Date: 29 January 2010
Jasira is thirteen. Her mother doesn’t want her, her strict Yemeni born father has met and disapproved of her boyfriend and the kids at school are calling her “towelhead”. Saddam Hussein has invaded Kuwait and America is on the brink of the first Gulf war. Looking for affection and experiencing the pangs of her changing body and emotions, Jasira is susceptible to misunderstanding the motives of people around her. Unable to talk to her father and not having her mother to guide her, she is fortunate to have a caring young couple living next door who offer her a form of sanctuary from the turmoil of her life and who are prepared to offer the kind of support a young and confused teenager needs.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This perceptive writer showed a real understanding of the emotional and physical turmoil of being a teenage girl in this situation and her portrayal of Jasira was real and honest. The author also challenges the reader to think about the responsibility we all have as human beings towards the vulnerable in our midst.
AH