Does My Head Look Big in This? [Audio CD]

"Putting on hijab isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it," Amal, the narrator, says in the book. This brief statement summarizes the powerful lesson of this compelling, funny novel.

The novel begins as Amal is watching a Friends rerun and is inspired to wear hijab (the Muslim head scarf) when she sees Jennifer Aniston's carefree character get up and dance in a "hideous bridesmaid outfit" at her ex-boyfriend's wedding. This comical, worldy inspiration sets the stage for Amal's third term rollercoaster ride as an eleventh grader in a private, prestigious "institution" (as the principal Ms. Walsh like to call it).

Having gone to Muslim school up until the year before, Amal's decision to cover in hijab will prove a huge test of faith for her, especially since she spent first and second term at the school appearing normal...except for her long name: "Amal Mohamed Nasrullah Abdel-Hakim". (She says, "You can thank my father, paternal grandfather, and paternal great-grandfather for that one. The teachers labeled me slow in preschool because I was the last child to learn how to spell her name).

As I read, I laughed out loud and shook my head in recognition of how it feels to grow up Muslim in the West, especially as a teenager in school. The book is authentic in its representation of that experience, the ups and downs, the stereotypes, the harassment, and (ah!) the "good souls" that make you smile because they prove that there really are people (however rare they are) who are actually guided by good human sense when dealing with Muslim citizens, instead of CNN headlines on "Islamic" terrorists and the like.

Amal has to deal with normal teenage struggles, school, friends, and even a crush on a fellow classmate Adam, who seems to adore her too. Her relationship with her two Muslim friends brings to light scores of issues that Muslims battle everyday--in their homes and the world--in terms of stereotypes and drawing the line between Islam and culture.

The writing is witty, smooth, and enjoyable. I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. For the writing alone, the book deserves five stars.

I have but one reservation about the book, especially for Muslim readers looking for some inspiration as they seek solace in Western society, despite tons of setbacks:

Despite its obvious Islamic theme (the hijab), the book is definitely not a morale booster in the spiritual sense. As one reviewer commented, the central issues were cliche and stereotypical, but, most significantly, lots of them are not representative of the lifestyle of thousands of practicing Muslim youth living in the West.

Probably the most glaring contradiction is that the hijab is the central focus in the book but the narrator (and apparently the author) repeatedly wants Westerners to see it as "merely a piece of cloth" and not a significant spiritual statement that represents an Islamic lifestyle. This is like saying a Christian wants others to see the cross as merely two pieces of wood (or metal) hammered into the shape of a lowercase "t".

What's more is that the entire purpose of the hijab is completely lost in the book, that of covering one's beauty, as instructed in the Qur'an. Repeatedly, Amal does all she can to accentuate her lips, eyes, and face to make herself appealing, particularly for her "mad crush" Adam. She doesn't lower her gaze, displays no sense of modesty, and is completely at ease in male company, stopping short only of kissing or sleeping with him. This I couldn't relate to, and in fact it left me confused, wondering if the author was going a bit overboard to drum the "We're just like you!" mantra to non-Muslim readers.

Also, although the book was very authentic to the experiences of many Muslim youth, it is grossly inauthentic to hosts of others, especially those who can actually relate to Amal. In most cases, the Amals of the world do not come out as unscathed and "pure" as this narrator does, and in that way the experiences with her "mad crush" Adam bordered more on idealistic than realistic.

Nevertheless, as a novel, it is an excellent read. But if you're looking for a taste of the Muslim youth lifestyle in the West, this book is only scratching the surface and barely so, except for the obvious debunking of stereotypes of Muslims in the media. For the Muslim reader looking for an "emaan lifter", look elsewhere. You're more likely to want to go out on a date, watch Friends, dress like Jessica Simpson, and blast your music than to be inspired to say a single prayer or want to crack the Qur'an open.

Randa Abdel-Fattah is an Australian and Muslim writer and her book Does My Head Look Big In This? is the story of a teenage girl Amal who chooses to wear the hijab. The book deals quite well with three larger social themes, one specifically is about choice in religion and one example of what it's like for a Muslim girl in a westernized society. The other larger social theme, which was quite well done regards identity, how we see ourselves, with a specific nod to dislodging the beauty myth. And finally, a critique of the sexual pressures placed on young girls to have sex.

At the same time, I did struggle with some ideas in the book. Early on, Abdel-Fattah knocks at feminism, which is rather well deserved in the sense of "hard-core feminists" (her words, not mine) making an issue out of wearing the hajib when choice is involved. Point taken, but this isn't so much a feminist stance as much as western perceptions and xenophobia pertaining specifically to women of eastern cultures or cultural descent. Additionally, she also ensures a knock at atheism. This sort of misrepresentation (or misinterpretation) carries through the book in not identifying social issues as the problem. After all, in a book that deals with the problematic scenarios of misrepresenting and misinterpreting Islam - well, pot kettle black.

Likewise, every page was detailed by a mass consumer mindset of shopping and buying and consuming. I did start to find this problematic and particularly as the book completely fails to escape the female young adult novel entrenched idea of female competition. Because, you know, a young adult novel can't exist without two girls verbally (if not physically) abusing each other.

Overall it was an enjoyable read (spiced up with the usual young adult fair of crushes and family issues) and one I would recommend with some reservations. The social issue critique and discussion are brilliant, but my hope of finding a novel for young women to read that resists the plague of negative young adult diatribe was not found in this book.

Let me start out by saying that DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? is a book that needed to be written, and one that needs to be read. It definitely fills a gap in young adult literature: it's a story about a normal Muslim girl in a non-Muslim country (Australia) who is not escaping oppression by a fundamentalist government/family or anything like that. Amal is just a normal teenage girl, albeit a Muslim one. She has crushes on boys, she likes to go shopping, she giggles with her friends, and she sometimes argues with her parents or feuds with classmates.

However, Amal's life is changed drastically when she makes a major decision: to wear the hijab, the head scarf worn by Muslim women. This would not be nearly such a big deal were she still at school with all of her friends who are also Muslim and some of whom wear the hijab full-time (meaning: whenever she is around men who are not relatives) as well. However, Amal has recently transferred to a very white-bread prep school, where the environment is completely different.

Amal is subjected to racism and discrimination by kids whose experience with Muslims has largely been confined to what they see in the media. The reactions she faces at home are not all positive, either, but Amal has made a choice. To her, it is a personal, religious decision, to show her devotion to God; it's not about being oppressed as some of her classmates seem to think, or making any sort of statement. Being a Muslim is a part of who Amal is, but in showing that, she faces things a lot worse than any evangelical Christian I know, and that's a sad commentary on our society.

All of that aside, Randa Abdel-Fattah's book is very well-written, and I loved Amal's voice. The characters in this book (particularly Amal) were great. DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? is actually a little reminiscent of the wonderful Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta, and that's high praise, indeed! The main characters feel similarly different from their peers, are both Australian, and even have sort of similar voices.

This book is more than worth reading; it's a must-read!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 38 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars