a well-written novel of self-discovery and societal issues which would lend to an open discussion on these important topics.
#OneWordSixLetters
#AdibKhorram
#netgalley

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

It all started when Dayton was dared to shout a homophobic slur at a school assembly. One word, six letters. That’s all it took for Dayton to start the cascade of consequences for himself, but also for Farshid, another freshman boy who is grappling with his own identities. The two boys couldn’t be more different, even with their intersecting lives of standing out and feeling alone. As the school year progresses, will they both gain the courage to confront homophobia, both internalized and interpersonal?

To start, it should be noted that this is definitely written for the younger side of YA. That said, it’s still an important book loosely based on an event that Adib Khorram himself experienced. As queer rights are persistently under assault, I too have been left wondering what perception (and lasting detriment) this has on the queer kids who are still growing up. It’s subtly provocative and moving without proselytizing. And although I’m not the biggest fan of the second-person POV writing style, it serves a purpose in this book to make you (<--see what I did here?) feel just as complicit, just as insulted, and just as devastated as it does the two main characters. I’d recommend this for younger readers (and the adults that care for them) as a conversation-starter around derogatory language and its effects on others.

Reviewed as part of #ARC from #NetGalley. Many thanks to Henry Holt Books for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read this book if you:
🗣️ have ever been in a conversation about the phrase “that’s so gay”
🏳️‍🌈 want (young) YA representation for queer kids
🍿 are still reeling from the Netflix show Adolescence

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[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you very much to Henry Holt and Co. for the e-arc of One Word, Six Letters! This an incredibly all around well-done book.

In the author's note, I learned that this had unfortunately happened to Khorram. During a presentation, a student shouted that word (one word, six letters) and in reflection, he ended up writing a book from the POV of the one who shouted it and one of his classmates. I think that shows incredible strength and resilience. To have something so hateful happen and be able to distance yourself from it enough to recognize that you get to leave that school, but those other students don't. To think about them and how they must feel over your own feelings. To even wonder if there is more to the story than the kid who shouted it just being some homophobic troublemaker.

There is so much going on at fourteen. Trying to discover who you are and maintain the same relationships as you're changing feels is hard. While this is a story about the impact of homophobia, it's also a story about growing older. Khorram handles everything so gracefully. He acknowledges that there are so many factors that contribute to who you are at one specific moment and that you don't have to be the same person one day that you were the previous.

One Word, Six Letters is told in second person POV. Please, don't let that turn you off. It's such a good way of making the audience feeling more understanding towards the characters - even the one who shouted. The reader is that character making mistakes and growing and learning who they are. Using second person POV was such a good creative decision.

While I'd recommend this book to anyone, I especially think if you like authors such as Kacen Callender and Laurie Halse Anderson, or David Levithan.

[Karis · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~Thank you to NetGalley, Fierce Reads, and Macmillan for the ARC!~~

3.5/5 stars rounded down.

Let me start this by emphasizing how important this book is. Between the dangerous levels of hostility the current administration is waging against minorities and the younger generation, particularly the youngest amongst gen Z and gen Alpha, readapting slurs into their vocabulary, it's vital to openly discuss the harmful impact this kind of language has.

Khorram does a wonderful job exploring the themes of the novel. I particularly loved the decision to use a second-person point-of-view to tell the story. Even though the 'you' was only Dayton or Farshid, it also allows the reader to direct the reflection on themselves, whether they empathized more with one of the boys or the other. I also don't see many published books written in second-person, nowadays, primarily first or the variants of third. It was refreshing change of pace.

Despite my praises, I didn't really connect with the story and its characters as much as I felt it should. I enjoyed the parallel character arcs Dayton and Farshid embarked on, but I personally couldn't relate much to either of them much. 14-year-old me was as much as a hormonal mess as the main characters, but in a much different way. Additionally, Farshid develops severe body dysmorphia that gets really hard to read through if you have experienced it. It doesn't help that the side characters outside of Brody, Dayton's best friend who unironically says no homo on the daily basis, weren't interesting outside their roles and/or what they represented.

All in all, despite this story's importance to be told and shared, I just couldn't connect with the book beyond its subject matter and themes.

[Mindie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dayton is a dumb kid. When a friend offers him $20 to shout a slur at a visiting author during an assembly, he can only think of his growling stomach. He has never said that word before and has no idea how far the repercussions of his act will reach. Farshid doesn't know if he is gay, he's still figuring things out and is not ready to share his thoughts about it yet. He thought Dayton was cool, but obviously he is a homophobic jerk if he can behave like that. Further he now hears that word everywhere, in the halls, in his head, written on the board in classrooms. As the year progresses, Dayton with a new set of friends and Farshid with Dayton's old friends, they will have to make tough choices about their own character.
I loved this book. As a parent, I've always worked hard to differentiate the difference between swearing and hate speech for my kids and explain what hate speech is and why those words are so harmful. This book's approach of coming at it from multiple perspectives is beautiful. The author handled Dayton and Farshid with care and understanding. It is short enough for middle schoolers and high schoolers to read without too much complaint, and I'd love to see it become assigned reading. I'll be passing this title on to local school librarians, teen librarians and our local rainbow coalition that has a bookgroup for consideration.
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillion for access to an early reading copy. All opinions are my own. I will be purchasing this title for my library and recommending it to the teens who visit me.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I found this to be a great YA contemporary read.

First and foremost, I think the author did a really great job at capturing what it’s like to be a teenager (in ways that are very relatable), which I think it very important for books in the YA space. There were so many elements—from anxieties, to typical teenage growing pains, to juggling expectations, to coming out, and more—that I thought were really well done in this book.

Both Dayton and Farshid felt like realistic characters to me. I loved that we got both of their perspectives, as they came from such different places in this story. I think Dayton’s perspective in particular will be great for YA readers, as they can see that he is not just a flat-out bad person, and people can in fact learn from their mistakes at that age. And then of course I appreciated seeing Farshid’s inner struggles with his identity and with finding his place in the world.


I wasn’t expecting the second person POV in this book. It may not resonate with all readers, but I ultimately thought that was an interesting lens for the story.


I also respect that the author never once used the slur in the novel—I think it’s an interesting choice, as we all know what the word is without it having to be on the page. And in my opinion, I feel like it shows that the messaging behind the book isn’t just for this one particular slur, which I like.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Fierce Reads for allowing me to read the e-ARC!

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You didn’t mean it, after all. It was just a joke. Reggie’s idea. One word, six letters.”
😶
Dayton accepts a dare, shouting the f-slur at a visiting author during a school event. One word that has a giant impact. Dayton’s friends drop him, he never gets the $20 he was owed from the dare and now he has ISS for three days. It’s there he becomes friends with Brody, someone who agrees with Dayton’s actions. Farshid is grappling with his own feelings of becoming as strong as he can, but also admitting that he might be gay. As the two boys’ lives come together, they must each decide what it means to be a man and stand up for what’s right.
😶
One word? I need a million to express the deep love I have for this book having just finished it now. Told in second-person alternating POVs, this was the most impactful YA book I read this year. @adibkhorram is a master author, writing 224 pages without using the slur once. The author’s note is not to be missed and it’s books like these that I’m fighting so hard to keep in our libraries. Grab this and share widely March 17. Thank you @mackidsbooks for the ARC.

CW: bullying, homophobia, homophobic slur, racism, body dysmorphia, disordered eating, xenophobia

*I wish more kids reacted negatively to the f-slur like so many of Dayton’s friends and family did.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

E-ARC provided by NetGalley. When a student yelled a slur during a school assembly he was speaking in, Adib Khorram could have easily tried to forget all about it, knowing that it was likely done for laughs and having the perspective of an adult to not take something like that too personally or seriously. Instead, Khorram took the time to imagine and then create the scene for the students who weren't able to just pack up and move on the way the guest speaker could. What kind of kid would yell out such a word in a school assembly? And how does a word like that, considered hate speech by anyone with even a modicum of empathy, affect the other students who have to continue to interact with that kid? Can they build a safe and supportive community again? WIth the unflinching boldness of Judy Blume, One Word, Six Letters gets inside the minds of two teenage boys as they try to figure out how to treat each other, and how to be themselves in a peer culture that feels like it's against you.
CW: homophobia, frank language and adult subject matter, ED/OCD.
I would recommend for ages 13+ especially if a vulnerable teen could benefit from the often hard to find male POVs on topics like eating disorders, body image, sexuality, and friend issues.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Henry Holt and Co. and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Such a thought-provoking book! Dayton takes a dare at school and shots the f-slur at a visiting author at his school. A poorly made choice that sets off a chain of events at school. Farshid is one who is deeply impacted by Dayton’s actions. He’s coming to terms with his own queerness and how he fits into a world that is so heteronormative. Meanwhile Dayton is dealing with the fallout of his actions, losing friends, disappointing his parents, and a growing awareness of the harm he caused. In the aftermath the two’s lives unexpectedly intersect as they try to figure out the kind of men they want to become and whether or not they have the courage to fight against toxic masculinity and societies expectations. An incredibly moving story that will have you in your feels and thoughts! A powerful look at words and how they can impact people and can cause harm! Adib Khorram writes well developed characters and crates a great discussion on toxic masculinity and its harm! Highly recommend checking this one out!

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very grateful to have been given an ARC of this book at a publishing event. Thank you to everyone involved.

One Word, Six Letters is an incredibly powerful and deeply important story. Told in second person and alternating between the perspectives of Dayton, a boy who shouts a slur during a school assembly, and Farshid, the boy who is directly and devastatingly affected by it, the novel navigates an array of complicated emotions: guilt, shame, fear, anger, and the long, uneven work of accountability.

While the second-person perspective may be challenging for some readers, it is handled with great care and intention. It really brings the reader into the story and forces them to grapple with their own emotions, making it difficult for the reader to detach from the impact of the characters choices.

The novel asks difficult and necessary questions about intent versus impact, about who is allowed space to heal, and about what meaningful growth truly looks like. In doing so, it places a great deal of trust in its readers, particularly younger readers (the book’s primary audience) to sit with and confront uncomfortable truths.

Overall, I really enjoyed this.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved Khorram’s Darius the Great Is Not Okay, I was eager to read his newest work, and One Word, Six Letters once again tackles tough, timely topics with compassion and nuance. Inspired by a real incident in which a six-letter F-slur was shouted at the author, this story follows Dayton, who utters the same slur on a dare, and Farshid, his classmate who’s deeply affected by it. Both boys are forced to confront painful truths about identity, shame, and growth.

I really liked the premise and the characters, and I appreciated how Khorram continues to create stories that challenge readers to think critically and empathetically. However, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, and there were moments that came across as repetitive. Still, it’s a meaningful and heartfelt story that explores the lasting impact of words—and the importance of understanding and forgiveness.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Khorram's writing comes from a place of thoughtfulness. His characters are always richly-drawn and three-dimensional as are their experiences and in this story, with the author's note at the end, it's actually in part, drawn on Khorram's own experience that he wanted to ponder for a book that addresses slurs, identity, moving on/moving forward, and friendship including between boys.

With a dual narrative of two boys, Farshid and Dayton, he's able to weave a story about an incident that happens in an assembly with a guest that pushes Dayton into uncomfortable territory like losing friendships and a strained relationship with his parents. Farshid knows about what happened at the assembly and is interrogating his own identity and what Dayton did. I also like a story with a timeline to move forward, in this case, a school year.

It's not flashy, it's quiet and impactful and absolutely realistic.

[McKay Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read from Adib Khorram! This story is a really tender and nuanced exploration of the fallout from one person's bad action. Moving through two narratives, this book really brings to life some of the quieter and more vulnerable moments and feelings of two freshmen boys -- a perspective that is rare in the YA world, especially this well-done. I loved the ways both Dayton and Farshid were depicted and the honesty and softness we got to see behind their outward appearances. I'll be excited to share this read with students. The second person took a while for me to get into, but I appreciate how this narrative choice is reaching out to readers saying "you" too are in this world, "you" too often write things off as a joke that should be taken seriously, "you" too feel alone and lonely and unseen. A really wonderful Author's Note too brings this story home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC.

[Joseph O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: Thank you to @macmillanusa for an advance copy obtained through #GoodreadsGiveaway.

“One Word, Six Letters” by Adib Khorram is a well-written, engaging story with nicely developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone interested in reading about young people struggling with complex issues.

It took me a few chapters to get used to the second-person narration, but after that it no longer stood out to me. As a matter of fact, the technique actually worked well to personalize the dual narrative voices of Farshid and Dayton. Short, alternating chapters propelled the plot forward and held my interest.

It was interesting that the author did not need to use the six-letter word referred to in the title in order for the reader to know exactly what it was; in context, it was obvious. The author’s note at the end of the book revealed that the story was inspired by an incident he himself experienced while making a presentation at a school.

Although this is a young adult novel, all ages would benefit from reading this book, especially given the hate and bullying that seems so prevalent today.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took me some time to get into this one cause I'm really not used to second person narration and that was not easy at first. But I did get into it and it was one hell of a ride. It was quite a rough read because one of the main characters wasn't easy to relate to at first but that was what made the whole book so captivating I think. I also really think the second person narration added something in this book. It made it so much more powerful and after a while I could not stop reading. It was quite a short book but everything felt really fleshed out and so well paced. I honestly didn't think I'd like it as much as I did at first. It was truly a book like no other. I really need to read all the Adib Khorram books.

[Chris G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visiting author is speaking to the 9th graders, an alum who is a poet and who is gay. Impulsive Dayton’s friend offers him twenty dollars to shout an offensive slur, and Dayton does. Farshid, who is beginning to ask questions about his own sexual preferences, is also in the audience that day, and as a result finds himself feeling threatened and unsafe at school. During the course of a school year, Dayton struggles with feeling targeted for something he considered a joke and tries to understand how just one word could change how everyone sees him. Farshid’s insecurity morphs into body dysmorphia and bodybuilding. Both characters are compellingly portrayed, as part of families, friend groups, and as they share some classes together. Compulsively readable, based on the author’s own experience. Earc from Edelweiss.

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two freshmen. One terrible dare. Zero easy answers. 📚

Dayton thinks a stupid shout at a school event is just a joke—until it blows up his friendships, disappoints his parents, and forces him to face the harm he caused.
Farshid keeps his head down, carrying the quiet weight of figuring out who he is in a world that doesn’t make much room for it.

When their paths cross, both boys are pushed to ask the hard question:
What kind of men do you choose to be when the noise dies down?

This was a sharp, honest story about accountability, identity, and unlearning the rules nobody asked for. Never once did the author use the word, but it was there, unspoken in volumes. Once the word is out, there is no taking it back...lives are changed, attitudes are adjusted. I appreciated the secondary story of Farshid's body dysmorphia and how his coach helps him to see that he's only 14, he doesn't need to be ripped, just be a kid and enjoy life.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

I didn't realize that this book was inspired by a true story that the author experienced. During a school visit where he was the assembly, a high schooler shouted a slur out at him. He decided to examine the aftermath from the POV of both the person who did it and a person in the audience who it effected. The story is told in alternating chapters from two voices. Dayton is the boy who shouted out a slur at a school assembly. Farshid, is the boy who was affected by the aftermath of this event. The friendships of both boys' are explored as well as their attitudes and feelings about the event.

The concept of the story was very interesting but at times, it was bogged down by slow pacing. That is why I am giving this book a 4 instead of a 5.

[Michael Be Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a big school assembly for a poet who is giving a presentation, one student, Dayton, decides to yell an offensive slur at the presenter for everyone to hear. Not entirely sure why he did it, besides some peer pressure, he wants to believe he isn't a bad guy and that he just made a mistake, but no one will let him live it down. Farshid, an Iranian student who is battling his own demons and still unsure of his identity, did not need another reason to feel unsafe and unwelcome in his school, but now sees, previously relatively neutral Dayton, as a threat. Through this one experience the two boys navigate identity and harm, and what it means to be honest and take accountability.

Absolutely stunning. I don't really have the words to fully encapsulate the power of this book. I wanted to hate Dayton so badly, but through the alternating perspectives of Dayton and Farshid, I was able to understand him more. I think every gay man can recall the first time this word was used against them, and for many of us, continues to be used against us in certain situations and locations. This book tackles an incredibly important issue with delicacy and compassion, while also highlighting accountability in harm over intention. If I was still a middle school teacher, I would be using this text in my ELA classroom, because it would provide incredible education and spark important discussions. Beyond the discourse around the f-slur, there are also layered conversations around racism and eating disorders as well. Farshid and Dayton are both flawed characters, who have a lot of growing to do and they need the people around them to support them but also challenge them.