Amina's Voice

The scene opens with Soojin and Amina having a side conversation during their sixth-grade class. Soojin prods Amina to sign up for a solo as a part of the class’s talent show, as she has a beautiful singing voice. Soojin and Amina have weekly, spirited arguments about who the best contestant on the television show The Voice is. Soojin tells Amina that she’s better than most contestants, but Amina has terrible stage fright. Her stage fright derives from her experience playing John Hancock in the 2nd grade. When it was time to deliver her line, she froze up and became speechless, humiliating herself in front of the whole school. Soojin encourages her to put this experience behind her.

Soojin tells Amina that she’ll be changing her name after her family becomes US citizens this year. Soojin is considering the names Heidi, Jessica, and Melanie. Amina is troubled by this information. She and Soojin have historically been among the only students in the school whose names stand out. Having teachers stumble over their names has indeed been a part of their bond. She tells Soojin that she does not look like any of the names being mentioned, but that she looks just like herself—Soojin. Amina also privately vows to continue calling Soojin by her given name for as long as possible. Soojin’s entire family is choosing American names as a part of their naturalization process, and she assures Amina that many Koreans have both Korean and American names. Her father is already using the name George and her mother Mary.

At lunch, Amina is taken aback when a fellow student named Emily joins them. Amina is used to Emily acting as resident mean girl, Julie Zawacki’s, lackey. When Emily suggests the name Fiona for Soojin, Amina blanches: That’s the name of an ogre from the movie Shrek. Soojin seems to like Fiona as an option as well. Amina anxiously wonders if she will be next in line to become dissatisfied with her own name.

Amina’s father, whom she calls Baba, picks her up from music class. Her teacher, Mrs. Kuckleman, believes that Amina has perfect pitch. Mr. Khokar refers to Amina as “geeta,” which means “song” in Pakistani. Amina tells her father that she’s hungry, but he replies that she’s going to have to wait in the hallway while he and Amina’s mother attend her back-to-school night before she eats. Although Amina finds this embarrassing, she does it. She listens as her father asks question after question in order to ascertain the details of her education, even as the other parents sit passively or distractedly.

Back at the family home, Amina introduces us to her brother Mustafa. Once a straight A student, Mustafa’s grades have been faltering during his first year of high school. Over dinner, Mr. Khokar reminds him to stay focused on his schoolwork and grades. Mustafa assures his father that he is handling his school and homework and announces to his family that he’d like to try out for his school’s basketball team as a result of his guidance counselor encouraging him to get involved in extracurricular activities. Mr. Khokar would much rather that Mustafa do something like the mathematics, chess, or science club. He believes that basketball will detract from Mustafa’s schoolwork. Amina tells her father that Soojin’s cousin got into Harvard, despite not having the best grades, based on his basketball skills. Mr. Khokar promises to consider the issue.

Amina privately muses about the changes her brother has gone through recently. His hygiene habits and attention to his appearance have increased. Soojin has also heard giggling assertions from their classmates that Mustafa is cute.

Mr. Khokar tells the children that their Thaya Jaan (the Pakistani name for “dear older brother of my father”) will be coming to stay with them for three months (24). Both of their parents impress upon the children that they are to behave perfectly during Thaya Jaan’s visit. Mr. Khokar wants to prove to his brother that he made the right decision to raise his family in America, and he doesn’t want his children to do anything that will shame him. Amina hasn’t seen her uncle since she was much younger. She feels anxious about having him in the family home for an extended amount of time.

Amina is in Mrs. Barton’s social studies class. Mrs. Barton tells the class to form groups of four for an Oregon Trail game. She immediately pairs up with Soojin, who unexpectedly invites Emily to be in the group. Mrs. Barton also assigns the outcasted Bradley to the group.

Amina cannot understand the sudden warmth between Soojin and Emily. She wonders why Soojin is acting like she is forgetting all of Emily’s cruel acts from the past, including calling the kimchee in Soojin’s lunch rancid, telling Amina and Soojin to speak English only, and teaming up with Julie to spread the rumor that “Soojin’s parents served dog meat at their downtown Milwaukee restaurant, Park Avenue Deli” (29).

For the group project, the children must decide how to allocate their money to stock up their wagon for the trip. Bradley, “who doesn’t seem to understand personal space” insists on having sugar as a part of their stores (30). The girls are put off by Bradley’s odd ways; he once announced that he was going to go on a date with Amina’s mother when she came to the classroom as a volunteer to help the children with reading. Amina dreads having to work with Bradley for the coming six weeks.

After class, Amina walks behind Emily and Soojin as they converse. Emily sets up a study and name brainstorming session with Soojin at her house the following week. When Emily parts ways, Amina asks Soojin if she thinks it is strange that Emily suddenly wants to be their friend “She’s not so bad, Amina” (34), comes Soojin’s reply. Amina cannot shake the feeling that her friend is acting very differently. She feels pangs for her former elementary school days. She also passes by the Blast From the Past talent show sign-up sheet and feels that it is taunting her.