Barakah Beats

Mama and Baba take Nimra to the Farmwell library to buy school supplies. Nimra drifts toward the art section although she still isn’t allowed to take art. Suddenly, Waleed and his parents appear. Baba greets Waleed’s father because he knows him from the community. Nimra panics that he’ll reveal her involvement with Barakah Beats when he mentions Waleed’s love for music. However, Waleed’s father wants Waleed to become an engineer, and the conversation drifts away from the band.

On the ride home, Mama and Baba discuss the difficulties of raising a child who wants to go against their parents’ wishes. Nimra wonders if her parents would be upset if she “chose a different path from theirs” (93). She compares her situation to her parents’ relationships with her grandparents. She interrupts Mama and Baba’s conversation with another remark about art class. She wishes they would support her dream.

Nimra is anxious about revealing that she joined Barakah Beats during lunch. She watches Jenna’s expression change when Waleed, Bilal, and Matthew make the announcement in the cafeteria. Jenna races up to her, exclaiming about her friendship with the eighth graders.