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lesbrary's review
4.0
Zara Hossain is Here surprised me. This is a short book, and it's written in a way that feels pared down to the essentials. When the story begins, Zara is experiencing Islamophobic harassment from the star football player at school, but she has a strong network and friends and family that supports her. This harassment escalates, though, and it takes the story in a darker and more complicated direction than I was expecting.
I appreciated the complexity that this story brought to the subject of immigration. It discusses the wait time and challenges to completing the application process, but also the luck involved. This chance encounter could erase all her family's years of being ideal citizens, including her father's work as a beloved pediatrician. An author's note explains the author's own family's immigration process was derailed by a clerical error, making all of their work null and void. Added to that is the layer of Zara's family wondering: is this worth it? Do I want to be in a country where so many people don't want me here? Even if most of the people they encounter are supportive, it just takes one armed racist or one well-connected bigot to dismantle their lives.
This is a book that doesn't provide any easy answers. It acknowledges that these are thorny, deeply flawed choices to have to make. Zara wants to stay and fight to make things better, but her mother is tired of fighting--and both of those are fair. This is a great addition to books that start conversations about immigration in the U.S., with the added layer of being an out queer immigrant from a country that is not accepting of queer people. I highly recommend it.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
I appreciated the complexity that this story brought to the subject of immigration. It discusses the wait time and challenges to completing the application process, but also the luck involved. This chance encounter could erase all her family's years of being ideal citizens, including her father's work as a beloved pediatrician. An author's note explains the author's own family's immigration process was derailed by a clerical error, making all of their work null and void. Added to that is the layer of Zara's family wondering: is this worth it? Do I want to be in a country where so many people don't want me here? Even if most of the people they encounter are supportive, it just takes one armed racist or one well-connected bigot to dismantle their lives.
This is a book that doesn't provide any easy answers. It acknowledges that these are thorny, deeply flawed choices to have to make. Zara wants to stay and fight to make things better, but her mother is tired of fighting--and both of those are fair. This is a great addition to books that start conversations about immigration in the U.S., with the added layer of being an out queer immigrant from a country that is not accepting of queer people. I highly recommend it.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
khoyt's review
3.0
Lots of hot-button topics, not all of them are necessary to move the story along. I think it could have put more emphasis on one or two and the story would still be a good read. Not my favorite book, but is an okay read. I liked the perspective of what life is like in the US for a Pakistani family and the hurdles and racism they face on a daily basis. The book does provide some great points for discussion and thought.
mrs_bookdragon's review
5.0
I listened the audiobook and really enjoyed it. I found it very fast-paced and I wanted to keep listening.
This is a story that really shows how quickly things can go too far. Zara's family is waiting on their green card, but things go south quickly when a boy begins threatening her family and her dad steps in-and then gets in trouble with the law (while also getting hurt!). I found myself getting so angry and so frustrated that Zara's family couldn't just make a place for themselves in America, that they wanted to just move back to Pakistan because it would be less dangerous. I hate that for them and that other families (in real life) could be (and are ) experiencing similar things.
Definitely a must read.
This book is marketed towards Young Adult because of the age of Zara and some language and mature situations, however I think it could be appropriate for junior high readers or more mature middle grade.
This is a story that really shows how quickly things can go too far. Zara's family is waiting on their green card, but things go south quickly when a boy begins threatening her family and her dad steps in-and then gets in trouble with the law (while also getting hurt!). I found myself getting so angry and so frustrated that Zara's family couldn't just make a place for themselves in America, that they wanted to just move back to Pakistan because it would be less dangerous. I hate that for them and that other families (in real life) could be (and are ) experiencing similar things.
Definitely a must read.
This book is marketed towards Young Adult because of the age of Zara and some language and mature situations, however I think it could be appropriate for junior high readers or more mature middle grade.
cinderthemoon25's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
brachtan's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.0
elizabethstrachan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was amazing, but very sad. It's awful that things like this happen in real life. I LOVED Zara. She's so strong, even when faced with all that happened in the book. I'm glad everything worked out.
bookdragonkatie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
4.25