A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar: a Book Review

As I was a fairly rebellious teen, I am partial to a good coming of age novel. I relate well to the usual feelings of self-doubt, anger, and betrayal typically portrayed in teen fiction. I enjoy immersing myself in the main character's angst, only to emerge a few hours later relieved to have put those trying years behind me.

Randa Jarrar's novel, A Map of Home, was the perfect coming of age novel for me because her heroine not only rebelled against her parents' authority, she also struggled with issues of national identity. My Franco-American-Brazilian nationalities are not as exotic as those of Nidali, but the effort to accept my many identities was similar.

Nidali is the daughter of an Egyptian-born mother and a Palestinian father.
Her childhood is spent in Kuwait until Saddam Hussein's invasion in 1990 forces the family to flee to Egypt. From there, the family relocates to Texas to find a job for Nidali's father.

If the novel had been a straight description of the family's peregrinations throughout the Middle East, it would have been fascinating in itself. It's easy to think of the Middle East as one homogeneous block, but a Map of Home really illustrates the vast differences between the countries by describing the taunts Nidali suffers from her various classmates over her Palestinian citizenship or by recounting her impressions of the vastly different visits she makes to her father's impoverished relatives in the West Bank and her mother's wealthy relatives in Egypt.

But thanks to the irreverent and pitch perfect voice Jarrar has given to Nidali, a Map of Home is much more than an interesting read about a family's travels. From her first kiss to her father's beatings, Nidali shares all she lives through with a brutally honest voice. She even describes how she learned to adjust her masturbation technique once she moves to the US and no longer has a bidet. Nidali's voice, passionate and tough, is undeniable that of a teenager.

As I read a Map of Home, I was transported into Nidali's world. I felt her anger at her father's dual brutality and scholastic pressure. I felt her loss of her country as they fled the invading Iraqi army. I felt her burning desire to succeed at school, to make something of herself.

Randa Jarrar is a very talented writer and I hope to read more of her work. As much of Nidali's fictional character was pulled from her own personal experience, I'm hopeful that there will be more wonderful fiction featuring strong and smart Middle Eastern women.

Put this book on hold at the library, discuss it with your book clubs. There is much material there, and you will enjoy a great read.