Which is why it is so refreshing when she begins to consider-for the first time ever-being herself. He's himself no matter what, come what may.īut being two different people is time consuming and exhausting. She's so completely different from Timothy-a nerd who shows no reaction to the endless teasing he receives. She's so caught up in being on the fringest of the fringes of the 'cool' people, that she doesn't ever risk being herself, having a voice, taking a stand. Which is why she goes along with the 'in' crowd even when it makes her cringe. She doesn't want to be seen with the nerds either. (She wears colored contacts and dyes her hair blond.) She doesn't want to be seen as ethnic. At school, she wants to blend in with everyone else. At home, she's proud to be Lebanese and Muslim. We've got a narrator caught between two identies: Jamie and Jamilah. Ten Things I Hate About You is similar in theme. I found the perspective interesting-a Muslim teen girl who feels caught between cultures: wanting to be true to her faith and family but also wanting to fit in with the popular, beautiful people. Randa Abdel-Fattah's previous novel, Does My Head Look Big In This?, was one that I was ambivalent about.
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