In the Name of God by Paula Jolin

From the Publisher

17-year-old Nadia is an excellent student, daughter, and sister, but above all strives to walk the straight path and follow the laws of Islam.

Living in Damascus, Syria, she's conflicted about her Westernized peers, the internal economic, social, and political struggles of her country, and the war raging in Iraq. When her cousin is arrested for speaking out, Nadia finds herself drawn into the dark world of Islamic fundamentalism, eventually contemplating the ultimate sacrifice to take a stand for her people and her religion.

A striking debut, In the Name of God is an enlightening and nuanced story about life in the Middle East, as well as a fascinating exploration of one of the most talked-about issues of our day.

Publishers Weekly

Jolin's powerful and timely first novel transports readers to present-day Syria and explores how the hatred that young people feel towards Americans seems to fuel their willingness to become suicide bombers. Nadia, a respectable hijabi girl, lives in Damascus, where she fasts, prays, reads the Qur'an and covers her head. She is disgusted with her cousins' acceptance of Western culture ("Once again, Western values were intruding into my world and I was powerless to stop them"). Like her cousin Fowzi, Nadia believes that America's support of Israel and their fight against terrorism is contributing to the unstable conditions in Syria. Many young people, unable to find professional jobs, must seek work elsewhere, either in Emirates or the United States ("enemy number 2," behind Israel). Fowzi tells them, "How can you be responsible to the Muslims when you live in a state that's attacking them?" After Fowzi is arrested, Nadia feels compelled to fight against the American influences that resulted in his arrest, and agrees to be a suicide bomber. Readers will see that underneath Nadia's extremist idealism there is also a young woman with a romantic notion of saving her country, who doesn't fully realize the overwhelming consequences her actions will have on her family until it is almost too late. Though at times readers may feel they are being taught, this informative novel will get them thinking about another point of view. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)

VOYA

Nadia is a seventeen-year-old Muslim girl living in Syria. She is a conscientious student who believes strongly in her religion. She dislikes the influence that the West has had on her cousins and the people in Syria. When she witnesses her cousin beaten by the police in their home and he disappears after being arrested, she becomes even more agitated. She feels that God has put her on the path to do something for her people. She joins a group that makes bombs and becomes more fanatical about religion and people from the West. For anyone who has wondered how a suicide bomber can believe in suicide, this book will show the inner thoughts of a Syrian teen. It is told in the first person from Nadia's viewpoint and gives a good sense of what it is like to grow up in Syria. Nadia is a sympathetic character, a regular teen with strong beliefs about her religion, her culture, and her own contributions to both. Like teens anywhere, she is passionate and righteous about her views. It is eye opening to realize how people in other countries view the United States and its involvement in the war in Iraq. Many conversations between Nadia and other characters deal with September 11, the treatment of war prisoners, and George Bush. The well-written prose and short chapters give stories in the news a face and a character. Readers of this book will not be able to read or watch the news in the same way.

Kirkus Reviews

In the cramped Damascus apartment 17-year-old Nadia shares with her family, life is tough and getting tougher. While her brothers search unsuccessfully for work, Nadia, attends school. Her fundamentalist Islamic faith and wearing the hijab insulate her from the despondency and stress that surround her, but her rigid views drive a wedge between her and her family. Exhausted and fearful, living under a chaotically repressive regime, they would rather forget the political and religious realities that enrage Nadia. Soon she is venturing down a dangerous path, led by Walid, the attractive young man who draws her into this ominously exciting life. The taut, suspenseful plot builds to a riveting climax. Nadia's world is exotic, but her emotional upheavals, judgmental opinions and flashes of wry self-awareness mark her unmistakably as a member of the teenage tribe. Jolin does more than put a face on Middle East teens; she breathes life into each of her well-drawn characters and their complicated world. Nadia's story reminds us that some truths are best expressed by fiction. (Fiction. YA)

Product Details

• ISBN: 159643211X
  
• ISBN-13: 9781596432116
• Format: Hardcover, 208pp
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated
• Pub. Date: April 2007
• Sales Rank: 240,951
• Age Range: Young Adult