The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh

In this moving contemporary novel with touches of magical realism, high school senior Jihad transfers from a public school in Queens to Braxton Academy on the Upper East Side, where most students are wealthy and white and where she stands out as the only Muslim. She dreams of studying art but has recently lost her ability to see color, along with her gift for sensing the “colors” of people’s character. Jihad associates this intuition with her Syrian mother, whose stories of women with supernatural abilities shaped her childhood—and whose recent death she is still grieving. Her transition to Braxton is marked by escalating bullying and a painful betrayal by her childhood best friend. She finds unexpected support in the school’s golden boy, who becomes an ally and possible romantic interest. When Jihad discovers a blank sketchbook hidden in her mother’s vanity urging her to “draw all your wild imaginations,” she begins sketching scenes from Mama’s life, blending memory with the mythic stories Jihad grew up hearing. Overnight, her drawings appear as massive murals across New York City, sparking a viral sensation. As more murals emerge, her ability to see color slowly returns, leading to a shocking revelation about her mother. This novel centering a proudly Muslim protagonist explores loss and belonging while celebrating imagination, storytelling, and art.