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A review by kricketa
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
2.0
update, june 2017:
i read and reviewed this book ten years ago. please keep that in mind if you choose to comment. i'm not interested in discussing it now because i don't really remember it. thanks!
original review, september 2007:
Amal decides, completely on her own and without pressure from her (also Muslim) parents, to wear a headscarf (hijab) "full-time." Why? She wants to make a statement of her faith, and it makes her feel close to God as well as brave, especially at her prep school where she is the only Muslim. She also points out what a relief it is not to have to worry about people judging her body and worrying about her hair (but she encounters frequent judging of the hijab itself, and frequently spends as much time arranging it as she did her hair.)
My biggest problem was the preachiness. Instead of letting the story unfold naturally, the author adds numerous fake-feeling situations in which Amal defends her faith. I could list many, but the absolute cheesiest is when Amal is on a bus and the bus driver clearly hates her and her hijab. He turns up a radio show conveniently discussing "violent, terrible Muslims" until a kindly old woman next to Amal makes him turn it down. She then tells Amal about how she used to work with Muslim women and how she loved their hijabs and food. The scene was sappy and contrived, with crap dialogue to boot, and unfortunately the book is full of these.
Second biggest problem? Although the author clearly wrote this book partially for those who don't know a lot about Islam (has Amal explaining some basics of prayer and holidays to her non-Muslim friends, etc) she never gets into the meat of the hijab issue. Namely, WHY the headscarf is the chosen symbol of faith. Where does it come from? What's the history here? Or why, for example, Muslim women wear their symbol of faith on their heads, and not Muslim men. The narrator does make a reference to "hard-core feminists who don't get that this is me exercising my right to choose" but she never really explains WHY she made her decision, except that she just felt ready.
In summary, (in case you want to skip all of my above ranting) Abdel-Fattah spends too much time defending Islam to the obviously ignorant characters in the book, and not enough time explaining the faith of Muslims to her very intelligent readers who want to know.
Oh, if you have any recommendations for quality teen lit about Islam, PLEASE let me know!!
i read and reviewed this book ten years ago. please keep that in mind if you choose to comment. i'm not interested in discussing it now because i don't really remember it. thanks!
original review, september 2007:
Amal decides, completely on her own and without pressure from her (also Muslim) parents, to wear a headscarf (hijab) "full-time." Why? She wants to make a statement of her faith, and it makes her feel close to God as well as brave, especially at her prep school where she is the only Muslim. She also points out what a relief it is not to have to worry about people judging her body and worrying about her hair (but she encounters frequent judging of the hijab itself, and frequently spends as much time arranging it as she did her hair.)
My biggest problem was the preachiness. Instead of letting the story unfold naturally, the author adds numerous fake-feeling situations in which Amal defends her faith. I could list many, but the absolute cheesiest is when Amal is on a bus and the bus driver clearly hates her and her hijab. He turns up a radio show conveniently discussing "violent, terrible Muslims" until a kindly old woman next to Amal makes him turn it down. She then tells Amal about how she used to work with Muslim women and how she loved their hijabs and food. The scene was sappy and contrived, with crap dialogue to boot, and unfortunately the book is full of these.
Second biggest problem? Although the author clearly wrote this book partially for those who don't know a lot about Islam (has Amal explaining some basics of prayer and holidays to her non-Muslim friends, etc) she never gets into the meat of the hijab issue. Namely, WHY the headscarf is the chosen symbol of faith. Where does it come from? What's the history here? Or why, for example, Muslim women wear their symbol of faith on their heads, and not Muslim men. The narrator does make a reference to "hard-core feminists who don't get that this is me exercising my right to choose" but she never really explains WHY she made her decision, except that she just felt ready.
In summary, (in case you want to skip all of my above ranting) Abdel-Fattah spends too much time defending Islam to the obviously ignorant characters in the book, and not enough time explaining the faith of Muslims to her very intelligent readers who want to know.
Oh, if you have any recommendations for quality teen lit about Islam, PLEASE let me know!!