Overall reaction

My final opinion on this book after having finished it is that I did like it, even though it did take awhile for me to Finally get into it. I loved this book because I was really able feel all Suleiman's complicated feelings throughout the book, and towards the end I found that I couldn't set the book down for I was too anxious to find out what would happen next. I was impressed by the way Suleiman was able to deal with all of the situations throughout the book. For example, when his whole world literally collapsed around him and he was left alone with no friends and no role models to guide him through the rough times, he was able to see how blessed he was to simply be alive with someone as special as his mom. It seemed as if Suleiman was always able to find the good in every situation and I guess it was this that really made me enjoy the book. Another reason why I enjoyed this book was because I thought that it was really interesting to see what life would be like in a corrupt country such as Libya. I mean we hear all about places like Darfur and Rwanda and yes it does tear my heart in half to hear of all the death that is involved in these countries, but it is something completely different to see it all through the innocent eyes of a nine year old boy. To sum up I really did like the book!