Book: Does My Head Look Big in This?

Does My Head Look Big in This?

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Length: 368 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Checked out from the library

How I heard about it: I've heard of it before (I think first at my young adult literature conference and next in my school library). It's also on my list.

Basic Premise: Sixteen-year-old Amal has done a splendid job of fitting in at her prep school in Melbourne, Australia. That is, until she decides to ¨go full-time¨ and wear the hijab as a token of her Islamic faith. 

My Take: 5 out of 10 (scale here)
If I hadn't read it on the heels of I am Malala, I probably would have liked it better. As it was, this story felt petty and superficial. After all, when you read a book about a girl who was shot in the head for what she believed, it's hard to have the same kind of sympathy for a girl who gets strange looks and curious questions for wearing a head covering. There was little to no explanation of why Amal felt compelled to wear the head covering, other than calling it a badge of her faith. I would have liked to know why she wore it. Does it say to in the Koran? Is it so others will identify her as a Muslim? Is it an issue of modesty? (That's what I always thought.) I still have no idea. What I did appreciate about this book was a broader understanding of the challenges that Muslims face in the Western world. And, given recent events, the timing couldn't be better.

List Progress:

1. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
6. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
8.  Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Timeby Mark Haddon
10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (read before I started blogging)
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (read before I started blogging)
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
16. Bossypants by Tina Fey
17. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read before I started blogging)
19. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (read before I started blogging)
20. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen *abandoned*
21. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell review here
22. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
23. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - can we have a moment for whoever created this list? "Harry Potter" is not a book. It's a series of books. Sheesh.
24. Looking for Alaska by John Green review here
25. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak review here
26. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini review here