DiaBlog#13

"I can feel it, the water pressing all around us, pulsing from below. Abba's fingers reach for mine. and we do as he taught us. We hold our breaths, then let them out, bit by bit. We push forward into the unknown. Go."

I found this quote a very good ending. Nadira refers to her family as water throughout the book. Here it seems she's saying that she can feel her family all around her. That they're finally all together again. Then she says, "And we do as he taught us. We hold our breaths, then let them out bit by bit." They going out into the world. A world full of the unknown. So they do as there father taught them. Like i wrote about in a previous blog you can get through anything as long as you know how to breath. so this sentence here seems to show a sense of strength and nerves all at the same time.

DiaBlog#12

"Aisha was the star we pinned our future on."

"I'm embarrassed, but i like this, being the special one."

These two lines really stuck out to me. There's a complete role reversal between Aisha and Nadira. Aisha a was the one they used to depend on the one who got all of the attention. Now Nadra is finally getting recognition. I think that Nadira has always been the strong one. Aisha is always putting on a face and pretending to be someone else. The real Aisha is weak and can't handle change. " I can't. I'm ashamed." " Why should I?" She doesn't even try. She's completely given up and it's starting to drive me mad if i were Nadira i would slap her across the face. Nadira was right on the money when she said this: " I always thought you were the brave one. But now i think you're a coward, Aisha. You gave up because everything stopped being easy. Just because you couldn't conquer this thing like you always did. I think, Aisha, that you're always thinking about doing or saying the right thing. Wearing the right clothes. Blending in. But sometimes.....sometimes you have to tell them who you are. What you really think. you have to make them see us."

DiaBlog#11

"this is my younger daughter," she says proudly

"You see my brilliant girl here"

This chapter was very eventful. I am so happy that Nadira steps up and helps her father in his Trial. In this chapter both of her parents are proud of her. It seems like it's for the first time. It made me really happy when Nadira said, "All I keep thinking is I can't wait to tell Aisha." She finally one-uped her sister and is proud. She seems overjoyed to have something she can tell her sister. Something great she did. After hearing so many things that her sister has done. 

DiaBlog#10

"If you know how to breath, you can get through anything."

I thought this was a really important sentence in these two chapters. Here she is talking about how Abba told her if you breath you can get through anything and then she gets an idea and tries to help Abba by going to Tareq. But when she gets all the way to the house where Tareq takes her she freaks and bails. She seemed to have forgotten how to breath so to speak and couldn't control herself. This made me mad because she got so close and then just ran away from it all. 

DiaBlog#9

"And then I realized. I can't do this anymore. It's too hard. Too big. Nothing's working. Not the letters. Nothing. Maybe if I just stop wanting so much, they can't hurt me. I don't want to stand out anymore, Nadira. It hurts too much. I don't want to stand out. Not anymore."

Aisha just kind of lets go. She gives up and says everything she's been holding inside. It was probably a big relief for her to get everything off her chest. She went from realizing how bad things really are to completely losing it to the point that isn't helpful at all.

DiaBlog#8

"Stupid girls. All of them. Nobody listens."

When he said this to Aisha it made me mad. How could he be so harsh towards her. Aisha did not do anything wrong. Ali-Uncle just got out of jail and he decides to treat his family like crap. They were all so overjoyed that he got out and then he acts like this and they don't know what to do.If i were him i'd suck it up and be glad I'm not still in jail.

DiaBlog#7

" It's just a routine check"

How could that be a routine check. I mean immigration coming to your house at midnight to ask you questions is not routine. It makes me wonder if someone tipped them off about Ali-Uncle or if they already knew and had been searching for him. I think it may be Tareq. He seems a little to interested in their situation. What do you guys think?