Award categories built to spark arguments (in a good way).
Most Likely to Turn "I Know What's Best for You" Into a Full-Time Career
Winner: Rahmat Sharaf
He doesn't merely dream of prestigious futures for his children — he is already mapping Zorah toward Harvard and the Supreme Court while she is dreaming about makeup and New York.
Close second: Omer Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Omer instead?
Most Likely to Follow You Because They Love You… and Then Say They Were "Just Checking"
Winner: Omer Sharaf
Omer follows Zorah when he suspects she's lying to their parents about where she's going — a protective gesture that is sweet right up until you remember she is a person with a right to privacy.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Build an Entire Life Around Proving Someone Else Wrong
Winner: Rahmat Sharaf
His journey from struggling refugee to wealthy businessman is fueled by a refusal to accept other people's doubts about his schemes or ambitions.
Close second: Omer Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Omer instead?
Most Likely to Have a Secret Second Life
Winner: Zorah Sharaf
The contrast between the daughter her family thinks they know and the teenager secretly dating Sahil, changing how she dresses, and imagining a completely different future makes her the undisputed winner.
Close second: Omer Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Omer instead?
Most Likely to Make a Family Argument About a Career Choice
Winner: Zorah Sharaf
Saying she wants to become a makeup artist instead of pursuing her father's Supreme Court-justice dream turns a career conversation into a referendum on family expectations.
Close second: Omer Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Omer instead?
Most Likely to Buy Something Ridiculously Cheap and Mention It for Years
Winner: Rahmat Sharaf
Even as a millionaire, Rahmat proudly talks about buying a huge bag of socks at Costco for ten dollars. It's possibly the most Rahmat detail in the entire book.
Close second: Omer Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Omer instead?
Most Likely to Arrive at an Important Meeting Carrying Mangoes
Winner: Rahmat Sharaf
His attempt to impress a Georgetown professor with mangoes while discussing Zorah's future combines hospitality, ambition, networking, and sheer Rahmat-ness in one unforgettable gesture.
Close second: Maryam Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Maryam instead?
Most Likely to Defend the Family So Fiercely That Logic Has Left the Building
Winner: Maryam Sharaf
Maryam's loyalty to Rahmat is so unwavering that people around her repeatedly struggle to separate her devotion to her family from her ability to question what happens inside it.
Close second: Sara Bashar
Do you agree, or would you have picked Sara instead?
Most Likely to Say "I'm Only Telling the Truth" While Clearly Having an Axe to Grind
Winner: Sayed Nawab
Sayed becomes the loudest voice accusing the Sharafs, but his bitterness is difficult to separate from Rahmat's humiliating rejection of his marriage proposal for Zorah.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Turn a Wedding Proposal Into a Generational Crisis
Winner: Sayed Nawab
His proposal that Zorah marry his son becomes enormously consequential after Rahmat rejects it — and Sayed's humiliation subsequently colors how he talks about the Sharaf family.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Give You a Completely Different Person Depending on Who's Telling the Story
Winner: Zorah Sharaf
One narrator remembers an admired daughter while another sees a rebellious teenager; because Zorah never narrates herself, the contradictions are the point.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Say "I Left School, But I Built a Business, So Technically I Was Right"
Winner: Omer Sharaf
Omer rejects the college path his father wanted and instead builds a used-car business, creating one of the clearest father-son clashes over what success actually means.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Have an Entire Community Running a Group Chat About Them
Winner: Zorah Sharaf
Her relationship with Sahil, clothes, ambitions, academic rebellion, and behavior become community gossip — long before anyone can agree on what actually happened to her.
Close second: Rahmat Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Rahmat instead?
Most Likely to Be Misunderstood Because They Don't Explain Themselves
Winner: Omer Sharaf
His quietness and temper — especially when he pushes a cameraman during the media frenzy — allow outsiders to construct a much darker image of him than the affectionate brother described by people who knew him.
Close second: Zorah Sharaf
Do you agree, or would you have picked Zorah instead?
Most Likely to Become the Villain in Someone Else's Story Without Actually Doing Anything New
Winner: Rahmat Sharaf
His old stubbornness, his controlling expectations for Zorah, and especially his inflammatory remark about killing her are repeatedly reassembled into evidence against him after her death.
Close second: Sayed Nawab
Do you agree, or would you have picked Sayed instead?
