This Tuesday we'll be wrapping up our discussion of The Book of Khalid before moving on to the second generation of Arab-American writers.

There are three things I'd like to see you comment on here.

First, what do you now believe to be the narrator's opinion of Khalid? How does that affect your interpretation of the novel's meaning?

Second, and perhaps related to the first question, is the notion of "immanent morality" that Khalid mentions briefly at the end of book one and a few times again at the begining of book two. What, in your opinion, is "immanent morality"? Does it reflect any "shades of Whitman?

Third, I'm curious to know what you think of Khalid's leaving America. Did he leave because he failed? Does his failure, if you see it as that, mean that the Arab-American "super-man" proposed by the Fatihah is impossible?