I wanted to explain that I was one of them, that I had been in line earlier and paid my dues, but my Arabic...
-- Narrator: Noor (Part One)

Importance: In Noor's opening section of Part One, she depicts her journey from New York to Cairo. The ways in which she describes her travels provide the reader with context clues about her character's past experiences and present state of mind. Indeed, much of Noor's character comes to be defined by her perpetual sense of displacement and alienation. She wants to identify as both an Egyptian and as an American, but often feels torn between these two competing identities.

It seems so obvious now, but if you weren't there, you can't possibly judge. I can't tell you what it was like.
-- Narrator: The Boy (Part One)

Importance: Throughout much of the boy's narration, the boy focuses on his experiences during the revolution. His almost obsessive preoccupation with this era of his life reveals...