Reviews

Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

kis's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Racism, and Sexism

p3n1's review against another edition

4.0

Menurut saya, terjemahannya yang kaku untuk ukuran teenlit plus desain cover-nya yang biasa banget bikin buku ini jadi under-rated. Padahal, saya suka banget cara penulis bertutur, terutama dalam praktik ajaran Islam yang sesungguhnya, yang diamalkan oleh seorang remaja perempuan bernama Amal.

Tanpa menggurui pembacanya dengan sedemikian sakleknya *lirik buku sebelah*, kerasa banget bahwa Islam itu disampaikan dengan damai. Juga mengenai keputusan Amal menjadi full time jilbaber karena dia ingin menjadi muslimah yang taat. Menurut saya, cerita ini (mestinya sih) bisa bikin teman-teman muslimah yang belum tergerak buat nutup aurat full time dan bener-bener mengamalkan semua ajaran Islam dengan baik ^_^

Review di blog bisa dibaca di sini

learnhopeteach's review against another edition

3.0

I read this book as I begin thinking about how to purposefully transition from naming, celebrating, and having pride in my students' (and my own) culture to bring in awareness, acceptance, and empathy toward people of other cultures into my classroom. I think I might use excerpts of this book to bring awareness to the students of what it means to be a Muslim and discuss stereotypes and discrimination.

willontheinternet's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

norimee's review against another edition

I had to DNF after listening for 2h. The narrator is so squeaky and annoying, I couldn't stand it. 
The story was okay so far, but I don't feel I miss out on much. And I really do not miss the 2000's. 

stephanie6082's review against another edition

4.0

Read this for a student's book club. It was a cute little read. Almost princess diaries like in style, but with the added pressure of different cultures and racism. I enjoyed it, and am glad Leila ended up with a happier ending.

c3rem0nials's review against another edition

this used to be my favorite book as a kid, and i think for obvious reasons - the writing is easily digestible, fairly easy to follow (though very meandery in nature, there is no real plot to follow and is at times a character study). set in the primetime of the y2k era, as expected there are a lot of issues that are/were considered acceptable to say (ie amal and her friends tendency to be SO internally misogynistic, the casual fatphobia perpetuated by a lot of the characters, and more)... while the book succeeds in i suppose what would be trying to make muslims more complex, it also ends up making everyone a caricature. its a disservice to the diversity of personalities and people that identify as muslims in the book. also didn't understand why amal constantly feels like there is no larger muslim community beyond her family. i deeply empathise with her immediate social situations like school, but it was so reductive and insular in perspective. i guess it was intentional with her being a teenager but this girl clearly does not know other muslims besides her family and her old religious school. randa abdel fattah is a fairly entertaining writer, but i guess if you're into flawed characters and non linear stories this novel would be it. 

jouljet's review

challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

thebookmagpie's review against another edition

The writing style just wasn't for me.

segza's review against another edition

4.0

2019 is the year I finish books on my “on-hold” shelf.

I started this book 2.5 years ago and finally got around to getting it back from the lib and finishing it.

I enjoyed this, thought it was great to have a protagonist who was born in a western society (Australia) and is navigating high school while starting to wear the hijab. What I found frustrating is my same critique of Sadia (similar concept expect exploring removing the hijab), why do these girls ALSO have to be the absolute best at something (debate club here; basketball in Sadia) to truly feel accepted and accomplished in their broader society? It just seems to reinforce the idea that if you’re not a Christian cis heterosexual white male you can’t just be good at something, you have to be the best at it for your efforts to count and to be seen as anything beyond however society has labelled you. That said, there isn’t exactly a lot of high school fiction about unexceptional people period so I know that gripe is a bit unfair...

I’d recommend this book for the 8-16 age range. The story is a bit too juvenile for anyone much older than that.