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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I LOVED IT! It was so cool! I don't really have reasons, but I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! If you're a Muslim teenager/ guy/ girl then you need to read this book!
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
ok. this. is. good. I love this a lot, and it was perfect inside and out but I'm not in the mood for a long review.
This is the story of a Muslim girl's decision to wear the veil (a hijab) full-time in the face of inevitable misunderstanding and rejection from her classmates at her ritzy private school.
Though the book is set in Australia, it's a scenario that has certainly happened here in this country and in other areas of the world as well. Amal, the main character,is principled and understandably defensive at times but remains sympathetic and relatable even at her most bullheaded moments. The reader roots for her and a lot of good questions about identity, religion, and prejudice are raised in the process. So long the focus is primarily on Amal and her experiences, this thought-provoking (and sometimes funny) book is very strong, however Abdel-Fattah tries to take on too many issues at once, and that's where the problem comes in. Although Amal's own story is plenty strong enough to have carried the book on its own, the author also tries to touch on body image issues, a forced arranged marriage, an old woman's alienation from her son, and broken families with various other characters and with one possible exception, isn't able to do much justice to any of them. By the end of the book you can feel the plot start to sag from the accumulated weight of all the baggage and it takes a toll on the pacing and distracts from the main story. The most unfortunate casualty of this is the treatment of the relationship between Amal and her crush, Adam. Amal is torn between her emotions and her personal duty, and is in over her head before she realizes that the time has come to make a final choice. It's a realistic and poignant predicament but the ultimate resolution feels forced and ill-explained. Overall though, this is a good book that manages to make a teachable moment an enjoyable and refreshing read.
Though the book is set in Australia, it's a scenario that has certainly happened here in this country and in other areas of the world as well. Amal, the main character,is principled and understandably defensive at times but remains sympathetic and relatable even at her most bullheaded moments. The reader roots for her and a lot of good questions about identity, religion, and prejudice are raised in the process. So long the focus is primarily on Amal and her experiences, this thought-provoking (and sometimes funny) book is very strong, however Abdel-Fattah tries to take on too many issues at once, and that's where the problem comes in. Although Amal's own story is plenty strong enough to have carried the book on its own, the author also tries to touch on body image issues, a forced arranged marriage, an old woman's alienation from her son, and broken families with various other characters and with one possible exception, isn't able to do much justice to any of them. By the end of the book you can feel the plot start to sag from the accumulated weight of all the baggage and it takes a toll on the pacing and distracts from the main story. The most unfortunate casualty of this is the treatment of the relationship between Amal and her crush, Adam. Amal is torn between her emotions and her personal duty, and is in over her head before she realizes that the time has come to make a final choice. It's a realistic and poignant predicament but the ultimate resolution feels forced and ill-explained. Overall though, this is a good book that manages to make a teachable moment an enjoyable and refreshing read.
Here comes an addition to two of my shelves
1. "My Favourites" Shelf
2. "I wish I had such books growing up" Shelf
Hilarious & thought provoking- 'Does My Head Look Big in this" by Randa Abdel Fattah is a coming of age story where the main protagonist decides to take on the headscarf & is left to face the 'responsibility' that comes with it. Honestly I think I am confining it by describing it as that... because its SO MUCH MORE!
it's about friendship, its about diversity, its about being a teenager, its about empowerment, it's about growing up in a different culture than your parents, its about recognising the wrongs and the rights, it's about family, its about Islam, it's about Muslims, it's about how some Muslims mistake cultural rulings with Islamic rulings, it's about acceptance, its about tolerance, it's about representation, it's about understanding, its about toxic cultural aspects, it's about breaking them...
Overall it's just sooooo wholesome and humorous at the same time
1. "My Favourites" Shelf
2. "I wish I had such books growing up" Shelf
Hilarious & thought provoking- 'Does My Head Look Big in this" by Randa Abdel Fattah is a coming of age story where the main protagonist decides to take on the headscarf & is left to face the 'responsibility' that comes with it. Honestly I think I am confining it by describing it as that... because its SO MUCH MORE!
it's about friendship, its about diversity, its about being a teenager, its about empowerment, it's about growing up in a different culture than your parents, its about recognising the wrongs and the rights, it's about family, its about Islam, it's about Muslims, it's about how some Muslims mistake cultural rulings with Islamic rulings, it's about acceptance, its about tolerance, it's about representation, it's about understanding, its about toxic cultural aspects, it's about breaking them...
Overall it's just sooooo wholesome and humorous at the same time
از اون کتابهاست که سالها پیش خونده بودم و الان چیز زیادی ازش یادم نیست. صحنهای که به روشنی یادمه، جاییه که پسری خواست أمل رو ببوسه و أمل اون رو پس زد و براش توضیح داد که در دین اون قبل از ازدواج قرار نیست با کسی رابطهی جنسی داشته باشه. پسره خیلی تعجب کرد و این قانون براش درکنشدنی بود.
The first chapter of this book was hilarious. The book then just went into auto-pilot and became rather repetitive but with the inclusion of new characters, it became a facinating read about racism in Australia (not just towards Muslims).
Some powerful moments, but the voice was mostly off. You could feel the author trying to be a teenager, and she never quite pulled it off.
Top quote: "Belief means nothing without action."
Top quote: "Belief means nothing without action."