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A review by jodie_saint
American Taliban by Pearl Abraham
2.0
I feel underwhelmed by this story of privileged John Jude who finds himself attracted to Islam and gets involved in terrorism, something so much bigger than he understands. Abraham had a good concept, and I liked how she never allowed John to fall into believing stereotypical images many have of Muslims and Islam. John is always receptive to what he learns.
However, I think Abraham had difficulty creating unique and believable characters. I seriously could not stand John ignoring his gut feelings and entering terrorism just like THAT (although, maybe that's how it works, I don't know). Can it be that easy? He is such a dummy at times. The last part of the novel was particularly horrible since we get Barbara's POV. Who cares about Barbara? She's so annoying. Finally, I feel that Abraham wasted the characters who were truly interesting such as Noor. The novel needed more of her.
Overall, I found the novel choppy and inconsistent, although it had a good start and an interesting plot.
However, I think Abraham had difficulty creating unique and believable characters. I seriously could not stand John ignoring his gut feelings and entering terrorism just like THAT (although, maybe that's how it works, I don't know). Can it be that easy? He is such a dummy at times. The last part of the novel was particularly horrible since we get Barbara's POV. Who cares about Barbara? She's so annoying. Finally, I feel that Abraham wasted the characters who were truly interesting such as Noor. The novel needed more of her.
Overall, I found the novel choppy and inconsistent, although it had a good start and an interesting plot.