Where the Streets Had A Name

Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah 2010 (2008-Australia, 2009-UK)
Scholastic

Rating: 3/5

IQ "I suddenly understand that there is dignity in being able to claim heritage, in being able to derive identity from a rocky hill, a winding mountain road. Sitti Zeynab's village has never stopped calling her, beckoning her to return home. Her soul is stamped into these hills, and I feel her presence as strongly as if she were standing on the peak of one of the mountains." Hayaat pg. 181

Hayaat is thirteen years old but she has a clear mission: to bring back some soil from her grandmother's (Sitti Zeynab) ancestral home in Jerusalem. Samy, her best friend, will accompany her. Their journey is hindered however, by the fact that they live with their families in Bethlehem and there are curfews and checkpoints to deal with. Not to mention, the Wall that divides the West Bank and the fact that they can't travel wherever they like since they are not Israeli citizens. Samy is loyal and has a good heart, but he's obstinate and trouble follows him and his lack of respect for authority. He may put the trip in jeopardy on his own or the security checkpoints could stop them. The journey starts off on a high-note since they have a curfew-free day to travel, but it's just a start....

This is going to sound so silly to people but I was quite bothered by all the mentions of 'farting' in the book. I know I'm persnickety but I just didn't think it continually needed to be mentioned. And I'm pretty sure someone farts and another character takes note of it in every single chapter. On a more serious note, this story moves at a snail's pace. Hayaat doesn't form the idea for heading for Jerusalem until we are more than a few chapters in which I thought was frustrating. What made it more irksome was that the 'grand finale' so to speak felt rushed and the book ended on a happy but anti-climatic note. The ending just seemed odd and after the climax, I didn't understand why the book just didn't end (with a simple epilogue in place of all the details in the ending). Also, Hayaat recalls certain memories at various points in the story but they appear out-of-the-blue and it's not quite clear when her memory fades and it's back to the present.

The descriptions of life in Bethlehem are what makes this book so impressive. It's impressive because the descriptions are so simple but suddenly seemingly-mundane tasks (such as going to the grocery store) become a big deal when there is a curfew to contend with. Friends may end up as overnight guests if a curfew is ordered (sometimes random, sometimes due to protests as a form of punishment) and big celebrations could end up becoming small celebrations if travel restrictions are imposed, thereby limiting the mobility of guests. It's a ridiculous and frustrating situation especially when it limits people's abilities to get to the hospital, or attend a family wedding, etc. It's even more unbearable to read about the destruction of Palestinian homes and/or the possession of Palestinian homes by Israeli families who believe they have a claim to the land. There's a lot of Arabic food for thought, imagine being forced to leave your home (much like a refugee I think) and then essentially imprisoned in your new home. The story never becomes depressing, there are moments of levity (and no for me they did not come from farting references) especially concerning Hayaat and her beloved grandmother, Sitti Zeynab (sitti means my grandmother). The author describes people in a plain manner but with a little spark/unique touch such as when describing Sitti Zeynab's eyes "bright and untouched, having never caught up with the wrinkling, shrinking curse of the clock" (pg. 233).

One thing I am absolutely positive about is that when you finish Where the Streets Had a Name you will question (if you hadn't already) the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians as well as America's policy towards Palestine. That's not to say there aren't sympathetic Israeli characters, as in real life, the characters are all human and Hayaat realizes that the Israeli soldiers have families, and that not all Israelis hate Palestinians. I think the author should have included an afterword explaining the situation because I was still curious/confused about quite a bit (for example: who orders curfews, the military or the government?). And obviously you can't make up your mind about such a complex issue after reading one or two or three books on the subject, after all this has been an issue since the '50s. Samy is an interesting best friend, I admired his spirit and obstinacy while at the same time it made me wince. I was glad that Hayaat had him at her side. A more concise ending, smoother transitions, and fewer mentions of bodily odors would have been nice. Hayaat's family is entertaining but mysterious since they aren't on the journey to Jerusalem with her, the reader learns little about them. Hayaat is a likable, genuine, brave main character but she wasn't particularly memorable in my mind. Furthermore, the glossary was strange to me because it didn't list definitions of every word mentioned (such as the 'curse' words or expressions). A good story with uncomplicated descriptions but complicated characters who needed to be more fleshed out, it moves slowly and while it took me some time to remember to go back to the story, I always remembered eventually. My favorite book by the author (and one I would recommend starting with if you want a hysterically funny read) is still Does My Head Look Big in This?

Disclosure: From the library

PS I really liked this quote from Sitti Zeynab "We Arabs say that the wound that bleeds inwardly is the most dangerous" (pg. 54). What an eloquent, interesting and accurate way of describing how hate can eat at your insides (so to speak).

Throwback Thursday: Ten Things I Hate About Me

Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah (UK version) 2007

Rating: 4.5/5

IQ "I wish I could talk in capital letters at school. Use exclamation marks and highlighter pens on all my sentences. Stand out bold, italicized, and underlined. At the moment I'm a rarely used font in a microscopic size with no shading of emphasis." Jamilah pg. 92

Jamilah (I will be referring to Jamie/Jamilah as Jamilah throughout the rest of the review) hates ten things about herself, they include her attraction to a guy who is a popular jerk, her "boring looks" and the fact that she hypothetically can't get a pilot's license or own a fertilizer without being blacklisted due to her Muslim Lebanese background. Not to mention she hates all the other stereotypes people have about Lebanese Muslims (to be perfectly honest I don't think many people know the difference between a Lebanese Muslim and an Iraqi Muslim so she should just say Muslims in general or Middle Eastern people), including that they all work for Osama Bin Laden and ride camels in the desert, etc. To avoid these stereotypes, Jamilah gives herself a makeover. She becomes Jamie, by dying her hair blonde and wearing blue contact lens. No one at her school knows she's a Lebanese Muslim and she intends to keep it that way. She can't handle the jokes and assumptions people make and she doesn't want sympathy for her strict father who insists she is home by sunset. But sooner or later her two worlds are going to collide.

With this second novel Randa Abdel-Fattah has become one of my favorite authors (thus the long review). I adored Does My Head Look Big in This? and her second novel did not disappoint. I do have one compliant though: the main character's romance interests. The situation is basically the exact same thing for both books and that annoyed me. *SPOILER Discussion (highlight to read) The author should just remove romantic obstacles since she clearly does not want her main characters to end up with nice guys. I understand that this happens in real life, but I think that the author should have switched it up from her first book instead of having similar reasons as to why her main character could not go out with the cute and sweet guy. I loved Timothy! So I was really disappointed with that ending. I can also understand people's complaints that these books are too preachy, the author throws a lot of facts about Muslim and Middle Eastern culture into the story and while it doesn't always flow, I like it. I think that these books are crucial in helping teenagers understand a culture that is so foreign to them and viewed so negatively, they highlight the positive of Middle Eastern/Muslim culture and hopefully will help stereotypes deteriorate. I do think some of the sub plots are predictable (you've been warned).

All that being said, the most endearing quality of the books is the humor. Jamilah's voice is fresh and quite dramatic, she does not hesitate to poke fun at herself (though only in private) and she is wonderfully sarcastic. Her family is eccentric as well and at times the reader will pity Jamilah due to how strict her single parent father is (her mother died of a heart attack when Jamilah was nine) but you will snap out of it because Jamilah does not want pity and the author prevents Jamilah or the reader from throwing a pity party by keeping you in stiches. Jamilah's family is unique to say the least. To quote Jamilah's father (talking about his children) "One thinks she's going to save the world by protesting about anything and everything and the other has the intelligence of a squashed falafel. And my Jamilah? All she does is watch this OP or OC rubbish programme, or whatever it is called, and dye her hair yellow." (pg. 24, I have no idea what a falafel is). Her older sister Shereen is twenty two and an activist. She wears the hijab (Jamilah does not) but she sews very interesting patterns on them, ranging from peace slogans to things like a ying and yang symbol or expressions such as "Don't go Burning Your Retina On My Account". She is quite a character, I loved her spirit and how she so fiercely believed in all her causes and she is the peacemaker of the family. Jamilah's brother Bilal is a high school drop out, an excellent mechanic and quite popular with the ladies. He goes to clubs, drinks and is always on the verge of giving his father a heart attack. He is the sweetest and most entertaining of older brothers. I don't want to talk about all the other characters but this book also has a Muslim Lebanese rap group and witty dialogue (or "burns". I'm not sure if they say that in Australia) between Peter and Timothy that is hilarious. Well it's witty on Timothy's part, Peter is an idiot.

Ten Things I Hate About Me will keep you laughing at the antics of Jamilah's family, friends and acquaintances. Her struggle to fit in at school and her decision to assimilate by completely ignoring her Muslim Lebanese culture is heartbreaking and a redeeming quality of the book is watching her grow up and become more comfortable with herself. The oddball characters keep this story from being weighed down with facts about Muslim Lebanese culture, but even these facts add value to the story and will be welcomed by many. Just ignore the romance aspect of it because it's upsetting ;) To top it all off, it's a lot of fun learning about Australian culture indirectly and reading the slang. The story has some fairly predictable moments so keep that in mind and read it for the humor, Australian and Lebanese Muslim content!

Disclosure: Received from Book Fairy #3 (my only UK Book Fairy) aka Kaz Mahoney. Thank you so much!

PS I have the UK version which was published in 2007 but the book was first published in Australia (where the author is from) in 2006, and it was published in the U.S. in 2010. The two covers are different, and the UK one has "Australian Jamie" on the front and "Muslim Lebanese Jamilah" on the back (which you can't see in this post).

PPSS (or whatever it is) Two more humorous tidbits that I must share;
Peter (talking to Timothy about who he can take to the school dance) "I don't think even a fat chick would lower her standards for you."
Timothy: "Really? Then why did your mum say yes?"
Peter: "You piece of s**t. Don't even go there."
Timothy: "I don't like going to a lot of places, Peter, but you're the one handing out the invitations." (pg. 279) BURN!

Bilal (talking about nightclubs) "'It's funk night too.' He starts singing one of his favorite songs.
'Bilal! Do not swear in this house!' my dad yells. [...]
'F-U-N-K,' Bilal says slowly and clearly."

Throwback Thursday is a meme I originally credited to Tashi at Taste Life Twice. But I have learned that an earlier version is hosted by Take Me Away. Since Tashi is no longer blogging :( I will begin crediting this meme to Take Me Away only. Same purpose though :)

Does My Head Look Big in This?

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah 2005

Rating: 5/5

IQ "Because it's pretty hard to walk around with people staring at your "towel-head" and not feel kind of pleased with yourself-if you manage to get through the stares and comments with your head held high. That's when this warm feeling buzzes through you and you smile to yourself, knowing God's watching you, knowing that He knows you're trying to be strong to please Him. Like you're both in on a private joke and something special and warm and extraordinary is happening and nobody else in the world knows about it because it's your own experience, your own personal friendship with your Creator. I guess when I'm not wearing the hijab I feel like I'm missing out. I feel cheated out of that special bond." pg.7-8

Does My Head Look Big in This? is about Amal an Australian-Palestinian girl who decides to wear the hijab full-time. The hijab is a Muslim head-scarf and is only not worn around close family members. Amal's parents are worried that she isn't ready for the ignorance and prejudice she will face both at school and out in the world. The principal of her private high school doesn't understand her decision at all nor do her classmates.

What a fantastic book. I read this book as my first book in the read-a-thon, early in the morning. I was afraid I would wake up my entire family because of how hard I was laughing. Amal is hysterical. She has a very dry, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. She calls people out on their BS and I love her for it. She's definitely one of my new favorite heroines. I really admired Amal for making such a big decision when the consequences were so great.

Honestly, before reading this book, whenever I saw a Muslim girl wearing a hijab, I would have just assumed her parents were forcing her and she must be miserable. I think a majority of the Western world feels the same way, seeing the hijab as a form of oppression. After reading this book, I realized the error in my thinking. Yes, some Muslim parents do force their daughters to wear the hijab, but often times the girls themselves want to wear it, as an expression of their faith. It's no different from a Christian wearing a cross or crucifix, or a Jewish person wearing a Star of David. And yet it's frowned upon by Western society to see young women wearing a hijab. I'm so thankful for America (other countries, like Australia) where people can practice freedom of religion. Also, I admit to doing a double-take when I see a woman wearing a hijab. Not out of hatred or racism, more so because I'm curious. Why do they wear it? Now I know and I'm so glad that I do. Next time I pass a woman wearing a hijab, I'll smile like always, and treat her as I would anyone else.

Does My Head Look Big in This?, also does a good job if explaining aspects of Islamic culture. The hijab, the food, religious holidays (like Eid and Ramadan) and the beliefs. I figured Muslims can't have sex before marriage, but I didn't know they couldn't have any physical contact with a member of the opposite sex. This proves to be quite a problem between Amal and her crush, Adam. It also provides a good glimpse into Australian culture. I've never read any books set in Australia so I really enjoyed reading the expressions Australians use.

The prejudice made my blood boil. It was interesting reading this book, since it's set in Australia. I know that (sadly) the prejudice Amal faced would be the same regardless of the country she's in, whereever Muslims are the minority. People called her "towel-head", "scarf girl" and still viewed her and other Muslims as terrorists. These examples of ignorance make me so upset. Amal is so witty, always ready with a comeback. For example, when the school president (Lana) asks her to give a speech on the topic of Islam and terrorism, she responds that she will, only if the student president gives a speech on the Ku Klux Klan or IRA, since they claim they are Christians. Touche. She makes her point and Lana is even a bit ashamed.

All the characters are extremely well-developed and three dimensional. Amal's best friends are hilarious and super loyal. Leila and Yasmeen are Amal's two Muslim best friends and reading the way they interact is such fun. They make fun of their more traditional parents and joke about Muslim stereotypes. They are no different from any other girls and I think many people make the mistake of thinking that Muslims are way different from them, more serious and religious. This book really reiterates the point that, as humans we are all the same. Also, Leila wears the hijab, but Yasmeen doesn't and I liked reading about why they chose to wear/not to wear it. The girls friendship is also a sad one, because you grow frustrated with their parents, especially Leila's. Leila is brilliant and wants to go to college, but all her mother cares about is marrying her off and her father doesn't say much. This was an interesting relationship because in many cultures, boys and marriage are last, they should not be the focus. Education first. Amal also has two good friends from her private prep school, Simone and Eileen. They are both a riot. Simone struggles with her body (sees herself as fat) and it's great to see her grow. Eileen is Japanese and she's very determined, but she's also pushed very hard by her parents. The budding romance between Amal and Adam is realistic and refreshing and I didn't see the end result coming.

I loved Does My Head Look Big in This? The book had it all; faith, self-esteem, romance and humor. I highly recommend this book and I honestly think this book (along with a few others) provides a strong reason as to why YA literature should be included in the classroom. Students need to read more books like this (that are funny and poignant), to help them remove their prejudices and respect our differences.

This is the UK/Australian cover. Which do you like better? I like this one better because it's nice to see a female poc on a cover and I like how Amal's two best friends from school are in the background. I also like how it's a picture of Amal wrapping her hijab and you get to see the full headscarf whereas on the US cover you don't get a full view of the hijab.

Wow this was a pretty long review!