“Adam’s moving on

from the Bears?

From our team?”

When Kareem texts Adam after he moves, they talk about the Chicago Bears, a team they both love, but Adam says that he is not a fan anymore. This devastates Kareem because it is symbolic of them growing apart. The conversation adds to Kareem’s loneliness, and as a result, he struggles even more to figure out where he belongs.

“I kick my boots off

and

head

inside my house

pass

Syrian mosaic boxes

next to American vases

side by side on the table

in the foyer by the front door.”

The imagery in this scene highlights the dual nature of Kareem’s identity. He is both Syrian and American, and the two sides are represented by the décor inside his house. These items exist “side by side,” but the extra spaces following the phrase suggest that although these parts of his identity coexist, they feel separate and incompatible. The passage highlights how Kareem feels stuck between Syria and America and does not know where he belongs.

“Her chair bangs against the table;

chimes signal her

opening the door,

leaving

the shop,

leaving her

ice cream,

leaving

to sit outside

in the winter night,

preferring the cold

silence

over the

cold loudness

indoors.”

After an older woman tells Jameelah that she does not need to wear a hijab in America, Jameelah leaves the ice cream shop to be alone outside. The “cold silence” outside is due to the weather, but the “cold loudness” inside refers to the woman’s bias, which made Jameelah feel unwelcome. Furthermore, the repetition of the word “leaving,” which sometimes occupies its own line, emphasizes that to avoid prejudice, Jameelah must remove herself from the situation, even abandoning something she enjoys, like ice cream.

“When you’re the guest team,

the fans don’t cheer for you

like

when you’re at home.

So you expect the game to be

different.

But it doesn’t mean

you’re on an equal playing field

if the referees

tell you

they play fair.

When the balls are deflated,

and the lines not painted right,

you don’t have the same chance to win.”

After the woman in the ice cream shop tells Jameelah that she does not need to wear her hijab, Kareem’s parents evade his questions and tell him to ignore the interaction. Here, he compares the situation to football—specifically, playing on an opposing team’s field. This analogy suggests that America can be hostile to immigrants, not allowing them a fair chance to succeed or to belong. The comparison also illustrates how Kareem uses football to process life’s ups and downs, which makes the exclusion he faces all the more ironic; in his love of the sport, he is thoroughly American.

“Make sure not to talk

Arabic at school,

I warn him.

Everyone will laugh at you.”

Kareem’s advice to Fadi before his first day of school emphasizes the pressure immigrants face to assimilate into a new culture. Expressing their full identity and sharing their own language results in public ridicule. By giving Fadi this warning, Kareem reveals his own struggles with belonging.

“The calm quiet of the library surrounds me,

and I don’t feel alone

when I recite the verses of the Quran.”

During lunch, Kareem goes to the school library to pray. This passage reveals how important his religion is to him; not only does he pray when required, but he finds comfort in the verses of the Quran, Islam’s holy book. In contrast to how peers like Austin treat him, prayer provides him with acceptance and belonging. Furthermore, the description of the library as calm, quiet, and surrounding him like an embrace reinforces that books symbolize comfort and refuge for Kareem.

“Playing football

with Jerry,

having someone practice with me,

feels like a drive,

leading me all the way

to the goal.”

When Kareem plays catch with Jerry in the basement of the library, he is happy and feels that he is improving. This emphasizes that Jerry is a genuine friend; he is not using Kareem as Austin does but is simply helping him practice, emphasizing the theme True Friendship Versus Popularity. The episode also illustrates how Kareem uses football to make sense of life’s ups and downs; here, driving down the field represents the progress a person makes when they work on a team.

“Without Mama to lead us,

Friday nights are now

chaos,

everyone scrambling to

figure out

what to do

how best to organize ourselves

[…]

everything

falls

like

dominoes.”

Mama’s trip to Syria impacts more than just Karem’s family; her absence affects their volunteer work because she is the one who typically takes charge. The “chaos” and the “scrambling” reveal The Crisis of Family Separation, both for Kareem and the broader Islamic community. When cans and boxes fall at the end, they serve as foreshadowing of how things will continue to fall apart in Mama’s absence. The diagonal placement of words underscores this by mirroring the collapse of dominoes.

“Prophet Muhammad,

peace and blessings on him,

was a stranger

when he told the people of Mecca

they needed to

stop treating the poor badly

or the women as less than

and that everyone was equal

in God’s eyes.

Being a stranger

doesn’t mean you are

an outsider.”

Jido tells Kareem this during one of their Sunday phone calls. After Kareem insists that dressing like a Syrian in the United States is considered strange, Jido imparts wisdom that is two-fold. By saying that a stranger is not an outsider, he suggests that people are linked by much more than what separates them. Furthermore, his example of how Muhammad implored the people of Mecca to be accepting of everyone indirectly nudges Kareem to be a better person and to stand up for those who need it. The passage establishes that Jido is a mentor to his grandson, particularly in communicating the theme of Courage Emerging from Failure. The right alignment of the poem reinforces the message of cultural pluralism by mirroring the alignment of Arabic text.

“Personification:

when something not human acts human.

As in,

it’s only fitting

that the

sun glares at me too.”

While walking to the football field during gym, Kareem notices that Austin walks ahead of him while Fadi and Jerry walk behind; due to Kareem’s failure to recognize his true friends, he is alone and not welcomed by anyone. Reaching (as he often does) to words and literature for comfort, he responds by defining personification and then providing an example, noting that even the sun is mad at him. By saying that this is “fitting,” he implies that nothing is going right and that his loneliness is all his own doing.

“But snow melts into

slush,

and slush gets everywhere,

staining car carpets,

pant hems, and

boot bottoms

with white, messy sludge.”

The morning after Kareem hid his father’s phone, he describes the weather, focusing on the dirty slush that gets everywhere. The imagery figuratively hints that Kareem’s mistakes are similarly ruining everything; in the lines that follow, he confesses that it is his fault his Mama is stuck in Syria. Kareem’s poor decisions are like slush, getting “everywhere” and impacting his friends, his school, and his family.

“To fix things with Baba,

I need to disappoint

the one parent

who isn’t mad at me.

The one person

I miss the most.”

After enduring silence from his father, Kareem decides to call his mother in Syria for advice. This emphasizes that she is a guide in his life, offering wisdom when he most needs it.

“Practice makes perfect,

and not only

in

sports.”

At Saturday school, Kareem surprises himself by being able to read Arabic fluently. His emphasis on the value of practice relates to the novel’s broader contention that one can learn from one’s mistakes. This is one of many lessons Kareem learns that help him grow and mature, making this narrative a coming-of-age story.

“If you’re happy to be

American,

what do you do

when

American

laws

make you feel

small?”

After learning about Executive Order 13769, which prevents citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, Kareem tries to process what it means. His question reveals his internal conflict related to belonging; he is often torn between being Syrian and being American. Struggling with the pressure to assimilate but also enjoying aspects of American culture, like football, Kareem wonders how he can feel both happy and inferior.

“Driving one hour to protest

at the airport

is not a lot

compared to the struggles

of Mama,

of Jido,

of the people

stranded

there.”

Jameelah makes this point to her father when trying to persuade him to drive to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to join the rally to allow banned travelers into the country. Her passion for justice is highlighted in her efforts to persuade Baba. She highlights the everyday people and families whom the order negatively impacts, which reinforces the theme of the crisis of family separation.

“Because doing the right

thing

is always right,

and not only

in

books

like

Holes.”

Seeing the unity of the protestors at the airport rally makes Kareem think of a novel he has read where a character stands up for a friend being bullied. Kareem’s thoughts show that he is growing and maturing, as he understands that doing what is right is important, even when it is hard. The passage also highlights books’ symbolic role as a source of comfort and guidance.

“His face has tears

strea ming

drop ping

fal ling

out of

his eyes.”

When Baba returns from the bathroom at the airport, he is crying at the news of Jido’s death. The poem’s typography visually echoes the imagery: The two columns of broken words mimic tears streaming down a person’s face while also indicating how heartbroken Baba is over Jido’s death.

“My mama is banned,

my jido is gone,

and nothing,

NOTHING

will ever

bring him back.

Nothing will

ever

fix this

feeling

inside of me.”

When given the opportunity to play quarterback in the spring, Kareem cannot do it and begins crying when Coach pulls him aside. The passage highlights the theme of the crisis of family separation by depicting Kareem’s grief over the loss of his grandfather and his mother’s inability to return home. The repetition of “nothing” underscores the damage that the ban has already done, which is irreversible.

“The truth is that I was scared. Scared

to admit I’m Syrian myself. Scared to be made

fun of for being different.”

In his apology to Fadi, Kareem writes this after admitting that he should have been kinder. Kareem’s confession highlights his internal struggle related to the pressure to assimilate. By naming his feelings, Kareem resolves this conflict and reconciles with Fadi, who is a genuine friend. Kareem’s letter highlights the themes of courage emerging from failure and true friendship versus popularity.

“I look

toward Fadi.

He smiles.

Friends make everything better.”

On Super Bowl Sunday, after Kareem’s family learns that his mother is missing, Fadi and his family arrive with food and support. Then, surprisingly, Jerry shows up too. Fadi’s statement emphasizes that true friendship is simply being there when needed. This contrasts with how Austin treats Kareem, further fueling the theme of true friendship versus popularity.

“We step into the elevator and

R

I

S

E

to the local newsroom.”

This description of Kareem and Jerry sneaking into the news station demonstrates the novel’s use of visual representation. The word “RISE,” written like an elevator passing floors, symbolizes the boys’ courage in doing what is needed to find Kareem’s mother and alert others about the dangers of the Muslim ban.

“NFL FACT #25: The two-minute offense is a strategy that uses quick plays to score in the last two minutes of the half or the last two minutes of the game.”

This NFL fact describes a fast offensive strategy that aims to score quickly when time is running out. Here, football symbolizes what is happening in Kareem’s family. In quick succession, they learn that Mama is okay, that the Muslim ban has been lifted, and that Mama has a flight home. Like in a football game, sometimes a rapid series of events secures a victory.

“Sunlight

smiles

down

on me

the day of my spring

scrimmage.”

The personification of the sun smiling on Kareem while he plays football is a sign that things have taken a turn for the better. Not only is his mother home, but he has true friends, is content with his identity, and is playing a sport he loves. This personification contrasts with the moment earlier in the narrative when Kareem felt alone and described the sun as glaring at him.