Does This Make My Head Look Big? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Eleventh grader Amal attends a snobby private school. Over the winter break she decides that she is ready to wear the hijab to school. Her parents, worried about how she will be treated, try to talk her out of it. This only persuades Amal to want to wear it even more. This funny book brings us into the life of a Muslim family. I felt enlightened as I learned how many things I have in common with her life. We all face peer pressure. Is it better to just fit in or stand up for what you believe in? It made me wonder, would I have been brave enough to have done something as bold as Amal. Her first day of school the principal tries to convince her that her decision was not a personal one, since it effects everyone around her at school. How can anyone be so closed minded as to say your religious beliefs and practices have to be approved of by the majority?
