Age: 18
female
Ariana Greenblatt is an American actress. Her first starring role was in the Disney Channel comedy series Stuck in the Middle (2016–2018). Other early roles included the comedy film A Bad Moms Christmas (2017), the Marvel film Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and the musical film In the Heights (2021). She rose to greater prominence with the science-fiction film 65, the comedy film Barbie, and the space opera television series Ahsoka, which were all released in 2023. For Barbie, she received nominations at the Critics' Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In her debut novel, award-winning poet Brynne Rebele-Henry re-imagines the Orpheus myth as a love story between two teenage girls who are sent to conversion therapy after being caught together in an intimate moment. Abandoned by a single mother she never knew, 16-year-old Raya-obsessed with ancient myths-lives with her grandmother in a small conservative Texas town. For years Raya has been forced to hide her feelings for her best friend and true love, Sarah. When the two are outed, they are sent to Friendly Saviors: a re-education camp meant to "fix" them and make them heterosexual. Upon arrival, Raya vows to assume the mythic role of Orpheus to escape Friendly Saviors, and to return to the world of the living with her love-only becoming more determined after she, Sarah, and Friendly Saviors' other teen residents are subjected to abusive "treatments" by the staff. In a haunting voice reminiscent of Sylvia Plath, with the contemporary lyricism of David Levithan, Brynne Rebele-Henry weaves a powerful inversion of the Orpheus myth informed by the real-world truths of conversion therapy. Orpheus Girl is a mythic story of dysfunctional families, trauma, first love, heartbreak, and ultimately, the fierce adolescent resilience that has the power to triumph over darkness and ignorance. CW: There are scenes in this book that depict self-harm, homophobia, transphobia, and violence against LGBTQ characters.
