Code of Honor

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2015

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Prologue-Chapter 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue Summary

A crash wakes Kamran at 3:23 am. Kamran wonders if he’s imagined something or had a nightmare, until his mother calls out, “Kamran? Was that you? Are you alright?” (1). Kamran hears sounds again, and thinks back to the demons in his nightmares. Suddenly, dark figures rush into Kamran's bedroom; he calls out for his parents, but the dark figures have grabbed his arms and legs. He reads on their chests “POLICE/HOMELAND SECURITY” (2). Kamran shouts that there has been a mistake and his brother Darius is innocent. He adds that he is an American citizen, but his wrists are zip-tied and a bag is put over his head. Kamran reflects that only days ago, he had been more worried about being in love with his girlfriend, Julia Gary, and getting into college; now, he’s a prisoner of the United States government.

Chapter 1 Summary

The chapter opens with the announcement of the homecoming king and queen—the winners are Kamran and Julia. Kamran feels amazing and makes eyes at his best friend, Adam Collier. Kamran and Julia dance; Kamran says something sweet to her, and she smiles at him. Kamran loves Julia, though he hasn't told her this yet. He wonders what they will do when he goes to West Point next year. Adam and the rest of Kamran's football team come to congratulate them and chat. Adam talks about a scout for the University of Colorado who had seen Kamran score three touchdowns in the game the night before. Kamran also reveals that Adam’s father, a big wig at a local bank, has four tickets for the Super Bowl, which is being held in nearby Glendale, Arizona. Kamran feels guilty about the cost of the tickets, knowing he could never afford them: “[M]y dad was an assistant professor at Arizona State and my mom worked at a horse ranch […] there was no way I could afford a ticket to the Super Bowl” (5).

Adam and Julia both insist he go and not feel guilty. Kamran blushes and kisses his girlfriend. Just then, Kamran hears someone mocking someone else. He looks up to see the senior bully Jeremy Vacca bothering some freshman students. Julia knows them from the theatre production, and says they are sweet. Kamran intercedes and tells Jeremy to back off; in response, Jeremy calls Kamran “towel head” (7).

Chapter 2 Summary

Kamran asks Jeremy to clarify the name he just called Kamran and Jeremy repeats his insult, along with others, calling Kamran a “camel jockey” (8). Kamran asks what he's done to Jeremy, and Jeremy responds, “It's what you and your kind are doing to my country” (8). Kamran reflects on past experiences, as a child, when he first learned the many derogatory words for Iranian-Americans, and realized “how hard it was going to be, growing up Persian American” (9). Jeremy accuses Kamran's older brother, Darius, of being a terrorist, and Kamran laughs at him, telling Jeremy that his brother is an Army Ranger serving in Afghanistan. Jeremy makes a vague reference to breaking news that involves Darius. Kamran doesn't know what he means. Jeremy then says, “Once an Arab, always an Arab, you know?” (10). That's the last straw for Kamran and his friends, who jump on Jeremy. A brawl breaks out on the dance floor, with lights flashing and music blaring. A few teachers step in and the fight ends.

Prologue-Chapter 2 Analysis

In the early chapters of the book, Gratz develops a number of plots that will persist, most notably, the conflicts that come with Arab-American identity in a post-9/11 America. Kamran experiences racism at the hands of a classmate during the homecoming dance, when Jeremy Vacca calls him a “towelhead” and a “camel jockey” (7-8). He responds with anger, but reflects during the experience on the ongoing microaggressions and instances of more blatant racial bias that have plagued both his childhood and young adulthood. This racism alienates him from those around him, sometimes in subtle ways and in other moments much more distinctly. Gratz focuses on identity politics in order to convey Kamran's experiences to a wider audience, including the more general experience of Kamran realizing “how hard it was going to be, growing up Persian American” (9).

Kamran also struggles with issues of class identity and conflicting definitions of patriotism, some of which butt up against the blatant Islamophobia he experiences at the hands of his peers. He is confronted by issues of class when he is forced to reconcile the fact that his friend, Adam, is wealthier than he is, and that he would never be able to afford the kind of life Adam leads. Though this class identity is not as significant for Kamran as his racial and cultural heritage, it does further alienate him from his peers.

Finally, Kamran is forced to cope with the fact that not everyone has the same definition of patriotism than he does, as evidenced during his brawl with Jeremy Vacca. Vacca says, “‘It's what you and your kind are doing to my country’” (8), accusing people of Arab/non-white descent of ruining America. This idea of a nationalist and white supremacist patriotism plagues Kamran throughout the book, as he tries to help his country while being seen as a threat because of his skin color and cultural heritage.