Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

I've come to the realization that I don't blog much about books, which is seriously weird considering how much I love them and how much time I spend on them. Writing a book is not easy; you have to let the words flow without giving the reader eye-rolling moments, which is where editing comes in. Sometimes, however, you read a book and you totally love it, but when you read it again, you find that the cheese factor is kind of a bit too much. Anyway, here is a book I read and really loved (note: More book reviews to come!).

-Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah:

Brilliant. Magic. Adorable. Need I say more? This book is everything I have been searching for for a long time. As an Egyptian who specifically likes reading English (I rarely read Arabic books, except at school, something I need to work on), it's hard to find books in English that are about people who are more like me than people who are like Mia Thermopolis in the Princess Diaries. That's just one of the reasons this book gave me such ultimate joy. It's also a beautiful book about Islam, faith, sticking to your beliefs, strength, standing out from the crowd, and going after your dreams.

Truly amazing, it shows how the world can really become a better place if we can all just live in harmony through the story of Amal, a teenage Palestinian-Muslim born in Australia. Amal decides to wear the hejab (headscarf), and her faith is tested by the community she lives in as well as her classmates. However, she finds a lot of people who support her and her decision; some of them expected, like her Muslim and non-Muslim best friends, some of them not, like the old Greek woman next door. I won't say anymore, but all in all, I think this is a read that both Muslims and non-Muslims can enjoy. It also made me really happy because it showed the true spirit of Islam.