Finding Myself Through Princess Jasmine, a guest post by Alexandra Monir

Like far too many teens, I spent my young adult years dreaming of being someone else…although in my case, it was more about being from somewhere else. I longed for blonde hair, blue eyes, and a common American family name; I hoped the people I met wouldn’t notice my parents’ accents or ask the dreaded question, “But where are you really from?” Because I was—I am—a first-generation American from a full-blooded Iranian family, coming of age at a time when being from Iran, or anywhere in the Middle East, made you an instant target of prejudice, suspicion, and discrimination. Even when you were only sixteen years old.

The strange part was how quickly I went from relishing my culture as a child to spurning it as a teen. In elementary school, I was so proud to share the Persian traditions with my friends, inviting them over for Nowruz holidays and classic Persian meals, teaching them Farsi words and playing them my favorite songs. And of course, like many Middle-Eastern kids, the Disney animated movie Aladdin was the pinnacle, an ultimate source of pride. Agrabah may have been fictional, but we all knew it was based on our part of the world, our people, and I felt a connection with Princess Jasmine that put a spring in my step as a kid heading off to school humming “A Whole New World.” But after 9/11, everything changed. Middle-Easterners were seen as the enemy—even those who had been living in America for decades, even those from countries that had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks, like Iran. It felt dangerous to be from that part of the world, and all I wanted was to be part of this one: to be a typical American girl straight out of a 2000s teen movie. The kind of girl who so clearly fit in.

It took me well into my twenties before the blinders finally came off, and I realized how wrong the media manipulation and marginalization of my culture was. I felt ashamed for buying into it, for sweeping my identity and Persian heritage under the rug for so many years instead of proudly owning it. And when I did finally own and celebrate it, when I finally wrote an Iranian-American protagonist like me into my novel The Final Six, two of the most unexpected and amazing things happened.

The Final Six became an international bestseller, and Hollywood came calling for the adaptation rights. As someone who dreamed of seeing myself represented on the page all these years since I was a child, it was surreal and beyond meaningful to write that representation myself. Even more amazing, though, was an email I got from my agent a couple of years after The Final Six, saying that Disney was looking for a Middle-Eastern author to write a Princess Jasmine novel—and they were interested in me for the job.

As I write this now, just a few days away from the release of my Jasmine novel, Realm of Wonders, I keep thinking about how this absolute dream of an opportunity only happened after I finally embraced my authentic self and heritage. If I had continued trying so desperately to just fit in, if I had kept hiding the Iranian essence of me, Disney would never have thought of me for this project. A project I feel I was born to write, that became a love letter and tribute to my culture and my ancestors.

So, if I could give one piece of advice to all writers coming up, and to all teens growing up, it would be this: Celebrate what makes you uniquely you, both on and off the page. Don’t give up your power to those who would marginalize or discriminate against you. When you are authentically yourself, the right people and the right opportunities will find you, just as Disney found me. And then that moment will come, when you realize you wouldn’t want to be anyone else but you. That you were in the right place—that you were from the right place—all along.

Meet the author

ALEXANDRA MONIR is the Iranian-American author of the internationally best-selling novel The Final Six, which has been translated into numerous languages around the world; the DC Comics superhero novel Black Canary: Breaking Silence, from the New York Times-bestselling DC Icons series; and several other books for young adults. Alexandra spent her teen years as a pop singer before publishing her debut novel, Timeless, and continues to write music. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young son and daughter.

About Realm of Wonders

In this sweeping YA fantasy series, Disney’s Princesses grow up—and learn to rule—guided by the magical Queen’s Council. Now, Jasmine must prove that she is the rightful heir to the throne of Agrabah.

Jasmine thought that she had earned her happily ever after when she and Aladdin defeated Jafar. Then her beloved father dies and, overnight, all her plans for the future change. Instead of her wedding, she’s now planning a funeral and a coronation—her coronation, to become the first woman to rule Agrabah. But before the sultan’s crown is placed on her head, her claim to the throne is called into question.

Jasmine has always been headstrong, but for the first time in her life, she finds herself faltering. Agrabah’s ministers decree that the way to determine the true ruler is through a tournament—a series of challenges meant to test not just her ability to rule, but everything she holds dear. As the chasm between Aladdin’s world and Jasmine’s grows wider, their future together becomes even more uncertain.

Meanwhile, dark forces appear to be descending on Agrabah: A gray mist swirls across the land, shadows lurk within the palace, and voices whisper to Jasmine in the night. A message warns from beyond the grave: You must find the book.

Jasmine’s quest to decipher the message, win the tournament, and secure the throne leads her deep into the reality of her own story, and those of women who have ruled other lands before her. With the aid of the mysterious Queen’s Council, she must uncover the truth and step into her rightful role as sultana of Agrabah.

This magical reimagining of a princess determined to write her own tale blends fantasy and legend with a Disney twist.

ISBN-13: 9781368048217
Publisher: Disney Publishing Group
Publication date: 10/10/2023
Series: Queen’s Council #3
Age Range: 14 – 18 Years

Filed under: Guest Post