In the Name of God by Paula Jolin is a moving and eye-opening depiction of the struggle to find one’s self and what one believes in. Nadia, the narrator of Jolin’s tale, is a seventeen-year-old girl in modern Damascus who is trying to figure out how to be the best Muslim she can be. Her quest is interrupted when her cousin Fowzi is arrested for speaking out against the government. As she watches her family and their varying degrees of faith deal with her cousin’s arrest, Nadia must figure out what she believes.
Jolin’s compelling book provides a far-reaching look into a complex and controversial topic. Through Nadia, the journey to find one’s self and what one believes in becomes immediately relevant, and the book’s climactic ending is both challenging and thought-provoking.
- Posted by Erin