The Writing on My Forehead

by Nafisa Haji

Book Overview

A free-spirited and rebellious Muslim-American of Indo-Pakistani descent, willful, intelligent Saira Qader rejected the constricting notions of family, duty, obligation, and fate, choosing instead to become a journalist, making the world her home. But when tragedy strikes, throwing Saira's life into turmoil, the woman who circled the globe to uncover the details of other lives must confront the truths of her own. In need of understanding, she looks...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061493864
• ISBN13: 9780061493867
• Release Date: March 2010
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Powerful, Masterful Storytelling

A brilliant first novel by Ms. Haji, and from the first chapters is much more than a story about mother-daughter relationships (although that theme, too, weaves through the book). It's a masterful tale of culture--a family's history as it unfolds parallel to modern history--and how individual choices affect so many. "The Writing on My Forehead" is filled with colorful, believable characters who, combined, provide the reader with a compelling look into the lives of those we might not have understood before. Each character (as seen through the eyes of delightful Saira) is like a puzzle piece in a much larger picture of her life. Through her family members, we come to understand her own unfolding story... why she makes some of the choices (and mistakes) along the way. Not unlike every family, everywhere. Many family members in the book, especially Big Nanima, were people I would have loved to share a cup of tea with. It's a book I couldn't put down until reaching the final page, and is a novel I'll remember for many years. "The Writing on My Forehead" is not light reading. There are terms and Urdu words which may be unfamiliar to the reader (as they were to me), and as I read, I found myself wishing there'd been a glossary added. That is the only criticism I have of the book, and only because it took several chapters to keep unfamiliar terms and words straight. In summary, and without giving away any of the story, this reader is grateful to Ms. Haji for such a vibrant, compelling visit into a culture and people I hadn't known... and yet are so familiar in many ways. The author has reinforced my belief that regardless of where we come from, we're more alike than we are different. There are universal truths in the human experience--joys and sorrows, arguments and laughter, births and deaths, complicated relationships, and yes... family secrets. I highly recommend reading this wonderful novel. In fact, I've asked each of my sons to read it and the 16 year old is already enjoying it!

A complicated society, a complicated life

A fascinating glimpse into an Indo Pakistani world where family and culture are embedded into the main character's life, no matter how she tries to distance herself. The Indo Pakistani family relationship rules shape the lives and decisions of all the characters, even those who think they are rebelling. Family love is paradoxical - all encompassing, all inclusive while at the same time extremely smothering, a la "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan. And yet many readers will also recognize that the love of the extended family is something that brings great joy and comfort in a society like the US which values the individual so highly. The writing starts off choppy for the first few chapters but bear with the writer, she finds her voice and her flow after a bit. And what really makes this book is that there are several twists that are completely surprising and unexpected that will drive you to finish it.

Must Read

Nafisa Haji's The Writing On My Forehead takes the reader on an exciting journey where cultures sometimes clash, where East meets West and where Hope triumphs amidst tears. The story unfolds so smoothly and realistically that the reader becomes one with Saira Kader, the heroine of the story. Every dilemma that Saira encounters, every choice that she makes, becomes that of the reader. The character of Saira evolves from that of a curious, questioning child to a woman of strong moral standing, whose empathy and concerns surmount the barriers that are sometimes imposed by organized religions. Saira instinctively overcomes the zealotry of organized religions and strives for far greater objectives. Haji has done a superb job in creating all her characters. They are all extremely well-developed and meaningful, with enough details to give the reader an insight into why and how they influenced Saira. Particularly charming and endearing is Big Nanima, whose role-modeling, and nonjudgmental presence in Saira's life adds a flavor that is unique and which needs to be read to be appreciated. The contrast between the personalities of Saira and her older sister Amina is also very engaging. Amina is quite traditional but also very persevering and determined. Saira, on the other hand, has always challenged the status quo--questioning and discovering not merely her own self but the world at large. Her experiences add a dimension to her character that creates a strong bond between her and the reader. Whilst the first two-thirds of the book contains many details of Saira's life and allow the reader the privilege of understanding and appreciating specific nuances of events of the past that influence and motivate Saira, the last third of the book is like being on an emotional roller coaster. The events unfold in such quick succession--events that are so magnanimous and speak so loud that to further explain them would be an insult to their magnitude. The Writing On My Forehead is a beautifully written book that allows the reader to become a part of Saira's being. This bond between Saira and the reader lingers long after the last word has been read.

Roots, Culture and Determination

Saria Qader and her older sister Ameena are second generation Muslim-Americans, but they couldn't be more different. Ameena is the beauty, Saria is the brains. Ameena will mend her will to tradition, Saria will not. The girls are growing up in America, but the traditions and culture of their parents have followed them. Ameena agrees to an arranged marriage with a handsome doctor, but Saria wants to go to college. When she was fourteen she found out her grandmother's secret. Saria had always believed her grandfather was dead, but it wasn't. He'd left his arranged marriage and took up with another. Not everybody in her family was a slave to tradition. Saria wouldn't be either. And she isn't. She goes to college, becomes an international journalist, but when Ameena is murdered after 9/11 she questions the choices she's made. In the end the ties that bind are family. But sometimes we have to lose them to discover how important that are. Sometimes we can get them back, sometimes we cannot. How Saria handles the conflict is what make this story so wonderful. It's a story about mothers and daughters, about sisters, about family. About the struggles and trials of second generation Americans who have one foot in America and one foot in a culture they never really knew. This is a good book.

A Powerful Story, Very Satisfying

Living in California, young Saira Qader is the daughter of traditional and conservative Muslim parents. However, she was brought up in America and tends to think like an American and what American teenager isn't a bit rebellious. Saira goes to Pakistan without her mother and sister when she is fourteen to attend a family wedding. During the trip she finds out her grandfather isn't dead as she been told. He actually left her grandmother and is living with a second family in England. The marriage between her grandparents had been arranged. She returns home to a sister who has agreed to an arranged marriage, but after what Saira has seen coupled with her rebellious nature, she knows this isn't the route she wants to take. Instead she wants to go to college just like her American friends and she does, where she participates in several unMuslim like activities, like drugs, drink and sex. She winds up as a successful journalist, traveling the world with her photographer cousin, whose lifestyle would shock any conservative Muslim. But after the Twin Towers fall her sister is murdered because she was wearing a hijab and this causes Saria to reevaluate her life and her relationship with her family. Saria's story held me captive. I'm always interested in cultures different than mine, especially when I can learn about them in a well told story and this story is well told. I don't know about all the choices Saria made, but most of them I could well imagining a girl in her position making. I can imagine how hard it would be for a second generation American balancing family and success. Free will, they say God gave it to us, but fate and culture play a strong roll and when you're trying to balance all three, well it's not always possible, but you'll enjoy reading this story and learning how Saria deals with the conflict between her will and her culture. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne