Seventeen year-old Nadia is an excellent student, daughter andnbsp;sister, and above all wants to be the best Muslim she can be. But she's conflicted about her Westernized peers, the economic, social and political struggles of her country, and the war raging in Iraq. When her cousin is arrested by the authorities for speaking out, Nadia finds herself drawn into the world of Islamic fundamentalism, contemplating making the ultimate sacrifice to take a stand for her people and her religion. A striking debut, IN THE NAME OF GOD is an enlightening and story sotry about life in the Middle East. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Jolin's powerful and timely first novel transports readers to present-day Syria and explores how the hatred that young people feel towards Americans seems to fuel their willingness to become suicide bombers. Nadia, a respectable hijabi girl, lives in Damascus, where she fasts, prays, reads the Qur'an and covers her head. She is disgusted with her cousins' acceptance of Western culture ("Once again, Western values were intruding into my world and I was powerless to stop them"). Like her cousin Fowzi, Nadia believes that America's support of Israel and their fight against terrorism is contributing to the unstable conditions in Syria. Many young people, unable to find professional jobs, must seek work elsewhere, either in Emirates or the United States ("enemy number 2," behind Israel). Fowzi tells them, "How can you be responsible to the Muslims when you live in a state that's attacking them?" After Fowzi is arrested, Nadia feels compelled to fight against the American influences that resulted in his arrest, and agrees to be a suicide bomber. Readers will see that underneath Nadia's extremist idealism there is also a young woman with a romantic notion of saving her country, who doesn't fully realize the overwhelming consequences her actions will have on her family until it is almost too late. Though at times readers may feel they are being taught, this informative novel will get them thinking about another point of view. Ages 14-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 8 Up-In this believable depiction of the growth of religious zealotry, 17-year-old Nadia describes the period after her cousin's arrest by the Syrian secret police. Already committed to Islam, she moves toward fanaticism, actually seeking out an attractive man whom she hopes will help her to learn more about the revolutionary cause. Moderates in her family attempt to counter her extremism; this is not the kind of flirtation her mother expected of a teenage daughter, and the mother's quiet example of a different Muslim way is the most appealing part of this unsettling picture. Nadia's internal and external arguments provide a stark vision of how others see the U.S. Jolin effectively works in every negative impression, real or perceived, about America and its foreign policy. Beyond the usual stereotypes of American commercialism, there are comments on 9/11 and the war in Iraq, quotations from George Bush, and allegations of worldwide Jewish conspiracies. American readers may find that Nadia's change from an ambitious student to a suicide bomber comes a bit too quickly. But the author's Islamic studies and long residence in the Middle East help make this a convincing picture of life in present-day Damascus, and the suspense will keep readers engaged.-Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Set in contemporary Damascus, Jolin's debut novel is a groundbreaking story of a Syrian teen drawn into Islamic Fundamentalism. Seventeen-year-old Nadia is surrounded by devout Muslim family members, but it's her cousin Fowzi who becomes a role model for her increasingly hard-line religious and political views. Then Fowzi is arrested for speaking out against the government, and Nadia's urgency to carry her beliefs into action leads to her recruitment in a radical group. When she is asked to become a suicide bomber, she agrees. Jolin's novel is certainly provocative, but at times the story reads like a docu-novel: carefully inserted historical and cultural facts occasionally interrupt the narrative, and the characters' religious and political debates sometimes seem purposefully calibrated to show as may viewpoints as possible. However, there are very few novels for young people that give such a comprehensive sense of a contemporary Muslim Arab teen's daily life and concerns. Writing with compassion and sensitivity, Jolin shows the volatile mix of vulnerabilities, passions, anger, fear, yearning, and devotion that pulls Nadia toward her shocking choices, which culminate in a heart-stopping ending. In framing Nadia's questions about faith, Jolin creates an essential starting place for teens to examine their own views about Western culture, the Middle East, the division of church and state, terrorism, and how fear and hate, faith and love affect everything. Cathryn Clinton's A Stone in My Hand (2002) and Naomi Shihab Nye's 19 Varieties of Gazelle (2002) will continue the discussion. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.