The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah Karen Coats Abdel-Fattah, Randa The Lines We Cross. Scholastic, 2017 [402p] ISBN 978-1-338-11866-7 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 9-12 Michael's parents are conservative activists in a group called "Aussie Values," preserving Australia against the influx of refugees and immigrants. Their explanations of what they stand for have always satisfied Michael, but everything changes when he meets Mina, who escaped Afghanistan and had to spend time in a detention center before being allowed to settle in a multicultural West Sydney neighborhood. Michael and Mina are attracted to each other, but Mina can't get over Michael's affiliations; with outspoken persistence, though, she convinces him that everything he's been led to believe is completely wrong. The narration alternates between Mina and Michael, and while this technique is often used to show two perspectives, it's clear here that this is Mina's story. She is as close to perfect as a teen girl could ever hope to be: first in her class at their posh high school, arrestingly beautiful, politically outspoken, hard-working, kind to her parents, and unwilling to compromise for a little thing like a crush. Plot points, character actions, and pertinent omissions are carefully curated to complement the righteousness of Mina's position, and she overtly schools both peers and patrons at her stepfather's restaurant on privilege, prejudice, bullying, sexism, and respect. While the lack of nuance makes this a book for the already convinced, left-wing activists on the verge of exhaustion might find renewed inspiration in Mina's ultimately successful conversion of Michael to her way of thinking. [End Page 396] Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois