The narrator in Shooting Kabul mostly follows Fadi’s point of view, but at key points throughout the book, the narrator pulls back to describe events from a neutral or omniscient perspective. Why, in your opinion, did Senzai make that narrative choice? How would the story change if it were only told from an omniscient third-person point of view?

Fadi spends most of the novel in a state of anxiety because he does not want to reveal that he is the one responsible for losing Mariam. How would the story have been different if Fadi had told his family about his guilt as soon as they arrived in the United States?

Throughout the book, Fadi is subjected to Ike and Felix’s bullying, especially after September 11th. In your opinion, is “the brotherhood’s” decision to ambush the bullies right or wrong? What would have happened if the boys decided to beat up the bullies in the same way Ike and Felix had been beating them up for years?