I guess when I'm not wearing the hajib, I feel like I'm missing out. I feel cheated out of that special bond."
-- Amal (chapter 2)

Importance: Amal is describing the logic that prompts her to decide to wear the hajib all the time. While some might feel pressured into wearing it by parents or peers, Amal makes it clear from the beginning that she feels closer to God when she is wearing it. The hajib is a symbol of her religion, and her decision to wear it is significant because she has given thought to wearing it.

Where they indoctrinate students and teach them how to form Muslim ghettos, where they train with Al-Qaeda for school camp and sing national anthems from the Middle East. Not."
-- Amal (chapter 2)

Importance: Amal is talking about her schooling in grades 7-10 when she attended the Islamic school. Her tongue-in-cheek description of what other people expect from the traditional Muslim educational...