Does My Head Look Big in This?
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
The slide opened and I heard a gentle, kind voice:
'What is your confession, my child?'
I was stuffed. The priest would declare me a heretic;
my parents would call me a traitor . . .
The priest asked me again: 'What is your confession, my child?'
'I'm Muslim,' I whispered.
Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a sixteen-year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still getting to grips with my various identity hyphens.
It's hard enough to be cool as a teenager, but try wearing a veil on your head and getting in the 'bums up' position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time.
Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone, blonde and gorgeous, has got serious image issues, and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate than her high school certificate.
And I thought I had problems . . .
A story of being true to yourself, standing up for your beliefs and finding your own way.
Praise for Does My Head Look Big In This?
'The freshest voice and perspective in young adult fiction.' Weekend Australian
'Reading Randa Abdel-Fattah's first novel is like discovering a jewel.' Sydney Morning Herald
'A no-holds-barred look at life when cultures clash and modernity wars with tradition.' Good Weekend
'This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason.' Publishers Weekly
Winner of the ABIA Awards' Book of the Year for Older Children 2006
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With an engaging narrator at the helm, Abdel-Fattah's debut novel should open the eyes of many a reader. Headstrong and witty, 16-year-old Amal, an Australian-Muslim-Palestinian ("That means I was born an Aussie and whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens") decides during winter break from her posh private school that she's ready to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf, fulltime, as a testament to her faith. Amal knows she will face discrimination by classmates and misinformed people but she is committed to her decision; her parents are initially concerned, but ultimately rally behind her. Their worries, in fact, are well-founded: Amal attracts her share of stares and taunts both at school and around town, but she finds strength, not only from her convictions, but from her close-knit group of friends, who for various reasons being Japanese, Jewish, nerdy or body-conscious are perceived as being outside "the norm." As Amal struggles with her identity in a post-9/11 world ("Do you have any idea how it feels to be me, a Muslim, today? I mean, just turn on the television, open a newspaper.... It feels like I'm drowning in it all"), her faith and an array of ever-ready quips help her navigate an often-unforgiving world. Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason. Ages 12-up.
