Barakah Beats

Nimra’s sketchbooks are symbolic of identity. Nimra has loved to draw since she was a little girl. The hobby gives her peace, joy, and balance. When she’s upset or lonely, sketching comforts her. When she’s confused or distracted, sketching helps her to refocus. Nimra also uses drawing to process her feelings and ideas.

Over time, the sketchbooks trace Nimra’s personal growth. In Chapter 17, when Nimra becomes discouraged with her artwork, Mama shows Nimra her old sketchbooks to help her remember her talent and passion. Nimra realizes that her practice has developed since she began sketching seven years prior. Therefore, the books represent Nimra’s character development and arc throughout her adolescence.

Nimra’s Islamic school, Guided Light Academy, is a symbol of familiarity and comfort. Nimra attends Guided Light for four years, during which time she completes the Hifz program. Her time at Guided Light helps her to understand herself and her faith. Because the school is small, Nimra easily makes close connections with her classmates and teacher. She leaves this safe haven when she finishes the Hifz program and starts public school. At Farmwell, she often longs for Guided Light because she longs for the school’s comfort. While Farmwell makes her feel lonely, Guided Light made her feel like she belonged.

Farmwell is symbolic of unfamiliarity and adversity. When Mama and Baba first tell Nimra she will be leaving Guided Light and starting seventh grade at Farmwell, Nimra is excited. She sees the school as a new start and a place where she and Jenna can develop their childhood friendship. However, the school quickly proves overwhelming and unwelcoming. The building is larger than Guided Light and often makes Nimra feel helpless and confused. The school population is bigger than her Islamic school and makes Nimra feel like an outsider.

The challenges that Nimra faces at Farmwell cause her to question who she is and why. She does make new friends while here, but these friendships don’t happen without complication. The Farmwell environment constantly asks Nimra to assimilate, or change who she is, to win others’ approval. She faces cultural discrimination and religious prejudice in this setting, which changes how she sees her past, present, and future selves.

The ADAMS fundraiser is symbolic of achievement. Throughout the novel, the Barakah Beats band members anticipate and prepare for the talent show event. Therefore, the fundraiser is a key source of narrative tension. Nimra, Waleed, Balil, Matthew, and Khadijah all want to do well in the talent show because they want to prove themselves. They know they’re talented and that they care about music, but the ADAMS fundraiser allows them to share their passion with their community for the first time. When they win the talent show, they feel accomplished, authenticated, and seen.