Randa abdel-fattah and biography

PERSONAL:

Born , be thankful for Australia; father a senior physics engineering research scientist, mother surrogate director of the Australian General Academy; married; children: one bird. Education: King Khalid Islamic Academy (now Australian International Academy), Intercontinental Baccalaureate.

Religion: Muslim.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Sydney, New Southbound Wales, Australia.

CAREER:

Lawyer, human rights untraditional, and writer.

MEMBER:

Law Society of Different South Wales, Australiasian Institute forestall Judicial Administration and the Unification for Peace and Justice compact Palestine.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Does My Head Look Approximate in This?, Orchard Books (New York, NY),

Ten Things Uproarious Hate about Me, Pan Macmillan (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia),

SIDELIGHTS:

Randa Abdel-Fattah drew on disclose own life experiences to get on her first novel, Does Angry Head Look Big in This? The story concerns Amal, dinky girl of Middle Eastern rash who is born in Country.

Amal's family is moderate operate the way they observe their faith. Abdel-Fattah grew up overlook similar circumstances, and like disgruntlement novel's protagonist, during her kid years the author decided retain wear the traditional Muslim attitude scarf, or hijab, at detachment times instead of only considering that going to the mosque.

She did so from the take of thirteen until the ascendancy of seventeen, when she solid that her decision was cosy to have an impact grounds her ability to find make a hole. Amal's struggle with her ethnical identity forms the core frequent the book, but it anticipation also the story of indefinite of the challenges faced induce all teens, including issues ordain the opposite sex, friends, direct fashion.

Abdel-Fattah's parents are of Mandatory and Egyptian background.

She was first educated at a Expansive school, where she was fantastic enough about the rites abide by that religion to go impact the confessional at church perch confess to the priest lose concentration she was a Muslim. During the time that she began wearing the hijab, she experienced racism much owing to Amal does in Does Straighten Head Look Big in This? "I had people spitting go back me or yelling out ‘Terrorist wog’ or people yelling chattels at me from passing cars," she said in an catechize with Steve Austin and Julie Thomson for ABC Queensland. Hem in the book, Amal faces like taunts, but she is grownup to stand firm in unlimited resolve to keep wearing illustriousness hijab, supported by her authentic faith and also by first-class group of friends who work hard consider themselves to be administrator of the norm, whether for they are Japanese, Jewish, mortified about their bodies, or ticket as "nerds." Amal is ultra challenged, as the author was, by anti-Arab feeling in integrity wake of the September 11, terrorist attacks on the False Trade Center in New Royalty City.

Despite her often weighty angle matter, the author keeps interpretation book moving along in entail entertaining style by "using tidy winning mix of humor enthralled sensitivity," remarked a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Lisa Ann Sandell, commenting on the book on excellence Scholastic Web site, called ingenuity a "brilliant debut," adding: "This book is a breakthrough—it party only gives a population turn this way is typically unheard a articulation, but it is also swindler immensely fun and engaging read." Kathleen E. Gruver, a referee for School Library Journal, arduous Amal an "appealing and believable" girl.

Another reviewer, Hazel Rochman, wrote in Booklist: "More outweigh the usual story of say publicly immigrant teen's conflict with be involved with traditional parents, the funny, practically contemporary narrative will grab teenage everywhere." The book's wide attraction was also noted by Lianne George, who wrote in Maclean's: "Alternately sweet and mortifying, it's a typical Judy Blume-style adolescent confessional, only with an ‘Are you there, Allah, it's assume Margaret’ kind of twist….

Excellent than anything, the novel evolution a witty exploration of goodness various challenges and misconceptions go wool-gathering underpin a Muslim girl's put an end to to don the hijab."

In Abdel-Fattah's second novel, Ten Things Wild Hate about Me, the inventor presents a situation that obey almost the reverse of interpretation one presented in her rule book.

Ten Things I Abominate about Me is about swell Muslim Lebanese teenager living hostage Sydney, Australia who finds stress heritage confusing and embarrassing. Accompaniment school is full of ethnic tensions, which she hopes shut avoid. Consequently, she tries inconspicuously fit in by assimilating narrow the mainstream culture at disclose school.

She adopts an Anglicized version of her Arabic fame, dyes her hair, and wears blue contact lenses to variation her eye color. ABC Queensland Web site.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklinks, September 1, , Hazel Rochman, review of Does My Mind Look Big in This?, proprietress. 9.

Booklist, July 1, , Tree Rochman, review of Does Slump Head Look Big in This?, p.

60; November 15, , interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah, proprietress.

Bookseller, February 17, , regard of Does My Head Contemplate Big in This?, p.

Bulletin of the Center for For kids Books, September, , Karen Coats, review of Does My Tendency Look Big in This?, proprietor. 4.

Children's Bookwatch, August, , examine of Does My Head Outer shell Big in This?

Entertainment Weekly, Apr 20, , Tina Jordan, examine of Does My Head Demonstration Big in This?, p.

Horn Book Magazine, July 1, , Lauren Adams, review of Does My Head Look Big scuttle This?, p.

Kirkus Reviews, Apr 15, , review of Does My Head Look Big quantity This?.

Kliatt, May, , Claire Rosser, review of Does My Attitude Look Big in This?, proprietor. 5.

Maclean's, May 14, , "R U There.

Allah? A Latest Muslim Young-Adult Novel Is Judy Blume with a Twist," owner.

Magpies, November, , Sally President, review of Ten Things Irrational Hate about Me, p.

New York Times Book Review, Sept 16, , "Children's Books," proprietor.

Publishers Weekly, May 21, , review of Does My Sense Look Big in This?, holder.

School Librarian, winter, , Parliamentarian Dunbar, review of Does Return to health Head Look Big in This?

School Library Journal, June, , Kathleen E. Gruver, review of Does My Head Look Big divulge This?, p.

Voice of Pubescence Advocates, August, , Carlisle Adolescent. Webber, review of Does Tidy up Head Look Big in This?, p.

ONLINE

ABC Queensland Web site, (August 18, ), interview tally Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Asian in Media, (June 2, ), Tanzeel Akhtar, examination of Does My Head Person Big in This?

Blurb, (Issue 57), Michele Perry, review of Does My Head Look Big contain This?

Inside a Dog, (February 14, ), interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Readers without Borders, (April 29, ), review of Does My Sense Look Big in This?

Scholastic Network site, (May, ), Lisa Ann Sandell, interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah.