2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

Mary Lou is befriended by Ibrahim, a man of Saudi Arabian origins. Through this relationship, she had her racial belief system challenged. Your thoughts about how he may have impacted her points of view?

Ibrahim was nice to her and offered to help her with her sobriety. He certainly paid more attention to her than her husband did. I think as she got to know Ibrahim, she saw him as a person and not just a guy with different skin color.

Ibrahim was an amazing character. He can do so much better than Mary Lou! I really hope he isn't dead *sigh*

Anyhoo, as to Mary Lou's altered belief system - if it is based entirely on one man's care and affection, it is not a true change of heart. Mary Lou is so self-absorbed that she cannot see past her own perspective - Ibrahim was good to HER so perhaps not all Muslims are bad?!

Is my animus toward Mary Lou too strong? Lol!

No, it’s not too strong, Lauren😏 I share the same.

Even after all the kindness and sincere friendship Ibrahim showed Mary Lou, she still doubted him in the end. Never once did she consider that creep Bob as a possibility for those guns. And, when she was introducing him to Bob, she couldn’t even bring herself to call him her friend. I think her belief system was challenged, causing her to think more about Ibrahim as a man and not a man of color. But, it wasn’t altered. Her bigoted beliefs are deeply rooted.

I also hope that Ibrahim is okay. This broke my heart.

I agree. Ibrahim is one of those people who is easy to love. He has a big heart, and could see the good in Mary Lou. (I don't see it.) Even though Mary Lou enjoyed her time with him, he didn't change her core belief about race. Ibrahim is the exception in Mary Lou's eyes. In the end, she believes that Ibrahim is a terrorist and disregards everything she knows about him.

I hope we find out the Ibrahim survived. He is a great character.

I wonder if Bob is going to go after Mary Lou in the future.

Ibrahim saw something in Mary Lou, that even Mary Lou didn't know was there. I don't think Mary Lou would have changed much if she hadn't lost her entire support group, her sister and her AA sponsor, at the same time. She is basically alone with a baby: Sam is MIA in her life and her fellow employees are jerks. Ibrahim sees how kind she is to Donny and how much she loves Hailey, he sees a kind, loving person. His care for her as a person was key in changing Mary Lou's racist outlook,

Anita,

Do you believe that Mary Lou changed her racist attitude or did she just change regarding Ibrahim? I felt like she still held her racist belief's. Ibrahim was kind to her and made her feel special. Would she treat the next Muslim she ran into like Ibrahim or would she revert to her old self. Also, I don't think her attitude about a mix raced child changed.

I didn't finish that sentence. His care for her as a person was key in changing Mary Lou's racist outlook, as far as he was concerned, anyway.

Mary Lou's racist outlook will take a lot to totally change and now that she thinks Ibrahim put the guns in her car, she could just double down in that regard.