A review by aheinicke27
Internment by Samira Ahmed

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense slow-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 story is a terrifying and rage inducing look “15 minutes into the future” if the Trump presidency had increased persecution of Muslim people during his presidency. Drawing strong parallels to the Holocaust and the Japanese interment camps of WWII, the story is unsettling to read in a contemporary setting. Layla, the main character, is a brave, strong willed young woman who refuses to comply when her family is sent to a camp. While I appreciated Layla’s spirit for justice, she is also very much a frustrating high school girl at times who fails to think her actions through. (
Like sneaking your high school boyfriend into an internment camp so you can make out for 5 minutes?? Seriously girl???
). Layla grows a lot over the course of the book, but I wouldn’t say that growth happens until the very end. The beginning and middle of the book felt somewhat slow and drawn out, but the ending was really tense and page turning. Overall, this is an important book to read, as it is a very real possibility of what can happen when people lead with fear and hate in their hearts. Layla shows us the importance of using our voices and actions to combat this. 
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