Excellent book about the struggles faced by Muslim girls in Australian society whereby the parents and culture want one thing and the girls themselves want another. Azra is 16 and goes to a private school with other Muslim girls , but also non-Islamic ones. She wants to leave school with good grades and go to university but her family keep talking about her making a good marriage. She is conflicted because the family have been sponsored to come to Australia by a very traditional uncle who sees Azra as a bargaining chip with her family - basically a good to be traded to the highest bidder. Azra herself knows that she should be the grateful, good niece and daughter but talking to the older sister of a not so traditional Muslim friend who went to university to become a lawyer, Azra sees a different path for her life and begins to resent the control the family have on her.
Coupled with that is the fact that she has recently won a National award for Science & has been selected to compete in an inter-school tournament with boys from the local high school which her parents say she can't attend. All the while, her brother seems to be getting mixed up in drugs and her father is away for long periods of time in Pakistan with his work. What will she decide to do.

SPOILER ALERT : Azra's hand is forced when her brother and uncle drug her and try to take her back to Pakistan for an arranged marriage but luckily she has had the foresight to put herself on the "no fly" list with the AFP. Very sad at the end in that she must give up seeing everyone - her firends and family and go into witness protection in order to complete her schooling but unfortunately this book is based on fact. ( )