Sunday, August 6, 2017

A little bookish serendipity....

Inspired by an episode of Friends, Amal, an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim teen-age girl, makes the hard decision to start wearing her hijab full-time. She views the headscarf as a visible badge of her faith. But she's also worried about how everyone else is going to react. Her parents are naturally concerned, but very supportive; the principal of her high school is much less so. At least she can count on her closest friends. But what will Adam think of her new look? Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah is an honest and humorous account of one Muslim girl's journey through life as she navigates school, friendship, love, family and faith.
"All this time I've been walking around thinking I've become pious because I've made the difficult decision to wear the hijab. I've been assuming that now that I'm wearing it full-time, I've earned all my brownie points. But what's the good of being true to your religion on the outside, if you don't change what's on the inside, where it really counts? ... I've been kidding myself. Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it."
Amal is a charming character. She has all the normal teen worries, along with a few extra hijab-inspired ones. And this book gives you a view of Islam from the inside out. It's insightful and entertaining and I liked it a lot. Best of all, I got my copy for a quarter from my library's discarded books sale. Don't you just love  bookish bargains? So, here's to serendipitous library finds that lead to such interesting and enjoyable reads.  I bought another discarded library book the same day I got this one; I hope it's just as good. The cover and title certainly sound like fun:


Happy Reading!

14 comments:

  1. I love that quote you shared from the book. Substitute a few words and it can apply to quite a few situations. This sounds like a great book. I will have to look for it.

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    1. So true! This book was fun, but it also has some substance to it, which I definitely appreciated it. :)

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  2. You can't beat that price! Great finds!

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    1. I know, right? I hate when libraries get rid of books, but I do love it when I find a fun bookish treasure. :)

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  3. Sounds like such a fun book and what a great bargain :)

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    1. Why are things so much better when you get a great deal on them?

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  4. Always love a good book bargain! Hope the other book is just as good as the first one. :)

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    1. Thanks! I'm sure it's more than worth the quarter I spent on it. :)

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  5. You had me at "Inspired by an episode of Friends". This sounds great... I just checked and my library has it!

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    1. Oh, yay! I hope you get a chance to read it, and be sure to let me know what you think of it! :)

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  6. The best way to understand others must be through reading! I find myself more curious through fiction than through the news and become both more informed and more understanding. Great review. :)

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    1. I learn a lot through the books I read! Even the fiction ones. :)

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  7. This one has been on my TBR pile for a long time. I need to read it already! I love learning about different religions and cultures, especially through everyday teenage characters.

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    1. It's a fun read! I think you'll like it a lot.

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