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The Chandler Legacies

Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare to challenge the status quo through their writing. Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Kathleen Glasgow, and Jandy Nelson, with crossover appeal for readers of Donna Tartt's The Secret History and Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep.

Beth Kramer is a "townie" who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah.

But Sarah Brunson knows there's more to that story.

Amanda Priya "Spence" Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah.

Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys' dorms.

And Freddy Bello is the senior who's no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin.

At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 3, 2022
      In 1999, five students with disparate identities are accepted into an exclusive writing club, the Circle, at elite Connecticut boarding school Chandler Academy. Beth Kramer, a cued-white townie who attends Chandler on scholarship, lives with anxiety and trichotillomania; Indian American Amanda “Spence” Spencer has a passion for acting; Ramin Golafshar recently immigrated from Iran to escape homophobic persecution, only to be
      targeted by bigoted classmates; high-achieving Sarah Brunson, cued as white, is still traumatized by her mother’s cancer, now in remission; and Brazilian Cuban American Frederico “Freddy” Bello isn’t sure he wants to continue pursuing a future in sports. The club provides a refuge from toxic campus culture, where Ramin is targeted with vicious hazing by bigoted classmates, and Beth and Sarah, both queer, feel safer remaining closeted. As the five hone their craft as writers, grow closer as friends, and form romantic relationships, they also confront their own insecurities—as well as Chandler’s long, toxic legacy of bullying, homophobia, racism, and sexual assault. In a story told through the protagonists’ alternating third-person viewpoints, not all characters are fully developed; still, Nazemian’s (Like a Love Story) sharp social commentary makes this a riveting portrait of prep school life. Ages 13–up. Agent: John M. Cusick, Folio Literary.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Vikas Adam does a solid job of switching among genders, ages, and accents in this story. In doing so, he captures a pivotal year for five very different students at an elite boarding school. "Townie" Beth's anxiety makes life difficult. Amanda wants to be known for more than her looks and family money. Bullies in Ramin's dorm remind him of escaping persecution in Iran. Sarah's ready to focus on herself after too long taking care of others. Athlete Freddy wants to create a new path for himself. A writing workshop brings the teens together, creating a support group as each works through challenges. Adam's female voices sometimes sound comical, but it's a small distraction. Author Abdi Nazemian narrates a powerful note about personal experiences that inspired the story. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Kirkus

      January 1, 2022
      Every year teens enter prestigious Chandler Academy, a Connecticut boarding school known for setting young people up to do great things. Among the greatest honors is selection into the Circle, a cloistered creative writing workshop run by the mysterious professor Douglas. Students from all walks of life are hungry for a spot. Those chosen in the fall of 1999 couldn't be more varied: biracial Spence, a White and Indian American queen bee struggling with impossibly high standards; Cuban and Brazilian American Freddy, thoughtful and longing to be more than a jock; Ramin, a sensitive gay Iranian immigrant; Brunson, a White closeted lesbian and overachiever; and Beth, a White girl who is an outcast both for her anxiety and townie status. As the members of the Circle bond, becoming like family, they share their own secrets and discover much larger and more harmful ones having to do with student well-being that Chandler has kept for years. While doing vital work in discussing issues of sexual assault, hazing, and rampant homophobia, the story struggles in other ways. Characters often feel interchangeable due to the third-person-present point of view that renders them more a collection of explained thoughts and traits than organic people (the novel is bookended by a first-person prologue and epilogue set in 2008). Characters' backgrounds are in some cases touched upon too briefly, but the sweet friendships and romances formed by the group are touching. Exposes important issues with straightforward clarity. (content warning, resources) (Fiction. 13-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2022
      Chandler Academy is a posh Connecticut boarding school with a hallowed reputation, but with a thinly veiled culture of hazing, bullying, and homophobia and zero interest in changing long-established "traditions." The story, which mostly takes place in 1999, is revealed through the alternating narratives of five students -- "townie" Beth, who is anxious about belonging; her outgoing former roommate Sarah; legacy student and budding actress Spence; Olympic hopeful Freddy; and Ramin, a newcomer from Iran, who is gay. The five protagonists are all accepted into the Circle, a selective, prestigious writing workshop. Through the Circle, the young people explore their personal truths, using the power of story to make sense of complicated emotions and forming deep bonds. When sexual misconduct by a revered teacher comes to light, it takes concerted action on the part of the Circle members to initiate change. Despite the inclusion of emotionally charged topics of physical and sexual abuse, Nazemian's novel is an uplifting and positive coming-of-age exploration of friendship, love, and creativiyy and how these things can help individuals heal and set themselves free to formulate their own legacies.

      (Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • The Horn Book

      March 1, 2022
      Chandler Academy is a posh Connecticut boarding school with a hallowed reputation, but with a thinly veiled culture of hazing, bullying, and homophobia and zero interest in changing long-established "traditions." The story, which mostly takes place in 1999, is revealed through the alternating narratives of five students -- "townie" Beth, who is anxious about belonging; her outgoing former roommate Sarah; legacy student and budding actress Spence; Olympic hopeful Freddy; and Ramin, a newcomer from Iran, who is gay. The five protagonists are all accepted into the Circle, a selective, prestigious writing workshop. Through the Circle, the young people explore their personal truths, using the power of story to make sense of complicated emotions and forming deep bonds. When sexual misconduct by a revered teacher comes to light, it takes concerted action on the part of the Circle members to initiate change. Despite the inclusion of emotionally charged topics of physical and sexual abuse, Nazemian's novel is an uplifting and positive coming-of-age exploration of friendship, love, and creativity and how these things can help individuals heal and set themselves free to formulate their own legacies. Luann Toth

      (Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • Booklist

      Starred review from February 15, 2022
      Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Professor Douglas' writing workshop is commonly known as the Circle, and it seems virtually everyone at Chandler, an exclusive coed boarding school in Connecticut, wants admittance to it. This is the story of the lucky five who have been admitted. There is Ramin, who fled his native Iran when it was discovered that he is gay; Beth, a closeted lesbian who is a resident townie; Freddy, a silver medalist in the junior Olympics who is bisexual; Spence, a gorgeous girl whose Indian mother is a celebrated model, and Brunson, whose relationship with Beth is weighed down by a betrayal that occurred when the two girls were roommates the previous year. As the action moves from student to student, readers get to know the five as they themselves become acquainted and begin to bond as a de facto family at the urging of Professor Douglas, who is the only out queer faculty member on campus. While writing a classic school story, Nazemian (Like a Love Story, 2019) does a superb job of giving his chief characters individual, idiosyncratic identities while also bringing the writing workshop to life. The students' encounter with a pedophile faculty member (not Professor Douglas) lends drama and suspense to this well-crafted, memorable story whose sympathetic characters will resonate with readers. Professor Douglas would surely give it an A.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      Starred review from February 1, 2022

      Gr 9 Up-Nazemian's latest skillfully unpacks the skeletons in a fictional New England boarding school's closet. Alternating perspectives with each chapter, the majority third-person narration gives insight into the interconnected experiences of five members of an exclusive campus writing group, the Circle. Former roommates Beth and Sarah are forced to confront their unresolved conflict from the previous year. New student Ramin becomes a target of the prefects in his dorm-prefects who are supposed to be popular, attractive Freddy's friends. Then there's Spence, the star actress slowly starting to see her mentor's true face. Together, the quintet makes their school's motto their mission: veritas vos liberabit ("the truth will set you free"). The more they learn about the truth, however, the more they want to set things right for everyone. At what cost? Inspired by Nazemian's own boarding school experiences, this gripping story reads like an insider's expos� into abusive school cultures and trauma. Centering the victims' point of view, Nazemian tackles tough topics like hazing and sexual assault, and justly delivers consequences to abusers. The diverse cast of central characters includes multiple queer characters and a range of other identities including white, Indian American, Latino, and Iranian. Pop culture references scattered throughout the story expertly evoke the late-1990s setting. An epilogue gives necessary closure and a glimpse into characters' futures. VERDICT Haunting truths and compelling storytelling make for an unforgettable, important read. For all teen collections.-Alec Chunn

      Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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