But they kind of did anyways. Fadi recognizes his sister in a photograph at the contest- that he has lost- and then, everything falls together and there is a happy ending.
I am glad for that. I sort of wish there was more to the book- that the families troubles were written about with a bit more depth- but the story, YA, well, I suppose got across all that it was trying to. Considering the audience that the book was written for, I think this is a good book to serve as sort of an introduction to further exploring experiences like Fadis. Immigration is something that this country was founded on. It is an interesting topic to explore I think so that someone who wants to can better understand the different perspectives and experiences people have.
Another thing that is probably good to explore, is the idea of Islamophobia. Like in a good majority of the books that we have read- Fadi and his family experience significant prejudice throughout the book- especially after 9/11. It is amazing to me that- I never really thought about the stigma that muslims and other individuals had to face after 9/11. It is really sad that this is something that still exists- as its, like every other group really, only the extremists who are violent at all really. I wish that the book had been a bit longer, focused on those issues more- how everyone felt/acclimated- they went into that to some extent but I wish it was a bit more in depth.
I did enjoy reading this book though- reading what I could about Fadi and his family I think helped me connect to the subject in a way that- was really satisfying. I hope to learn more about the struggles facing individuals coming to America- so I can better understand all sorts of situations.
