![]() Teo is pretty much king of the school, with a 4.3 GPA, and the whole soccer team and the whole robotics team lean on him pretty heavily, as does his rarely-present father, whose expectations are sky-high. But she also learns that she does have a strong if untrained aptitude for it, helped by working with her father's tools and helping her brother with his car. But when a teacher sees engineering potential in her, Bel is basically forced into AP physics and onto the robotics team, where she soon learns how much attention people pay to girls in STEM (hint: not much). So Bel isn't exactly thrilled that she's suddenly at a ritzy private school with her friends now a long drive away, and "minimal" barely describes the effort she's putting in-and that includes her non-existent college apps. So Bel isn't exactly thrilled that she's su Switching schools your senior year is never good, especially when it's because your parents are divorcing. Switching schools your senior year is never good, especially when it's because your parents are divorcing. ![]() Definitely a good book to read to understand more about Islam and a "revert" to it.more I also thought her experiences with microaggressions and just plain racism/prejudice was totally believable, and the exhausting nature of it was also totally believable. It seemed more important to her to become a more active member of her warm, extended family. I will say that I thought her connection to the religion was presented more as belonging to a culture and community than religious feelings while I'm no expert on characters with religious feelings, Ali didn't really report feelings of being close to Allah or that sort of thing. I appreciated that she had other Muslims around her with differing views, as well as those reminding her that no one is perfect. I thought it presented Ali's position really clearly, and her struggles with Islam as well as what drew her to it. While parts of this felt really info-dumpy, overall I really appreciated it. She loves how peaceful and connected she feels when praying, but struggles with the prohibition on dating because she doesn't want to give Wells up. As for Ali, there are lots of ups and downs. While Ali's psychologist mother is supportive, as is Wells, Ali's agnostic/atheist (?) history professor father is not happy about it. And Ali is feeling so disconnected from her culture, that she decides to start exploring it by starting to pray, learning about the Koran, making friends in the Muslim Student Association, and more. ![]() This year, things are changing for Ali as she falls for Wells, whose father, she learns, is a rabid anti-Muslim radio host. Ali's mother is white and her father is from Jordan, of Circassian descent, so although their family is nonpracticing Muslim (her mother converted), t Ali's mother is white and her father is from Jordan, of Circassian descent, so although their family is nonpracticing Muslim (her mother converted), to most Americans they look white-which has a "white privilege" usefulness, but is also an invitation to unsuspected microaggressions.
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