Scan barcode
rfonta69801's review
3.0
3.75 stars
Well, well, well. This book was good. I loved the concept and how the author's writing style formed the book. I also liked the main character and how she was such a strong female lead and basically held the book together but also was strong for her family, because of the situation that she was in. The only reason, I did not like this book is because even if I loved the fact that this was a slightly true story I felt that the sister could have done more to add to the story. Also, at some times the story was a little confusing and I didn't understand what was happening.
Also, just so you know this book does have some trigger warnings so please check. This book is basically all about 9/11 so please check.
Have a nice day!
BYE!!!
Well, well, well. This book was good. I loved the concept and how the author's writing style formed the book. I also liked the main character and how she was such a strong female lead and basically held the book together but also was strong for her family, because of the situation that she was in. The only reason, I did not like this book is because even if I loved the fact that this was a slightly true story I felt that the sister could have done more to add to the story. Also, at some times the story was a little confusing and I didn't understand what was happening.
Also, just so you know this book does have some trigger warnings so please check. This book is basically all about 9/11 so please check.
Have a nice day!
BYE!!!
eflatkey's review
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
nadiramos's review
5.0
This started with a random search of books that contained my first name and turned into so much more. The injustice faced by noncitizens, living in fear of deportation is addressed heavily in this book. It opened my eyes to that plight and is a stark reminder of how the basic rights of every American are taken for granted. This book was well written, beautiful in thought and context.
cottonquilts's review
4.0
Ask Me No Questions is a story of crossing borders: crossing into Canada, into America and even into adulthood. While some are more visible than others, borders are often manmade and the source of conflict.
Nadira tells us her family comes from the edge of water, from Bangladesh where the British drew borders that disrupted her family’s homeland and caused them to have to leave. They sought refuge in the United States but 9/11 creates a very difficult situations for men from Muslim countries and they decide to make what becomes an unsuccessful crossing into Canada. The family becomes separated as Nadira and her sister, Aisha, are sent back to live with relatives while her father is held in detention and her mother stays in a shelter near her husband. The situation tests the strength of each person’s character as some rise to the occasion and others whither. While Budhos blames British colonialism for today’s immigrant issues, she places solutions in the hands of youth.
Nadira tells us her family comes from the edge of water, from Bangladesh where the British drew borders that disrupted her family’s homeland and caused them to have to leave. They sought refuge in the United States but 9/11 creates a very difficult situations for men from Muslim countries and they decide to make what becomes an unsuccessful crossing into Canada. The family becomes separated as Nadira and her sister, Aisha, are sent back to live with relatives while her father is held in detention and her mother stays in a shelter near her husband. The situation tests the strength of each person’s character as some rise to the occasion and others whither. While Budhos blames British colonialism for today’s immigrant issues, she places solutions in the hands of youth.
genevieve_eggleston's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is an eye-opening story about the fictional, yet rooted in reality, experiences of two teenage sisters during the post-9/11 crackdown on illegal immigrants in the US. It provides the basis for a better understanding of what immigrants have endured and continue to endure and offers the opportunity for increased compassion towards other people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racism, and Deportation
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Confinement, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
gothicgunslinger's review
5.0
The saddest book I've read in awhile, mostly because of how real it is. I thought at first that the author was embellishing the situation slightly -- I do plenty of research into post-9/11 government policies and I had never heard of a registration program for immigrants from certain countries. In the light of the recent surge of anti-immigration sentiment, I thought perhaps the author was simply forecasting a darker version of America that now threatens to come to fruition. But the story rang so true to me, as someone who works with an international, Muslim-heavy student population, that I began to suspect that this was one more in a line of government practices that has bafflingly escaped the radar. The end note of the book heightened my fears, and a quick Google search confirmed them: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/nyregion/antiterrorism-registry-ends-but-its-effects-remain.html. We've reaped the harvest of some ugly seeds sown in the post-9/11 years, I am increasingly ashamed to learn.
This book was short, but captured perfectly the themes with which I have grown so familiar and fascinated: the struggles of first generation immigrants, particularly from countries America has decided, in its 21st century counter-terrorism hysteria, to inherently distrust. These people have battled hardship and heartache, banking everything on coming to a place where their lives are promised to be better, and often all the system does is kick them in the face. These characters felt like people I know, like a person I could have been, had I not been lucky enough to be born here. My cushy American upbringing was paved by the struggles of my ancestors, at least one of whom certainly entered the country illegally, and I am reminded of that constantly. I related especially to Nadira, remembering myself as an unsure, slow-witted fourteen-year-old who just wanted to be given a clear path to follow. This book exquisitely illustrates the tenacity of the human spirit, summed up in minimalistic poignancy in its final line: "We push forward, into the unknown. Go."
In solidarity, I will try my best to do the same.
This book was short, but captured perfectly the themes with which I have grown so familiar and fascinated: the struggles of first generation immigrants, particularly from countries America has decided, in its 21st century counter-terrorism hysteria, to inherently distrust. These people have battled hardship and heartache, banking everything on coming to a place where their lives are promised to be better, and often all the system does is kick them in the face. These characters felt like people I know, like a person I could have been, had I not been lucky enough to be born here. My cushy American upbringing was paved by the struggles of my ancestors, at least one of whom certainly entered the country illegally, and I am reminded of that constantly. I related especially to Nadira, remembering myself as an unsure, slow-witted fourteen-year-old who just wanted to be given a clear path to follow. This book exquisitely illustrates the tenacity of the human spirit, summed up in minimalistic poignancy in its final line: "We push forward, into the unknown. Go."
In solidarity, I will try my best to do the same.
clarkco's review
4.0
Absorbing story about illegal Muslims seeking asylum in Canada in a Post-9/11 America.
renatasnacks's review
4.0
Oh hai, Julia Alvarez ([b:Return to Sender|3236586|Return to Sender|Julia Alvarez|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1234063391s/3236586.jpg|3271108]), here is how you can write a YA book about undocumented immigrants without being patronizing to teenagers. Compelling and realistic (without being TOO much of a downer) and manages to tackle some pretty weighty issues regarding Muslims in America after 9/11 without being too preachy or unbelievable. The two sisters, Nadira and Aisha, cope with the stress of their father's arrest and possible deportment in different ways--Aisha starts shutting down and skipping school, while quiet and underachieved younger sister Nadira starts stepping up and trying to save her father.
nerfherder86's review
3.0
Aisha and her sister Nadira are Bangladeshi-American girls living in NYC. After Sept. 11 happens, their family is forced to flee the States, because their dad's visa is long expired. But at the border with Canada, they're made to turn back and their dad is taken into custody--Canada doesn't want him, but the U.S. won't let him back in! So the girls return to live with family and have to go to school and pretend nothing is wrong. It's an interesting story about sisters, who are very different, and how they cope with this sudden reversal in their life. Good look at immigrant life today, and also family dynamics. First winner of the James Cook award for multicultural literature for youth.
bekkz27's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5