“‘What’d I ever do to you?’ I asked him. ‘It’s what you and your kind are doing to my country, camel jockey.’”

In this quote, Kamran and a bully named Jeremy Vacca argue at the homecoming dance over racial slurs, and Jeremy’s idea that Kamran’s Persian-American heritage makes him a threat to American safety. This sort of bias and Islamophobia are common in the novel, especially in its first third. 

“I didn’t care. It was worth it to defend Darius. He and I had a code. A code of honor. We looked out for each other, no matter what.”

Kamran reflects on the value of getting into a physical fight to defend his brother. He sees it as loyalty to his brother, and worth the punishment he will receive. It also foreshadows the heightening conflict between Kamran’s belief in his brother and his sense of duty to his country.

“Darius was going to be a part of something much greater than himself, something with tradition, with meaning. An extension of everything Mom had taught us about being Persian.” 

Kamran remembers Darius leaving for military service, and his realization that Darius was making this difficult decision in order to honor his convictions and his heritage. While Darius is proud of his Persian heritage, he also identifies as American, and looks forward to supporting American ideals through serving in the military.