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Does My Head Look Big in This?

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Does My Head Look Big in This?

By: Randa Abdel-Fattah
Narrated by: Rebecca Macauley
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About this listen

The slide opened and I heard a gentle, kind voice: What is your confession, my child? I was stuffed. The Priest would declare me a heretic; my parents would call me a traitor... The Priest asked me again: What is your confession, my child? I'm Muslim, I whispered. Welcome to my world. I'm Amal Abdel-Hakim, a seventeen year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim still trying to come to grips with my various identity hyphens. It's hard enough being cool as a teenager when being one issue behind the latest Cosmo is enough to disqualify you from the in-group. Try wearing a veil on your head and practising the bum's-up position at lunchtime and you know you're in for a tough time at school. Luckily my friends support me, although they've got a few troubles of their own. Simone, blonde, gorgeous and overweight - she's got serious image issues, and Leila's really intelligent but her parents are more interested in her getting a marriage certificate than her high school certificate! And I thought I had problems.

©2005 Randa Abdel-Fattah (P)2006 Bolinda Publishing Fiction Growing Up Literature & Fiction Self Esteem & Self Image
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Editor reviews

In Does My Head Look Big In This?, Randa Abdel-Fattah, an Australian-born Muslim writer, has produced a poignant novel about faith and culture clashes.

Voiced with cheeky humor by Rebecca Macauley, Abdel-Fattah’s novel deals with what happens when 16-year-old Amal decides to wear a head scarf full time. She must deal with reactions from friends and family and taunts from intolerant strangers. Meanwhile, she develops a crush on the cutest boy at school.

Performing the work in a conversational tone and brash Australian accent, Macauley wrings out the right amount of pathos and self-deprecating humor from this poignant novel.

Critic reviews

"This is a superb first novel with clever, entertaining dialogue, language and characters." (Good Reading Magazine)
"[A] witty, sensitive debut..." (People Magazine)
"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)
"Using a winning mix of humor and sensitivity, Abdel-Fattah ably demonstrates that her heroine is, at heart, a teen like any other. This debut should speak to anyone who has felt like an outsider for any reason." (Publishers Weekly)
"Amal Abdel-Hakim is a 17-year-old Australian-Palestinian-Muslim who's asking the same question all teens ask: How do I fit into my world?. She's bright, pretty, popular, and she's just decided to wear the hijab – the headscarf – full time. How this changes Amal's life is recounted in serious and hilarious detail and narrated with authenticity by Rebecca Macauley, who manages both teen angst and adult tones with equal aplomb. While the Australian slang may sometimes mystify American teens, the story's universal appeal and Macaulay's gifted narration will keep listeners fully engaged in Amal's struggle to be an observant Muslim while still maintaining an ordinary teenager's life." (AudioFile Magazine)
Amal's decision to wear the traditional Muslim veil full-time (including school) takes some guts. Can she cope with the prejudice, keep her friends, and attract the cutest boy in school? (The Guardian)
"Determined to prove she's strong enough to 'wear a badge of my faith,' Amal faces ostracism and ridicule as she dons her hijab with both good humor and trepidation... Abdel-Fattah's fine first novel offers a world of insight to post-9/11 readers." (Kirkus Reviews)

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