Module 6 Does My Head Look Big in This?

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abdel-Fattah, Randa. 2005. DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? New York, NY: Orchard Books. ISBN 439919479.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Amal, a Muslim-Australian high school student, decides to wear the hijab, the Muslim head scarf full-time as a badge of faith. She encounters threats and warnings but learns a lot about herself too.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDLING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Australian 11th-grader Amal is smart, funny, outspoken, a good student and a loyal friend. Readers will relate to her boy crushes and drama with girl cliques at school. The stress she and her friends put on themselves to be thin and accepted is right on target. The only thing that sets Amal apart is that she’s a devout Muslim who decides to wear the hijab, or head covering, full-time.
Amal is also battling the misconceptions of non-Muslims about her religion and culture. She is asked by many people if her parents are forcing her to wear the hijab. “So your parents have made you wear the veil permanently now?” Amal is a strong character and she views the hijab as a personal choice and stands up to many bullies. “I feel independent and I know I’ve got the choice to be whoever I want to be.” Midway through the book, Amal does have a crisis of faith and get tired of explaining her choices. Her mother says, “Everybody’s scared of what they don’t know.”
Approriate use of Muslim details like Ramadan and fasting are used in the book. Amal struggles with parts of her faith, like people do in every religion. Prayer regimes and hijab techniques are also discussed.
The only stereotypical character that gets very old is the Greek neighbor, Mrs. Vaselli. Her Greek accent is way overdone. “My husband, you know, he get sick of factory. So we say why not open ze shop and sell ze fish and chips.” Abel-Fattah should stick to what she knows and leave Greek characters to others.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“ …While the novel deals with a number of serious issues, it is extremely funny and entertaining, and never preachy or forced. The details of Amal's family and social life are spot-on, and the book is wonderful at showing the diversity within Muslim communities and in explaining why so many women choose to wear the hijab. Amal is an appealing and believable character. She trades verbal jibes with another girl, she is impetuous and even arrogant at times, and she makes some serious errors of judgment. And by the end of the story, she and readers come to realize that "Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it.” SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“*Starred Review* …Without heavy preaching, the issues of faith and culture are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage. More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere.” BOOKLIST

E. CONNECTIONS
Research Abel-Fattah’s background and learn more about her choice to write this novel.