Using Jameelah’s phone, Kareem nervously calls Mama. He does not want to let her down, so hearing her voice makes his heart hurt. He asks about Jido, and Mama tells him to pray. She knows what happened and tells him that the best people are those who try to fix the mistakes they have made. Then, she tells him to apologize and be thoughtful before he does anything.

NFL Fact #15 defines a “pick six” as an interception that is run back for a touchdown.

The next day, at Satrday school, Kareem stays in the car when his siblings get out, and he apologizes to Baba, who smiles and makes his son feel better. When Baba insists that the punishments are still in place, Kareem nods and goes into class.

In Saturday school, Kareem acknowledges that it is easier to understand spoken rather than written Arabic. However, he can read what is on the whiteboard, surprising himself. He notes that the phrase “practice makes perfect” applies to more than just football (182).

Because Baba is working, Khale Afaf drives the children home. On the way, she explains that she has been engaged for two years but that her fiancé is from Yemen and has therefore struggled to obtain a visa.

Kareem cleans his room and makes a welcome home poster for his family.

On a phone call with Jido, Kareem notices that his grandfather sounds tired. After Jido tells his grandson he loves him and hangs up, Kareem worries that his words were his way of saying goodbye.

Kareem longs for superpowers: to be good at football, and to travel in time. He would use the latter to see the Bears win a Super Bowl or to see what Syria was like before the war. He could also be with his Jido. However, Kareem thinks that he can do things without superpowers, too.

NFL Fact #16 explains that a poor kick that goes in the wrong direction or fails to travel far is called a “shanked punt.”

On Monday, Kareem tries to sit with Fadi and Jerry at lunch, but Fadi yells at Kareem for ripping his poster. When Kareem explains that Austin ruined the project, Jerry asks if Kareem stood up to the bully. Unable to answer, Kareem listens as Fadi says that he was hoping for a Syrian friend but was stuck with Kareem. Hurting and feeling like a failure, Kareem flees the lunchroom. He goes to the library alone every day afterward.

Even though Baba takes the children for ice cream, Kareem is miserable. Jameelah notices and starts to sing about Mama and Jido coming home the next day. Sameer joins, as does Baba. Giving in, Kareem sings too.

The children do not want Baba to cook, so he gets takeout. However, when he returns, he is on the phone and immediately turns on the news.

NFL Fact #17 explains that a fumble is forced when the opposing team knocks the ball loose from the player carrying it.

As the family watches the news, they learn that the president has issued an executive order “barring entry to the United States / for citizens of / seven majority-Muslim countries” (198). Kareem does not understand, but he sees the worry on Baba’s and Jameelah’s faces.

Kareem wonders how a person can like living in America but also feel small and broken down by its laws.

Kareem has always wanted his name to be chanted during a football game but now wonders if it is even possible given that he has an Arabic name. He considers it an oxymoron to be both Syrian and American.

When Baba finally explains, Kareem learns that it could be three more months before Mama returns and that Syrian refugees can never come to the United States. Kareem asks if Fadi’s family is safe, emphasizing that they are Christian, not Muslim. Baba says that their religion does not matter but that they are safe because they are already here. Kareem worries about other children getting shut out of a country that is supposed to be accepting.

Baba explains that Mama has a green card, which means that she is not an American citizen yet, which could prevent her from getting back. For safety reasons, Baba cancelled her flight home the next day. Kareem feels like a deflated football; it is his fault that Mama is not already home.

Kareem wonders how to give to others when it feels as if his family is losing everything.

At Saturday school, the students are quiet, and Khale Afaf does not teach. She is visibly upset because her fiancé might never make it to America because he is from Yemen, a country on the banned list. Kareem is angry that a law could hurt and break up families.

At home, Kareem begs Jameelah to do something about this unjust law. When she declares that “protesting is in our blood [as] Syrian Americans” (210), Kareem likes how the two identities sound fused together.

After learning that there is a rally at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Kareem and Jameelah ask Baba for permission to go, noting that an hour drive is not bad compared to what Mama, Jido, and others must endure. Baba agrees.

The family makes posters on the way. Jameelah makes her quickly, but Kareem struggles with what to write and asks which countries are banned. Baba lists them and says that the president has deemed people from these places “detrimental to America” (213). Jameelah bristles, noting that good people come from these countries, including doctors and leaders like Baba and Mama.

At the airport, the family parks and walks to join the crowd at the international terminal. Many people of different races, ethnicities, and religions have gathered to fly flags, wave posters, and chant messages of freedom that oppose the Muslim ban.

There is a sliding door preventing international travelers from the seven targeted countries from leaving the airport.

Kareem and Jameelah grip their signs while Baba boosts Sameer onto his shoulders. A Jewish man near them holds a girl on his shoulders. She waves at Sameer. The men step closer so that the children can be near each other, and a newspaper reporter takes a photograph. Lawyers, working for free, type furiously on their laptops to free the travelers stuck inside. Everyone chants messages of love and acceptance for hours.

When Baba takes Sameer to the restroom, Jameelah and Kareem stay and raise their voices even louder.

Then, all gets silent. The sliding doors move open, and relieved travelers stream through, thanking the protestors. The crowd cheers.

Kareem thinks of the book Holes—specifically, of how one character stands up for his friend because it is the right thing to do.

Kareem and Jameelah are elated until Baba walks back to them with tears streaming down his face. Jido has died, and Kareem is heartbroken. He falls to the ground as if a whole football team has tackled him.