Readings and Thoughts on Creative Nonfiction

Author: K. Kvashay - Boyle

Saint Chola is about an Indian Muslim girl in junior high who has to live in America at the time Americans were the most anti-Muslim. Once she hits puberty, she begins to wear a hijab, and gets constantly attacked for wearing it. However, she is resolute in wearing the hijab and showing she is proud of being Muslim. At the end of the story, after she is attacked, a Latina comes over to make sure she is all right, which allows the girl to learn to forgive those who hurt her. The story captured well the emotions of this young teenage girl, however, it seemed a little weird that it was mostly written in second person. I feel like the story would have been stronger if it were not written in second person because then it would be more relatable.

Below are a few select quotes from the piece, along with some of my thoughts regarding them.

Sometimes kids slip up to you in the crush of the lunch line and speak quick Spanish and expect you to answer. Sometimes kids crack jokes in Farsi and then shoot you a sly glance just before the punch line. Sometimes you laugh for them anyway. Sometimes you'll try and answer Si, and disguise that Anglo accent the best you can.

I like the repetition and how each sentences starts with "Sometimes." I think these sentences give a good description of what it's like to be in junior high trying to fit in.

What, your mom wears that? She's forced to? Right? Oh, Jesus Christ. Look at you. Well you don't have to, you hear me? Here, you want to take it off? Here, com'ere, honey. And when you do she helps you and then after you're ashamed that you let her touch it.

I think this excerpt does a good job of illustrating the dichotomy between how Americans view Islam versus how Muslims view Islam. Americans see it as anti-feminist, whereas Muslims see it as sacred.

Your cousin's hijab is in your backpack and you hold your whole self still and imagine time flowing away like milk down your throat until it's gone and you can leave.

I like the image of time flowing away like milk. I think it's an interesting simile and gives a good image of trying to make time pass quickly.

You try to gauge how much this straggly woman sees. Can she tell? Muslim? Mexican? Does she know that your clothes are Trendy, that your grades are Dweeby, that your heart is Goody-goodie?

By capitalizing Trendy, Dweeby, and Goody, the author sort of personifies those traits. Also, she places more importance on those traits.

You walk around the counter and toward the magazines and when your friends see you, you try to look triumphant and cool and with it. But you feel like a cheat. Like maybe if it is stealing, you might not be such a good Muslim, you might be letting your kind of people look bad.

Again, this shows a dichotomy between the girl wanting to be cool and accepted by her friends, and being true to her beliefs.

Then Jackie opens up her mouth and throws her head back and gets down on her knees and another girl pulls the knob and you all stop to watch the Slurpee slurped straight from the machine.

I think this sentence is interesting, because it sounds vaguely sexual, and it is hard to tell whether or not this was done deliberately.

You can't see anyone pass germs, you can't hear anyone say your name. You are stone. You are cool. You will not cry.

I like this because it sounds like what the girl would be telling herself while people are mocking her and yanking off her hijab.

Still, at home you cry into your mom's sari and you shout at her like she's one of the merciless.

I like this because it is very realistic. Often when someone is upset from something that happened at school, I think they will yell like that at their parents because they have to get their anger out somehow.

She assures you that you are okay either way, that you can just take it off and forget about it. She says all this, sure, but she wears hers knotted firmly underneath her own chin as she strokes your back with reassurance.

I think this shows how much the girl respects her mother. She wants to show she is proud of her beliefs as well, and because she sees her mother not backing down, she wants to do the same.

all the while you can picture him like he's a photograph in your hand: the tears, the scrapes, the bruises, the giant shame in his guilty nasty eyes and you that it wouldn't solve a thing

I like this description because it shows the wisdom of this young girl. Also, the phrase "the giant shame in his guilty nasty eyes" is very powerful.