Khalid, a Muslim who is in the United States to give his cousin a better life, is surprised when he is taken in by a mob of angry white men who seem bent on ruining his reputation. The women of the mob have all come to attack him. His best friend, Dukie, fears for his life. They are all seeking an upper hand, something that they feel they can take from Khalid.
The night before his wedding, Dukie decides to hide from his attackers and make his escape, but this makes him a target as well. For once, Dukie feels sorry for Khalid, but he doesn’t know how to help.
During his wedding night, Dukie runs into his father and learns what has happened to him. He has become a black sheep in his family and cannot be forgiven. The loss of his father, and the fear that he will suffer the same fate as his father, makes him think that he cannot be a man any longer. He does not know where to turn or what to do. He’s in a very difficult position.
Two young able-bodied people, one Asian and one Hispanic, live together. Things are not going so well between them. Their daughter, Maria, who is being raised by her mother and stepfather, is also trying to establish her own place in the world, and to make her own future for herself.
For many years, there was an ugly feud going on between Khalid’s father. Even though Khalid never spoke of it, his father could see the turmoil and hated it. As a result, he gave up his son. Now, Khalid is caught between two warring brothers.
When it comes to plot, the book is very well written. One thing that I liked about it was that the author kept the readers’ interest. I was looking forward to the ending because it didn’t disappoint me at all. It was also quite well-written and I enjoyed reading the characters, who each had their own traits.
I did not really get the traditional ‘cuss words’ that I would expect from a ‘thug novel’. It’s quite good that Khalid didn’t use any. The book was also short, so the reader will not be bored.
There were also some Islamic religious values in the story, such as the Taliban, which also appears in Afghanistan. These are things that I would like to explore in a later book. However, I would recommend Khalid’s book, in my opinion, because it is very informative and entertaining. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in books about military life and those interested in Muslim life.
