does my head look big in this by randa abdel fattah

Her agency and choice are emphasized throughout as she fights multiple people who assume her parents forced the hijab on her. Beyond their ethnic differences, each of these characters has a different relationship with Islam and interprets and expresses it differently.Īmal’s thoughts, actions, and interactions with others actively debunk the notion that Muslim women are all oppressed and that Islam is inherently oppressive. Amal’s family attends a family friend’s wedding where the bride is Syrian and the groom is Afghani. The other, Leila, has roots in Turkey, where her mother grew up. One of Amal’s Muslim friends, Yasmeen, has a Pakistani father and white British mother who converted to Islam. The supporting cast showcases the diversity within Muslims and within Arabs. Amal also manages to build a friendship with an elderly neighbor who’s a Greek Orthodox Christian immigrant. The other friend is fat and struggling with her body image, but supported by friends who love her unconditionally. One of Amal’s two closest friends at school is Japanese, having bonded with her over shared experiences of blatant racism and classism from a horrible classmate. She’s capable of being sensitive and insightful, but she’s still a teenager who has a lot to learn.Īside from having a strong protagonist, this book features a diverse supporting cast that add to the richness of the story. She doubts herself sometimes, makes poor decisions, judges people unfairly and has to confront her own biases, etc. She’s snarky and strong-willed, but she has her flaws. We get to empathize with her frustration, fear, and fury.Īmal is a great character. Since the narrative is in first-person, readers get to experience Amal’s visceral responses to prejudice and harassment. It directly calls out the biases and assumptions that even well-meaning people hold.

The book is very explicit in its handling of stereotypes and Islamophobia. Amal’s story stands against hatred and prejudice by centering the perspective of a Muslim hijabi, someone who is very vulnerable to vitriol and violence due to her hypervisibility. This book was first published in 2005, but it’s still relevant and important, given the current political climate and rise in Islamophobic sentiment. Soon, junior year becomes the year for herself to struggle with and explore her identity and figure out how to remain true to herself and her principles in the face of social pressures to conform. On top of that, she’s developed a crush on a classmate. After making this decision, she must confront judgment and prejudice from classmates, neighbors, strangers, and more. My Summary: Amal, an Australian-Palestinian girl living in Melbourne, is about to start her junior year, and she has decided to start wearing the hijab full-time.

Note: I read this book as part of the #DiversityDecBingo reading challenge. You can find out more about it here.

Does my head look big in this by randa abdel fattah