BBD 23: A Map of Home / Randa Jarrar

1. Nidali opens with the story of her birth and says, "Baba realized that he didn't know my
sex for sure but that didn't matter; he'd always known I was a boy." How does the fact that
Nidali is female affect her relationship with her father? Do you think Waheed would have
been as hard on her if she had been a boy? Examine the dynamics of this father-daughter
relationship.
The fact that Nidali is female greatly affects her relationship with her father. From the
very beginning, he wanted her to be a boy. If Nidali would have been a boy, Waheed
would not have been as hard on her. Since she ended up being a girl, her father was
especially hard on her. He wanted her to excel at everything, and he expected a lot out
from her at all times. One reason for this is that he loves her; he wants her to do well
because he is her father. A second reason for this is because he never was able to fulfill
his dream of becoming a writer. He pushes his anger and frustration on to her, and wants
her to be successful in his eyes. A third reason for this is because he knew the things his
sisters went through. They were forced to marry and be obedient without a choice for
their futures. Waheed knew the only escape of this fate was getting a good education, and
he wanted that for Nidali.

2. Nidali grows up in several different countries. What do you learn about adolescence from
her varied perspective? Is it a universal experience?
Nidali grows up in several different countries and travels around through places like Kuwait,
Egypt, and the United States (Texas). Even though she lives in several different places, it seems
that adolescence is a universal experience. Throughout her travels, she meets many different
people and finds friendship and love. Although these instances are not all in the same place, she
learns the ways of the world from the people in these different countries as she grows up. She
spends her childhood in Kuwait, her teenage years in Egypt, and then moves to Texas. She hears
stories/learns about sexual encounters, friendship, schoolwork, dreams, and strict parents. It is
universal because everyone in all of these countries is experiencing/has experienced these
hardships and life moments.

3. Examine the several passages in which Nidali reflects on the idea of home and what it
means to her. How does she define home? Is it a concept or something more concrete?
What does the title refer to?
Nidalis home has changed several times throughout the novel, but there still are some
consistencies that she feels about the topic. To her, home represents several different
concepts/ideas. She has her growing up home in Kuwait, her teenage home in Egypt, and her
home in Texas, but those are all concrete places. She also has her Egyptian-Greek and
Palestinian homes through her family background that she experiences through the influence of
her parents. A very important concept to her is her Palestinian home. Waheed tells her that

Palestinians carry home with them no matter where they go, and Nidali finds this to be very
interesting. Although she has never been to Palestine, she feels it is her home because it is her
ancestors home. This home is always changing too, however, because Israels borders change
constantly, and sometimes they confiscate land from Palestine. The title of this novel, Map of
Home, refers to Nidalis search for her own map of home and what home means to her. She
carries Palestine with her in her heart (and Egypt from her mother), but she realizes that for her, a
true home is a place you do not have to leave. This could be Texas in the novel because her
family lives there stably.

4. When Nidalis religious cousin Esam comes to visit, he throws away her Wonder Woman
stickers, proclaiming the character looks like a naked heathen and a shameless
prostitute. Nidali looks at the remains of the stickers and says, These white spots were, to
me, parts of God. What role does religion play in Nidalis childhood? Does it change or
evolve as she grows up?
When Nidalis religious cousin Esam comes to visit, she is very put off by his strictness. She had
an understanding of morals and ethics, but she was still very young and not too concerned with
those matters. When he throws away her Wonder Woman stickers because he deems them to be
unvirtuous, she gets very upset because those were an important symbol to her. To Nidali,
religion was not the center focus of her life. She had a rebellious personality, and it seemed as if
she did not like being confined by some of the religious teachings. When she enters the contest
to memorize the Quran, she gains more respect for it, but still remains confused on why those
words were so important. Even as she grows up, religion is not too influential. She learns to
respect it more and understand its meaning in her life better, but it does not fit all of her views.

5. Consider the different settings in the novel--Kuwait, Egypt, and Texas. Where do you
think the Ammar family is the most content? Find instances when Jarrar weaves historical
events into the plot and discuss the different ways her characters are affected by them.
I think the Ammar family finds content in all three settings, but they seem to be the most content
in Kuwait. It seems this way because Waheed does not want to leave at first when the invasion
hits, Ruz has her piano, and Nidali has her friends and boyfriend. Jarrar weaves certain historical
events into the plot to show how an adolescent would respond to them. The Israel-Palestine
conflict appears in the novel a few times as symbol of Nidalis Palestinian Home always
changing. The changing borders show her that she can have a home, but that home can change,
too. Even though the conflict upsets her father, Nidali finds it to be curious and interesting. The
invasion directed by Sadam Hussein upsets Nidali because she did not want to leave her home in
Kuwait. Even though her reasonings seem childish, her parents understood the true extent of this
problem and wanted to move the family away from that disastrous situation.
6. Nidali writes a letter to Sadam Hussein to complain about the Iraqi invasion and how it

is ruining her life. What does this reveal about Nidali? About the connection between the
personal and the political?
This incidence of Nidali writing a letter to Sadam Hussein reveals that Nidali is nave and still in
her adolescent ages. She complains that she has started her period and cannot be with her crush
because of Husseins army invasion. However, she apparently does not understand the true
causes of the invasion because then her stated grievances would be of little worry to her. She
feels that the causes of her discomfort and frustration directly relate to Sadam Husseins political
activities. This situation reveals that the connection between the personal and the political can
sometimes be very dramatic, extreme, and uncalled for. Many people blame their personal
struggles on the current political situation, but it is not always the fault of those who have power.
Sometimes, the accusations are ridiculous and with little evidence, but people make them so that
they feel better about themselves. In most cases, political figures cannot control every aspect of
a citizens life.

7. Nidali's parents each live with the disappointment that they gave up their dream careers:
Waheed never became a great poet and Ruz never became a concert pianist. How does each
parent deal with this regret? How do their failures affect Nidali and her own hopes for the
future?
Since Waheed never became a great poet and Ruz never became a concert pianist, they both had
to live with the regret of not achieving their dreams. Waheed deals with this regret by taking out
his frustrations on his family. He beats his wife and children, and treats them very harshly most
of the time. He also is very hard on his children because he wants them to be successful in their
education so that they can become something important when they get older. Ruz deals with this
regret by trying to keep her life calm and stable. She always wanted to buy a piano for their
house, but Waheed would not let her. Then, finally, she decides to go and buy one so she can
play her music every day, which she does. Their failures affect Nidali and her own hopes for the
future. Seeing the sadness, anger and frustration of her parents forces her to focus on what she
wants, and also influences her to rebel and make her own decisions on important matters (such as
college) so she can achieve her own individual dreams.

8. Nidali chronicles her family's new life in America in the chapter "The Shit No One
Bothered to Tell Us." What is the effect of her ironic commentary in these vignettes? How
does Nidali portray her new home? Does she find anything positive in Texas?
Nidali chronicles her familys new life in America, and describes getting used to the American
culture and everyday things. The effect of her ironic commentary in these vignettes is that she
makes it seem like America is out to get her and very deceiving. She only describes the
downsides of her new home and wants the reader to feel like America is the exact opposite of
what she really wants for a home. Nidali portrays her new home as difficult to live in and hard to
get used to. The tilted toilet seat, the changing water temperatures, and the fact that it is a mobile

home do not appeal to the family. They experience lies, tricks, and other deceiving actions that
they were too nave to understand at first. The only positive things she finds in Texas are a new
love interest and the fact that her parents relationship has changed from the violent fights.

9. Waheed is a complex character, capable of extreme compassion and love as well as quicktempered anger and abuse. Do you ever sympathize with Waheed? What are the driving
forces of his behavior?
Waheed is a very complex character that has extreme ups and downs in his mood. I did not want
to sympathize with Waheed very much because I felt he could have released his anger and
frustration in better, healthier, less violent, and less pushy ways. I did sympathize a little with
him because he was not able to succeed in his dream and he tried so hard to. One of the driving
forces of his behavior is the frustration, anger, and regret he feels for not being able to achieve
his dream of becoming a poet. Another one of the driving forces of his behavior is his desire for
his children to succeed in life, especially Nidali because she is a girl. Since he was not able to
achieve his dream, he pushes his dream onto Nidali and forces her to work hard. He does not
want her to end up with a fate like those of his sisters.

10. Nidali's sexual awakening is a significant part of her adolescence. From her first
boyfriend Fakhr in Kuwait to her high-school crush Medina in Texas, Nidali goes through a
range of joyous and unpleasant experiences. Compare and contrast these encounters. How
does she react to heartbreak? To disappointment?
Nidalis sexual awakening is a significant part of her adolescence and she experiences many
different emotions along with it. Her boyfriend Fakhr in Kuwait was her first actual encounter
with this sexual awakening, and the whole situation was kept a secret. She only kissed him a few
times outside of school, and eventually she had to leave him to go to Egypt. Her high-school
crush Medina in Texas did not end up working out for her, and she experienced a lot of
disappointment through the rejection. Both of these encounters left her upset and frustrated with
love. She reacts to heartbreak in a relatively calm manner. She is upset, but she is not one to
outwardly show all of her emotions. To disappointment, she reacts confused and hurt, but she
once again does not talk about her feelings with many people.

11. Growing up, Nidali is fascinated by her family history. In what ways does family history
affect an individual life? How is Nidali shaped by those events in her family that occurred
before her birth?
Nidali is fascinated by her family history because her father is Palestinian and her mother is

Egyptian and Greek. Family history affects an individual life because it can influence them,
what they pursue in life, and even their morals. Nidali is shaped by many events in her family
that occurred before her birth. Her parents relationship starting up influences her hopes of a
romantic life, Waheeds sisters being married off influences her to focus on education, the story
of her name influences shapes her into a rebellious person because her father was trying
something different in naming her, and even her familys ethnic background shapes her beliefs
and sense of home.

12. Does Waheed's acceptance of Nidali's final act of rebellion--going to the "forbidden
fruit college in Boston"-- show he is finally ready to let go? Is his change of heart a reaction
to his recent experiences as an immigrant in the U.S. or is it in keeping with his longstanding relationship with Nidali? Is this a fitting ending?
I think Waheeds acceptance of Nidalis final act of rebellion-going to the forbidden fruit
college in Boston-shows that he is finally ready to let go. He will not completely let her off the
hook because he still wants her to pursue higher education, but at least he knows that she is
trying to achieve an academic goal. I think his change of heart was caused by his want in
keeping with his longstanding relationship with Nidali. He is trying to live vicariously through
her while keeping the two of them on good terms. I found this to be a fitting ending because
finally, the two of them could come to an agreement and both be content with one of Nidalis
major life choices.

13. The book opens with Waheed holding a pen, and ends with Ruz throwing one out the
window, and Nidali catching it. What role does writing play in the novel?
Writing plays a significant role in the novel. First of all, Waheeds dream was to become a great
poet. This did not happen, so he pushed Nidali to try hard and be a good writer, too. Since he
could not pursue his dream completely, the pen exchange was symbolic to passing down his
dream to her so she can write her own life and pursue her own dream. Also, writing was
Waheeds way of bonding with his daughter. It was one of the only things they shared, so there
were many instances in the novel that included those two and writing in general.