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kingrosereads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
I really liked this book. I thought it had a good premise, though the execution could’ve been worked on more. I think for a YA book it’s very informative and topical based on today’s current political climate. If anything this book is a great teaching tool and conversation starter for young people. I’ve seen reviews criticize Layla’s actions and obsession with her boyfriend which I find awfully critical and unnecessary. Layla’s a 17-year-old whose world was turn on its axis. She worries about the dirty dishes while her family is being removed from their home as an act of disassociating. Of course she’s going to choose something outside to focus on in this traumatic and ongoing experience. If you’ve ever read Anne Frank’s diary, you’d see that she also focused on mundane and seemingly unimportant things, and that’s just the reality of young people going through traumatic relocations whether is be seeing refuge or being put into camps. I also so some reviews belittling Layla’s experience and it not “being that bad”. All of it is bad regardless if Layla’s experience was exactly like the Japanese internment or not. And Layla’s experience in the camp reminded me of the accounts of life in early days of the Jewish ghettos. It’s also helpful to remember that the story doesn’t start off in a place where we’re able to take in all of the laws put into place to specifically oppress and police Muslims but we’re able to see that there were things going on prior to their removal.
I do see that Layla doesn’t have much of a personality or growth beyond the superficial level, but I think this could be on purpose to make it easier for the reader to slip into Layla’s shoes and try to imagine her experiences happening to them.
I do think that the book could’ve spent more time on life prior to the camps and more time in the camp.Their time there was short and it almost seemed to easy and clean for them to get out of the camp. Though that would be the ideal if something like this happened, it doesn’t seem realistic. I believe the government, if they went this far, would do anything they could to keep the camps running. Though I also believe they’d have a hard time getting every soldier on board with policing civilians, I can also see it taking a long time for them to have the courage to stand up to their superiors. I can also say that the death of Jake was unnecessary and I felt detached from it. I didn’t care for his relationship with Layla as he was her prison guard and it was definitely blurring the lines of appropriate behavior.
All-in-all it was a decent book about an important and topical subject that I think could be used in an educational setting successfully. Definitely give it a read, particularly if you’re a teacher looking for books for your students.
I do see that Layla doesn’t have much of a personality or growth beyond the superficial level, but I think this could be on purpose to make it easier for the reader to slip into Layla’s shoes and try to imagine her experiences happening to them.
I do think that the book could’ve spent more time on life prior to the camps and more time in the camp.
All-in-all it was a decent book about an important and topical subject that I think could be used in an educational setting successfully. Definitely give it a read, particularly if you’re a teacher looking for books for your students.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Torture, Murder, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape
bookcaptivated's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Death, Islamophobia, Child abuse, Violence, Torture, Blood, Xenophobia, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Hate crime, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, War, and Deportation
torijane's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, and Racism
abby271's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Religious bigotry, and Police brutality
Minor: Torture
rae_bookmarkchronicles's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What I enjoyed about this book is how real this situation could have been. Ahmed took a real world situation and played it out for us the way that it likely would have taken place.
The reason that I can't give this a higher rating though is because Layla annoyed the crap of me. Literally random people come into her home late at night and tell them that they're being "relocated" and her first thought isn't where they're going or the safety of herself or her parents, it's her boyfriend...
And then there's her whole flirtationship with Jake despite the fact that she's supposedly so in love with David. She gets slapped around by the Director and after she doesn't wonder where her parents are or if they're safe....she wonders why Jake hasn't come to see her. I guess his death prevented a weird ass triangle but they could have just been friends instead of it being hella awkward every time they saw each other
Otherwise it brings up a really great conversation about the state of America.
The reason that I can't give this a higher rating though is because Layla annoyed the crap of me. Literally random people come into her home late at night and tell them that they're being "relocated" and her first thought isn't where they're going or the safety of herself or her parents, it's her boyfriend...
And then there's her whole flirtationship with Jake despite the fact that she's supposedly so in love with David. She gets slapped around by the Director and after she doesn't wonder where her parents are or if they're safe....she wonders why Jake hasn't come to see her. I guess his death prevented a weird ass triangle but they could have just been friends instead of it being hella awkward every time they saw each other
Otherwise it brings up a really great conversation about the state of America.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Child abuse
sunpuddles's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ writing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ insightfulness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ readability
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plot development
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ character
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pace
This a fantastic YA novel and a timely one for our last presidency. Touching mostly on the Muslim ban and white supremacy, but also race, religious freedom and general civil liberties. I was moved by Ahmed’s references to the interment of Japanese Americans, the parallels to the Holocaust and references to more recent immigration policies (border wall, children in cages etc.) With all of these broader issues, she was still able to create vivid, relatable characters and used highly readable prose without relying too heavily on tropes of many YA novels. This acts as an inspiring cautionary tale, but not at the risk of being able to stand on its own as a very readable, fast-paced story of our almost-history.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ insightfulness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ readability
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plot development
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ character
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pace
This a fantastic YA novel and a timely one for our last presidency. Touching mostly on the Muslim ban and white supremacy, but also race, religious freedom and general civil liberties. I was moved by Ahmed’s references to the interment of Japanese Americans, the parallels to the Holocaust and references to more recent immigration policies (border wall, children in cages etc.) With all of these broader issues, she was still able to create vivid, relatable characters and used highly readable prose without relying too heavily on tropes of many YA novels. This acts as an inspiring cautionary tale, but not at the risk of being able to stand on its own as a very readable, fast-paced story of our almost-history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Violence
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