This book doesn't just belong in the graphic novel section; it belongs with the rest of classic literature. Habibi is one of the top 5 graphic novels I've ever read. I felt moved, puzzled, disgusted, intrigued, awed, and stunned. The book took me through the whole gambit of emotions to the bitter end where I was simply sad that it was over. 
 It's a lengthy book, and one with which you really should take your time. The emotional content is so large, I don't know if it is wise to swallow it all in one sitting. Not to mention there is a certain gravitas in religious tones that if you have a respect towards religion, you will probably want to pause and reflect over the Islamic stories' complexity and beauty. 
 I grew up Catholic myself, so I was raised on the Biblical scriptures. The stories of Noah and Moses were like bedtime stories. The stories of Jesus were allegorical to how I should live my life. In the same way, the stories of Islam which Dodola tells Zam throughout the novel often made me feel at peace. On the other hand, Thompson takes these stories and tells them in a way that makes you question their virtuousness. Does Noah leave his wife behind to die in the flood because she does not believe in God? Would Abraham have really sacrificed his son simply because God told him to do so? What do these stories mean? What do these stories tell us? 
 The stories of the Qu'ran tell us that life is hard and filled with misery, yet faith keeps them going. Job's family is killed, he loses his land, and he is plagued with leprosy, but still he has faith. Similarly, these two young orphans have had their homes taken away, families killed, and are forced to live penniless in the desert, yet it is the religious stories that keep them going. It is from these stories their fears are taken away, and they are given their strength. 
 As a side note, this book really makes me question the Biblical stories through the way Dodola tells them. She doesn't say to us this is what happened and this is the truth and word of God. She says that we don't really know what happened, but this is what people say. In the Bible Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac. In the Qu'ran Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Which is the true story? Does it even matter? 
 What I find most interesting is that these stories are told orally from Dodola to Zam. It brings us back to the past when these stories were only told orally because not many people knew how to read and write, and if anyone knows a good story, they know to throw in some mysticism, some hyperbole, and some visual metaphors. Perhaps Jesus didn't turn water into wine, he just took wine and added it to water, which made more wine, watered-down wine, but enough wine for everyone. Everyone saw this as so amazing or clever (the first instance of flavored water that is so popular today) that they started to share the story, until it kept being repeated, getting lost in translation until we have the miracle so many believe today. 
 I think Dodola's stories are what I love so much about Habibi. Dodola tells these religious stories, but she doesn't ask us to believe in them. Even she just sees them as stories. What she asks us to do is to try to understand the importance of them--How they teach us what it means to be clever or brave or wise. 
 I can continue on about how amazing the plot of the story is also, but I really want to leave that for you to read. If you love literature and you are not afraid of tragedy, I strongly recommend this book. It is one of the most amazing graphic novels I have ever read. Even if you have little to no respect for graphic novels, I challenge you to read this book. It is so swimming in literary devices it could please any lit fan. 
 [Why a 4 instead of a 5? I was a bit disappointed in the final two chapters of the story. I wish the ending felt more magical. It wasn't bad, but it didn't have the same tone as what I loved throughout the novel. It's okay though. I can forgive the author that because I'm sure he had true intentions. It must have been very difficult to figure out a way to end this story.]