Shirin has a great relationship with her older brother and although it’s not explicitly discussed at length, it’s certainly obvious how her brother’s treatment by other students is different from what Shirin herself experiences. More than once her headscarf is the reason for physical violence and/or humiliation and the best people can do is shrug and say maybe you shouldn’t wear it.įor me, this book’s greatest strengths were in the family relationships and Shirin’s view of the world and her experiences. There are remarks, either oblique or outright made about terrorism, because every Muslim in the world must be the same, right? In class she is subjected to one particularly humiliating moment that the teacher attempted as a ‘leaning process’ but it’s grossly miscalculated and quite unprofessional.

She chooses to wear a headscarf (she isn’t required to, or forced to by her parents, it’s something she seems to have given a lot of thought to and has made that decision based on her own feelings) and in the time after 9/11 it’s basically a target on her back.ĭespite being born in America, Shirin is told countless times to go back to where she came from. This lifestyle (and probably a combination of other factors) means that Shirin has never particularly developed close friendships and she tends to go through school not seeing or hearing anyone around her. This is set quite soon after 9/11 and the protagonist is a young woman, who moves around with her Iranian-born family quite often as their parents search for better opportunities.

Blurb Muslim in America in a post 9/11 world then Tahereh Mafi is here with the answer.

A very large expanse of sea ending