Abdi Nazemian’s “Like a Love Story” is a poignant examination of what identity, individuality, community, death, and legacy look like when the stakes are at their highest. Specific in its setting and subject matter – dealing with AIDS and coming out in the 1980s– but universal in its depiction of the teenage experience. One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult books of All Time, the novel is now banned from all public schools in Utah and faces challenges across the country, despite sometimes – in 2025 – being the first time some students have heard about HIV/AIDS, says Nazemian. "Let’s be more intentional about how we reach kids that are marginalized…Let’s ask more of ourselves.” There is sex in this book – discussions about how serious a step it is, what the risks are, and the realities. There are curse words in this book — slurs used by society to dehumanize LGBTQ+ people. And none of it gratuitous. "I want to focus on the best of history, not the worst,” says Nazemian – shifting the focus to “the heroes.”
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