Book Review: Does My Head look Big in This? Written by Randa Abdel-Fattah

 

    This book was first published in 2005, but it is still relevant to read nowadays because of there still a problem with politic and islamphobic sentiment. This book tell about how Amalopposes hatred and prejudice by focusing on the perspective of a Muslim hijabi, a person who is highly susceptible to vitriol and violence because of her hypervisibility. Amal is an Australian-Palestinian Muslim with a very long surname. His mother is a dentist and his father is a doctor. She attends a private high school, has four friends of different religions (two Muslims and two non-Muslims), likes one of the popular boys at school (non-Muslim), of course enemies at school.Her life changes when she decides to start wearing the hijab full time on vacation, she has to consider several things before making her decision, if her school will accept her, if people will harass her on the bus, if her future is still guaranteed despite her hijab and if her extended family and friends will accept or judge him. DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? Experience a series of anxiety attacks and a list of issues that every hijab girl goes through all the time, especially when they start.The first thing I noticed is how Amal is not a miss two-goody shoe, I love her, she makes mistakes, it even takes time to realize that the hijab is not just a piece of clothing you wear on your head, it goes beyond clothing and reaches every part of your body . It makes the book more real and Amal's experience relatable.The book updated my comeback vocabulary list with sarcasm and made me laugh. Amal is never boring, she always has something to do, to think about, to talk about. One more thing about his behavior, oh God, actually one of the parts I like the most is where Tia and her friend ask about his behavior problem.It's a fun read, never boring and a fast read. I loved the variety of characters in the book and how well they were developed. I love that the author is factual about almost everything in the book, the characters, their way of life and their experiences. I enjoyed reading it, and it's more than four shining stars in my opinion. I was lucky with my reading today. You should try it if you are considering wearing the hijab, or already wear it and you have doubts of any kind, or if you need a light and fun read or if you just want something you can relate to as a hijabi.