Customer Reviews

In the Name of God

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... and it won't be hard to get them into this story.

I tore through In The Name of God as a reader first, led effortlessly by Paula Jolin's suspenseful plot, vivid characters, and fascinating details about teen life in Syria. Afterwards, though, the buried high school teacher in me came roaring to life, keeping me up late with ideas about how to use this book like mad in the classroom.

We'd read the book, for example, and then my students would pick three historical events in the last fifty years and describe them first in the voice of Nadia, and then through the eyes of an American teen who joins the Marines to fight terrorism. Or I'd get the kids discussing what they might be willing to die for and why. And so on ... how Jolin manages to create a sympathetic suicide bomber in the making is a literary study in itself.

Paula Jolin has written an important book about making choices. Nadia is at once familiar and different. Different for the obvious reasons - she lives in Damascus, she's a Syrian Muslim. Jolin paints a picture of this particular family, peppered with a rich cast of characters. Although I had trouble at the very beginning keeping track of all the cousins, I knew each and every one of them well by the end of the book. The characters were authentic, never wholly good or bad, always a blend of the two, just like real folks.

Nadia is familiar. She's a typical teenager who thinks about her future (she wants to become a doctor), her values (she's a devout Muslim) and has good and bad times with her family. I thought her quite resourceful, given her restrictions (by her culture and her values) as she ducks in and out of buses and movie theatres to contact a revolutionary.

Nadia's transformation from devout to fanatic is believable. She's young, she's impressionable, and I feared for her. Nadia's desire to do the right thing drives this story. Jolin's debut novel offers great insight into how a person could be convinced to do almost anything, include killing themselves ... In the Name of God.

I am sure this book will provoke many thoughtful discussions amongst our teens.

I'm well into my 30's and really enjoyed this "young adult" book. I loved reading the story about contemporary life in Damascus, Syria, especially from the point-of-view of a young woman who has made a choice to wear hijab. (As someone who grew up Catholic, I didn't have a clue what making that decision means - or even that it _is_ such a decision.) The characters are all Syrian and have had very different experiences in life. That might seem odd since most of the characters are part of the same extended family, but it's actually very natural because of their differences in gender, generation, and sensibilities. Nadia, the narrator, is a teenaged girl who plans to become a doctor. Her brothers are educated but have difficulty finding work. Some of her family members have lived abroad or are thinking about moving abroad. Her mother was married young and widowed. Nadia's extended family celebrates together, plays games together, cooks together, discusses political and religious issues together and even offers each other places to live.

As an American teenager, I had such similar experiences to Nadia's. Her love interests, plans for her future, and dedication to causes are so familiar. The fact that she sees conspiracies everywhere, like Nancy Drew with wry self-awareness is really sweet. The book really did a fabulous job of making me feel like I could have lived Nadia's life. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good story, who is interested in Syria or Islam, who likes to feel like s/he's learned something while having a good read, or who is curious how anyone could ever contemplate dedicating one's life to a cause.

17-year-old Nadia lives in Damascus, Syria, in a two-bedroom apartment with her mother and her brother. Every day the war seems to move closer, every day the poverty seems to get a little bit worse, every day Nadia sees everyone moving further from the God she knows, and every day Nadia gets more angry. When her cousin is taken to places and torture unknown, Nadia knows it's time to take a stand. But how? And why does no one else understand?

Her family can't seem to give her the answers that she needs. Lately they almost seem afraid of her. The only person who seems to understand is the mysterious rebel who appears with cryptic messages. With each meeting with this man, Nadia is more and more sure that he has the right idea. With his help she will finally be able to make her stand, as God intended.

This was a book that I desperately wanted to read, and was terrified of, all at the same time. I wasn't sure what I would come across, but I knew it was going to be important somehow. And it was, but not in the way that I expected.

One of the most important things I took from IN THE NAME OF GOD is that religious zealotry doesn't have to be a quick, dramatic event. It can be a slow, building descent, full of little moments that may not seem too consequential until you add them all together. Involved in it is a strong desire to do right, to fix things, to make things better, and to make a statement. You can't hate Nadia for believing so strongly, and for wanting to make a difference, as much as you hope that she changes her path.

Another thing that I found particularly telling was a moment when a friend of a cousin says he lived in the U.S. One of Nadia's cousins asks if he lived in New York or Hollywood. At first it was kind of funny, until I thought about it. Are those the only faces our country presents to the outside world? After that was more discussion about the perceptions of life in America versus the reality. Which was enlightening to say the least. If for no other reason than these, we need more books like this in the world. Maybe if there were, we would all be a bit more understanding.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Post-9/11 Syria is a conflicted place. No one is sure who to trust, who might be working for the government, or who might come to arrest you with no notice and seemingly no reason. Seventeen-year-old Nadia is conflicted as well, about her more Westernized friends and family members and the economic and social hardships her country is facing. Every day there is more news about bombings. Nadia and her cousins must be careful when they go out, because being caught without identification could have serious repercussions.

The one stable thing in Nadia's life is her devotion to Islam. She believes in a modern education and wants to go on to university to study medicine rather than marry young and raise a family immediately. By wearing the hijab and acting modestly, as she thinks a proper Muslim woman should, she believes she is living her life in the best way she can. All around her, however, people who share her ideas on Islam are being arrested, thrown in prison and tortured, including her cousin Fowzi. While other members of her family are focused on dismal job prospects, unhappy marriages and their potential for study in Switzerland, Nadia is looking for a way to avenge Fowzi's unlawful arrest and stand up for Muslims all over Syria.

Nadia's opportunity comes in the form of a young man named Walid, who is sympathetic to Nadia's more fundamentalist Muslim beliefs. He leaves her mysterious notes, organizing their rendezvous all over Damascus. Even though they must talk in secret and often don't get much time to speak, Nadia quickly falls for Walid's ideas, more like her own than her family's. Walid, like Nadia, is sure that America is full of many evil, materialistic people who believe their television sets and Pepsis are more important than tolerance and equality.

Although her cousin Bassam, back in Syria after years in America, tells her otherwise, Nadia can't believe his stories. She knows she has to take it upon herself to stand up for the Muslims of Syria, and is willing to do so in one of the most extreme ways possible. As she assembles a list of goods dictated by Walid, Nadia is sure she's doing what is right. But will she have the strength to follow the jihad plan to the end?

Although Nadia's religion, home and way of life may be something you've never experienced firsthand, or even read about, you will find Nadia to be a compelling, multifaceted character. She always believes that she is doing the right thing, and even when met with opposition from her cousins about her religious beliefs, she holds her ideals tightly, trusting that Islam is the way for her family members to achieve happiness and a good life. The important topics of life in the modern Middle East and Islamic fundamentalism are brought to light in a detailed narrative that will make you think about what it means to stand up for what you believe in.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

I love this book. It's a gifted writer who can take me to the place where I can understand how a person could decide to get involved in terrorism. And gifted, too, to be able to end a dark book with a realistic hopefulness.

In the name of God was a very unusual book. It's how a 17 year old girl, Nadia, turns from being a devout Muslim to a fanatic. It makes us realize that there is a very thin line between the very religious and the fanatic if there are people who know how to exploit it.

Nadia lives in Damascus, Syria with her mother and brother. Nadia just wants to walk the path of God, do whatever he asks and be a good Muslim. But when the conditions in Syria worsen, the conflicts between the Muslims and the Syrian Government are on the rise and American Bombs are attacking the neighboring countries, Nadia is forced to direct her devotion on a path that she thinks will take her directly to heaven.

In the name of God gives us a good insight into how a transformation like this can occur and how people are ready to do anything for religion.

There were some of the arguments that I had to agree made sense. I had to agree with Nadia's point of view at times. But sometimes, even if I did understand I did not agree with her.

This book could work both ways actually. It could be a great read for American teens to see the world from others eyes. I would like to think most of them already know the consequences of the war but this book would give them an experience of being on the other side of the fence.

On the other hand, I hate to say this, but this book could feed into the psyche of someone who is already on the path of being a fanatic because the arguments in this book are good on both sides. But as we all know, people see what they want to. I just hope what I'm saying is wrong because this book is good and deserves a wider readership.

One more thing, it's a YA book but I don't know what else can be called a cross over, if not this.

Note: You need to know the basics of Syrian history. Just Google a bit and you're set to go.

I picked up In the Name of God at the suggestion of a friend, a friend who reads a whole lot less than I. I knew that if she couldn't put the book down, it must be good.

And that was definitely the case. In the Name of God is a Young Adult book that Paula Jolin wrote to remind us that Middle Eastern teenagers--even those with extreme Islamic views--are more like Western teenagers than not. Of that, she certainly does a good job.

The main character, Nadia, is a 17-year-old Syrian who struggles with her beliefs and how they clash with her family's. She feels strongly that Muslims should not allow Americans to occupy Iraq (and Israel to oppress Palestinians) and should be fighting back in the name of their god, not working with the American government against fellow Muslims. The only one in her family to hold these views gets arrested, and Nadia struggles with how to react, and eventually makes the decision to do something about it, willing even to give her own life for the cause.

Jolin does a great job of depicting those who hold quite different views than I do in a sympathetic manner. Her years spent studying Islamic studies helps her break stereotypes to get to more important issues. Jolin's writes well and makes it very hard to put down her book.

I think this would be an excellent book to study with teenagers while helping them learn how to discern an author's worldview in literature, as it's clearly spelled out. Even outside of a teaching context, I think this would be a book that can be enjoyed by all.

I read In the Name of God by Paula Jolin while I was on vacation. I was intrigued with the premise of a young Muslim girl and with the setting of Syria. There are many books that take place in the Middle East but there are few that chose Syria as home. So I was interested to learn more of this country. I was quickly to be disappointed in that wish.


This book may take place in Syria but references to the country are few and the descriptions seem to generic to the region. At no time did I get a sense of Syria as a country. Which, as I've said, disappointed me since that is part of why I bought this book. The main character of the story is a 17 year old girl named Nadia. She is a devout Muslim struggling to survive and deal with the various family issues that are going on around her.


I found Nadia to be young, naive and flighty. This made it hard to connect with her and care about her story. She starts off the novel determined to go to medical school and to help her Westernized cousins to find the true path of a Muslim Woman and get them to take up the veil. Nadia is also dealing with a crush on the older brother of those cousins, who just happens to have very radical ideas. It isn't long before this cousin is arrested for his beliefs/actions and the impressionable Nadia soon takes up his cause with a zeal that is in no way believable.


Her move from devout to fanatic is too quick and seemingly without reason. Other then the fact that her beloved cousin was a fanatic and if she takes up his cause then he might love her...that is of course if she ever sees him again. At first it seems like her new found fanaticism will be short lived but amazingly enough she manages to get in contact with the same group that he cousin belonged. Nadia then jumps in with two feet - mostly in her head - and has to meet many many times with a group member in order to convince him of her desire to be a part of the cause.


Then just as fast as she joins the cause the book is over. Nadia changes personality and beliefs so much throughout the novel that I never could quite believe that she was real. She changed with the wind and there was often no rhyme nor reason to her changes in attitude. This book also relies too much on stereotyping how Islamic nations look at the western world and at America. It also doesn't go much into the faiths and beliefs of Islam and all the familial interactions seem stale and a little forced.

What a great book, Was recommended to me by a high school teacher saying she had learned so much from the book and wanted every student she had to read it. I agree. It would make our young people so understand what we are facing as a nation . It is also a great read as well as a marvelous learning experienc.