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joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
4.0
What is it about?
Does My Head Look Big In This follows a Muslim-Australian teenager who decides, during her summer break, to wear the hijab full-time. This is not a simple decision as she is scared of the repercussions that this decision will have on her life. Not only is she scared of the looks that she will receive, but she also attends a school for elite students where there are no other veiled girls.
As Amal sticks to her decision, she finds the support of her parents, even though they are also nervous about this choice, and her best friends. However, the school administration doesn't see it that way and neither do the other students at her school. In fact, most people think that Amal is wearing the hijab because her parents forced it on her and they assume that she is an oppressed woman.
The book follows Amal as she defends her beliefs and as she figures out that wearing the hijab isn't enough. Being "religious" is more than just outward symbols of faith. She also deals with people assuming that she is a terrorist, or that she has the same beliefs, because she is Muslim. In this story, Amal teaches her ent0urage that it isn't like that. She also has to step up when a boy she has a crush on has one back and she cannot follow her "desires" because she wants to be faithful to her beliefs.
This book is about discovering who you are and to step up to defend what you believe in. It is also about friends and family and crushes and life in general.
What I thought:
I really enjoyed this book a whole lot. I listened to it on audiobook and I thought that the narrator was great and I really liked the experience of it. I liked the story and the characters. If you know me, you know that I read for the characters, even if there is no major "plot" driving the story.
That is why this book worked for me. I loved seeing Amal discover what it means to be a Muslim for herself and how those decisions she made, to truly live her faith, impacted her whole life. How she really strove to be a better person. I liked seeing her grow and yet she had her flaws of impatient teenager, which makes sense, because it is what she is! I really enjoyed the diversity in this book and I really liked seeing how two Muslim families can interpret Islam completely differently (which is the same for Christianity, I know. But we do tend to assume that "all Muslims" interpret the teachings the same way).
I gave the book 4 stars because there was still something missing for me. I don't know what it is, but it didn't quite make it to the 5 stars. Nonetheless very much enjoyable.
Does My Head Look Big In This follows a Muslim-Australian teenager who decides, during her summer break, to wear the hijab full-time. This is not a simple decision as she is scared of the repercussions that this decision will have on her life. Not only is she scared of the looks that she will receive, but she also attends a school for elite students where there are no other veiled girls.
As Amal sticks to her decision, she finds the support of her parents, even though they are also nervous about this choice, and her best friends. However, the school administration doesn't see it that way and neither do the other students at her school. In fact, most people think that Amal is wearing the hijab because her parents forced it on her and they assume that she is an oppressed woman.
The book follows Amal as she defends her beliefs and as she figures out that wearing the hijab isn't enough. Being "religious" is more than just outward symbols of faith. She also deals with people assuming that she is a terrorist, or that she has the same beliefs, because she is Muslim. In this story, Amal teaches her ent0urage that it isn't like that. She also has to step up when a boy she has a crush on has one back and she cannot follow her "desires" because she wants to be faithful to her beliefs.
This book is about discovering who you are and to step up to defend what you believe in. It is also about friends and family and crushes and life in general.
What I thought:
I really enjoyed this book a whole lot. I listened to it on audiobook and I thought that the narrator was great and I really liked the experience of it. I liked the story and the characters. If you know me, you know that I read for the characters, even if there is no major "plot" driving the story.
That is why this book worked for me. I loved seeing Amal discover what it means to be a Muslim for herself and how those decisions she made, to truly live her faith, impacted her whole life. How she really strove to be a better person. I liked seeing her grow and yet she had her flaws of impatient teenager, which makes sense, because it is what she is! I really enjoyed the diversity in this book and I really liked seeing how two Muslim families can interpret Islam completely differently (which is the same for Christianity, I know. But we do tend to assume that "all Muslims" interpret the teachings the same way).
I gave the book 4 stars because there was still something missing for me. I don't know what it is, but it didn't quite make it to the 5 stars. Nonetheless very much enjoyable.
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
excellent! lots of info on Muslims girls's issues, teen issues, and all sorts of interpersonal situations and life decisions. eye-opening for me.
mizzhefk's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the writing and the main character and also felt like it provided a bit of helpful cultural info. Caught myself grinning at a middle schooler in a hijab on Tuesday.
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
This book is one part other people's reaction to Amal's decision to wear her hijab full-time and one part her embracing her faith, but combined to make one powerful book with an really enjoyable Amal as the main character.
lesnupi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
coleycole's review against another edition
3.0
Does My Head Look Big in This? could have benefited from a more ruthless editor; it's a bit long, and it rambles some. However, Amal's voice is engaging and her story is interesting. I would recommend this book to any teenager, and I would love to know what American Muslims think of the novel.
bickie's review against another edition
This coming-of-age novel focuses on Amal, an Australian 11th-grader whose Muslim parents are from Bethlehem, Palestine. The primary topic of the book is Amal's decision to wear the hijab full-time, something she expects will make her feel closer to God and give her increased confidence at being so strong and courageous. The novel is set in Melbourne, and begins early in 2002, about six months after the 9/11 attacks in the United States. There are a lot of scenes addressing racism and cultural differences of many kinds, including Amal's school (a primarily white traditional independent prep school) and her neighborhood, specifically her grumpy neighbor, Greece-born Mrs. Vaselli. Ultimately, throughout the many scenes, we see that 1) Muslims are not all the same, and wearing the hijab is not a sign of oppression, 2) many immigrant families experience similar issues and deal with them in very different ways, 3) bystanders who speak up can be powerful as both change agents and as emotional support. At one point, in chapter 29, the student body president, Lara, asks Amal to address the Bali terrorist attacks in the next school "forum" meeting to "explain to everybody why they did it and how Islam justifies it." Amal responds with points (somewhat snarkily, but understandably) about whether the KKK is "textbook Christianity," "Israeli soldiers bombing Palestinian homes and shooting kids," and, with regard to the IRA in Ireland, a question about "how the Bible could allow people to throw bombs and still go to church." She explains that "Muslim is just a label for [the terrorists]. In the end, they're nutcase who exploded bombs and killed people. It's politics. How can any religion preach something so horrific?"
While a grounded, strong young woman who often speaks up for herself, Amal is also a stereotypical teenager who obsesses over her outfits, loses her temper in self-righteous indignation at injustices, and crushes on a boy. Unfortunately, Amal, her mother, and her friends all seem to think a lot about food and getting fat; one, Simone, is a little larger than others and believes herself to be fat (encouraged heavily by her mother who believes she will never be attractive to a boy unless she loses weight). the preoccupation is an unfortunate normalization of society's unrealistic standards of beauty and disturbingly makes light of eating disorders to the point of making them seem like a choice. The novel also somewhat normalizes toxic male objectification of females, and while Amal does push back on some of that with her friend Adam, she is an avid reader of Teen Vogue and Glamour. Overall, this book explores a variety of interesting ideas, but many of the plot points seem forced and unbelievable (e.g., the scene with the principal upon Amal's showing up for school in the hijab, Uncle Joe's extreme Aussie-fication). Best for ages 10-16 [some mentions of "bi-yotch" and "bitch," one comment about "in the sack," high school drinking portrayed as standard at parties]
While a grounded, strong young woman who often speaks up for herself, Amal is also a stereotypical teenager who obsesses over her outfits, loses her temper in self-righteous indignation at injustices, and crushes on a boy. Unfortunately, Amal, her mother, and her friends all seem to think a lot about food and getting fat; one, Simone, is a little larger than others and believes herself to be fat (encouraged heavily by her mother who believes she will never be attractive to a boy unless she loses weight).
Spoiler
While Simone is attractive to a boy whom she eventually dates by the end,lostinagoodbook's review against another edition
4.0
This is a light, YA book about a young Muslim-Australian woman and her experiences during her first year wearing the hijab full-time. It is important when reading this book to remember the audience this book is for, primarily young people. I think it is intended to be an easy introduction to the life of a young Muslim woman without getting too far involved in complicated explanations. This makes it deceptively simple, because ultimately, what it has to say is not incomplex. It reminds me of a quote by the esteemed author of Howard’s End.
“Only Connect…” – E.M. Forster
Two words. Two words to convey the overarching principle of our need to connect, to REALLY connect with the people around us. In Howard’s End, the main characters all, to varying degrees, learn to connect with each other. Those that cannot bring themselves to connect suffer terrible consequences, and then in turn, mete those out on the people around them. It is an astonishing book and a wonderful movie (check it out if you can!).
Ms. Abdel-Fattah’s book carries that same theme, albeit in a safer, softer, funnier way. The main character, is still a little bit of a bratty teenager, but in her year of the hijab is able to begin to connect with herself, her faith and others around her. She is growing up. Growing in understanding, empathy and humility through her experiences. She learns compassion through time spent with an disgruntled, older, Greek, Christian neighbor. She learns about how our insecurities can color the world around us through the eyes of a plus-size classmate. Learns patience and empathy in dealing with her best friend’s mother, a more traditional Muslim woman unable to understand her daughters need for independence.
This ability to understand each other is vital now, today. Lack of the ability to connect with one another leads to giant walls being built. To the demonization of whole groups of people. To not being able to empathize with how a child would feel being separated from it’s mother merely because she was not born on the right side of an invisible line in the sand. Lack of empathy can cause a person to believe that the tax cut they get every year is somehow worth more than making sure that your neighbor can afford the medicine they need to continue to live. We have to do better than that. We have to understand … we have to connect … and to resist those who tell us otherwise.
Song for this book: Team – Lorde
“Only Connect…” – E.M. Forster
Two words. Two words to convey the overarching principle of our need to connect, to REALLY connect with the people around us. In Howard’s End, the main characters all, to varying degrees, learn to connect with each other. Those that cannot bring themselves to connect suffer terrible consequences, and then in turn, mete those out on the people around them. It is an astonishing book and a wonderful movie (check it out if you can!).
Ms. Abdel-Fattah’s book carries that same theme, albeit in a safer, softer, funnier way. The main character, is still a little bit of a bratty teenager, but in her year of the hijab is able to begin to connect with herself, her faith and others around her. She is growing up. Growing in understanding, empathy and humility through her experiences. She learns compassion through time spent with an disgruntled, older, Greek, Christian neighbor. She learns about how our insecurities can color the world around us through the eyes of a plus-size classmate. Learns patience and empathy in dealing with her best friend’s mother, a more traditional Muslim woman unable to understand her daughters need for independence.
This ability to understand each other is vital now, today. Lack of the ability to connect with one another leads to giant walls being built. To the demonization of whole groups of people. To not being able to empathize with how a child would feel being separated from it’s mother merely because she was not born on the right side of an invisible line in the sand. Lack of empathy can cause a person to believe that the tax cut they get every year is somehow worth more than making sure that your neighbor can afford the medicine they need to continue to live. We have to do better than that. We have to understand … we have to connect … and to resist those who tell us otherwise.
Song for this book: Team – Lorde
thukpa's review against another edition
4.0
On so many levels this book is a peek into the life of someone different than you, and at the same time, very much the same. Amal is a teenage muslim girl in Australia who has decided to wear the hajib. You would think this makes her ultra-pious and straight-laced, but she talks about Survivor and Big Brother and crushing on guys just as much as she worries about her decision and its implications and the broader issues of terrorism. (It's set in the year or two after 9/11.) Very cool!
yousrabushehri's review against another edition
3.0
I remember reading this while I was in high school and I felt like this girl was reading my mind. It's a very realistic and representation of what Muslim girls go through. Society versus religion. Cultural norms scared of things they don't understand. And bravery. amazing.