I read “Does This Make My Head Look Big?” by Randa Abdel-Fattah. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not, and I have almost zero background knowledge in Muslim customs. To my surprise, it was a quick read, and I can remember feeling some of the same ways that our main character does. The story is a coming of age novel about a young Muslim girl in Australia, and making the decision to wear her hijab (head covering) all the time. While I can’t relate with her religion, we all can relate to fitting in at high school, and wanting people to see us the way our family and close friends do. The book deals with loads of things many high school girls do-boys, friends, alcohol, acceptance from our family, and self image. I would recommend this book for girls ages 14-17, and mothers dealing with girls this age. I am glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by how great this book was.
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Do you think part of the surprise was finding out how similar the character’s problems, concerns, feelings were to teen girls all over. Is it strange that we think Muslim teens would be so different… or is the character so “similar” because the author is western educated?
I was definetely surprised at how similar Amal was to me when I was in high school. Teen girls could definetely relate to all of the struggles that she goes through in the story; dating, peer acceptance, over bearing parents, etc. This book was very enjoyable to read and I think that it would raise awareness to teen girls.
This book would be great for students from different cultural identities who are having the same experience of finding themselves and creating their identities. Amals’ age is about the age that students are experimenting with different identities, and this book can help girls especially deal with coping with being different than other girls their age.
I, too, like that this book addressed so many issues about being a teenager. I particularly felt bad for Amal’;s friends. Leila’s relationship with her mother reminds me of the strained relationship I had with my own mother. Simone is struggling with self-esteem related to her weight, which is also induced by her mother. This book addressed so many different issues related to the pressures of being a teen: peer pressure at school, finding your identity, getting along with teachers, making the right choices, and standing up for what you believe in. Amal is a brave character and is fighting the good fight.
I was surprised by similarities of the issues that western civilization teenage girls have and Amal and her diverse friends. It was also different hearing about the culture of the Australians mixed in with the culture of Amal’s family. There were several characters in the book with diverse backgrounds including Amal’s neighbor. I liked reading about the relationship that Amal and her neighbor built and how they helped each other even though their views were so different. I am still unsure about whether or not the author had a huge impact on the connections between Amal’s similarities and Americn teenage girls.
I do think the surprise was finding out how similar the character’s feelings and problems are to teen girls in the United States. I think that “Does My Head Look Big in This” is a great read for teenage girls and shows that, no matter how different we appear to be, we all feel the same emotions and go through the same challenges. This would be a great book for a classroom library, especially in a school that has a large amount of diversity.
While reading the book, one of the first things I noticed was that the characters, especially Amal, were dealing with issues very typical of teenagers. I think we have a tendency to feel that people who dress differently from ourselves will have very different lives, but when we really get down to basics, all people are fundamentally the same. I think this would be a great read for a whole class in middle or high school, at least for the purpose of promoting tolerance and understanding between cultures.
Ernie,
That’s such a thought-provoking question that I’m just going to have to read this book “Does My Head…” to see what I think. Thanks for the provocation! I’m going to have to go back & apply the same test to “Ask Me No Questions”. JE
I read this response and automatically thought of a student from last school year. All year she had worn her “scarf” (as the kids referred to it). She was a wonderful student all year – attentive, quiet, almost unsure of herself but extremely intelligent. It probably took her until spring to make some close connections with other students even though she was liked by pretty much everyone. It was the last week of school, two or three days were left, and she entered the classroom without her “scarf”. Kids were so surprised and some in other classes later admitted that they thought she was a new student. I never did ask her why she stopped wearing it. My little knowledge of it thought it to be related to religious beliefs and I even wondered if her parents knew she had taken it off for school. It was very nice to see her friends treat her the same way as they had always, but it upset me a little that other students, with only days left, were now seeking her out just because she had removed it. Your comments made me wonder immediately about my former student and make me want to read the novel to see if I see her anywhere in it.
S. Baum
I can relate to what you are saying. I immediately thought about two young twin girls that I had taught during my internship. They are too young to read this story, but I think that they would really enjoy it when they get a bit older. I wonder why the girl you are referring to stop wearing the hijab. I hope it is not because she was made fun of by her classmates. I think that kids today can be very cruel and it takes a really strong person to stick to what they believe in, even if it is not what everyone else believes in.
Kids can be cruel, but they can also be curious. There is an observer in my field placement that wears a hijab. She does not interact with the students at all and she only comes in once a week. The students are very curious about her and they ask my mentor teacher and me who she is often. Their reactions to her are very cute and I feel as if they wish she would interact with them more. I think it would be a great idea for her to speak to the class about who she is, why she comes in, and some of her background and culture.
I agree that children today can be very cruel, especially in the middle school grades. If books like this one were available in the classroom library and students were educated more about different cultures and religions, they may begin to understand that individuals from these other areas are not as different as they may seem. I feel that more class discussion regarding diversity may eliminate this cruelty and the alienation of individuals with different religions and cultures.
I really enjoyed reading “Does My Head Look Big in This?” At first, I admit that I was not too thrilled about having to read this book. I didn’t think that I was going to like it or even be able to relate to it. Once I began reading the book, I realized that I could relate to the main character more than I thought. She is a Muslim teen who is trying to grow up in today’s society where everyone is judgemental and high school teens can be very cruel. As I was reading the story, I kept thinking about two Muslim twins that are in the 5th grade class where I interned. They have a very large and supportive family, and her parents seems to be a lot like Amals. If the twins were a bit older, I would definetely recommend this book to them. After reading this story, I have been wondering if Muslim parents require their daughters to wear the ‘hijab’ full time. I always thought that Muslim families were very strict with what they believe in. I always thought that the parents had a very tight grip on their children. After reading this, however, I see that they can be just like any other parent, and only want what they believe is best for their children.
I agree, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when reading this book. I really enjoyed reading it and feel that there is more than just one character for readers to relate to which makes the book that much better. The relationships between the characters are very believable as well, but I found myself with a lot of loose ends by the end of the book. The background, characters, and relationships were all well written but the plot just seems to end suddenly.
I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, with the ending also. The book was so intriguing and weaved a tale of a girl being true to her identity. Amal stuck up for what she believed in and professed her beliefs by deciding to wear the hijab. I loved the quote on p. 98 from Eileen, “Amal, some people, like you, will probably have to fight the world to get where they want. Other people, like me, will have to fight their families. Sheesh, I don’t know which is worse.” I liked the book up until the last few pages where issues were being resolved…Leila reuniting with her family, Leila’s mom relaxing about marrying Leila off, Simone and Josh dating, and Amal mending her friendship with Adam.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book either. Once I started reading the book, I realized that I could make a lot of connectios, but at the same time, still learn about many other cultures. My favorite part of the book was teh different cultures including Australian, Muslim, Asian, Greek, etc. I really liked the many different views of the Muslim culture coming from the very traditional family, to the much more liberal family and everything in between. Amal’s family was very supportive and although her parents inflicted their views onto Amal, they let her make a lot of her own decisions and supported them.
I agree. Including other cultures and their views in this book was part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much. I feel that “Does My Head Look Big in This?” can teach other students to see things from more than one perspective. This is something that a lot of students have trouble with these days, being able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. This book by Randa Abdel-Fattah would be a great addition to a middle or even high school classroom library.
I was very interested when I read this book because I have recently begun watching American Muslim on TLC. I thought this was an interesting look at Muslim life, because from what I learned on the tv show, girls are allowed to choose if they want to wear the hijab or not, and some do not start wearing it until far later in life, when God “calls them” to do so. I thought it was fascinating to see a teenager’s perspective on this decision, which must be a hard one. It is so hard to stand out as a teenager when everyone just wants to fit in, and I think this book was a great choice.
I really enjoyed this book. It was written in a witty voice and kept my attention. I sympathized with the growing pains of Amal, but respected her perseverance in the face of adversity. This is a great read for teens and adults. The message of being nonjudgmental comes through so well. I was really touched by the relationships that Amal nurtured, whether with her family, friends, or her lonely neighbor Mrs. Vaselli.
I particularly liked page 256 where Amal confronts Lara about the differences in their religions. Amal defends Muslims against the negative media hype from politicians and journalists. She then helps Mrs. Vaselli to reunite with her son who has been estranged over a difference in religion between a Catholic and Jehovah Witness.
This book truly teaches a lesson in being a peacemaker. Amal mended relationships and helped others to understand that we must be true to our identities, but also respect the identities of others who are different.
I also really enjoyed watching Amal’s relationships unfold and seeing the way she nurtured them throughout the story. One of the main themes I got from the novel was the idea that people are more alike than different. I loved seeing the way Amal would step into conflict with grace and perseverance, and always stuck to what she knew was right, even when it was hard. I think a lot of teenage girls would love this story because it shows a girl in a positive light coming out on top – something parents and teachers would like too!