Young adult fiction alert! I'm not normally big into this, but this book caught my eye at the library. As usual, I'm glad I took a chance on the unfamiliar. The story centers on Amal, an Australian-Palestinian teenager living in Melbourne, Australia and her decision to begin wearing the hijab (Muslim head-scarf) full time. The fallout of this decision is surprising and far-reaching and not without some of your "typical" teenage insecurity - but brought to a whole new level. I don't want to make light though of the issues that Amal wrestles with and how these experiences strengthen her identity: as an Australian, a Muslim, and as a teenage girl. Add into the mix the events of our world that center on the Middle East, and you add in a whole extra dynamic as well.
BOTTOM LINE: Ms. Abdel-Fattah tackles the issues of religion/culture/prejudice/teenager-hood in a light-hearted and at the same time very real way. It was a book that made me laugh AND think deeply.
