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Author: Samira Ahmed Pages: 382
I had no naive ideas that this book would not be a hard read. I knew what I was getting into, literally a quarter of my book cases are full with non-fiction or historical fictions that take place during the holocaust or WWI/WWII. Even then I had to close the book sometimes because it all seemed to real.
Layla, her parents, and thousands of other Muslims are sent to an internment camp called Mobius, the fact that it was close to the Japanese internment camp Manzanar was not lost on me either. The cause for such a drastic move? Islamophia. Does it sound familiar? This book is placed in what seems like a few years from now, in this presidency, under this current political climate and that made this book all the more urgent.
The scenes that take place in the book are appalling not because they are violent, but because we see actions like these committed everyday. A hijab being ripped off a woman's head, a man being shot just because he is Muslim, a woman being silenced because she has no right to speak. How did they end up here? The census, that one that keeps track of our religions, ages, nationalities and livelihoods that we report to the government every now and then. That flimsy piece of paper, if you checked Islam you are at Mobius.
The president has declared Muslims an enemy of the state, so they rounded them up just like they did to Japanese-Americans in the past. Layla had learned of this history in school and it was her only reference to what was happening to her, it made her scared and at times selfish but determined. She refused to live the rest of her life in there. So she decided to make a start much like Sophie Scholl did during the time of Nazi propaganda. This was scary because lets remember that Sophie was executed. She knew it was a risk but to be honest she could have died just as easy by just being within those gates, anyone who made false moves was taken away never to be seen again.
I won't ruin the story by elaborating on the allies that she finds or those that learn of her plans and join her in the revolution, because that is honestly the best part of the story. The teenagers in this book used their place of "Privilege" as minors to get ahead. They couldn't be treated like the others, they couldn't just simply be dissapeared without a trace. So they stood tall and spoke for those who couldn't. That is the point of the book. It is to educate the younger generation, allow them space to reflect, and show them that just because their young does not mean they are powerless. A small voice is better than no voice and this book does its best to bring that home.
Despite all its harsh reminders, it also gives us a sense of hope. Not everyone in the country agrees with what is going on, kind of like now. Those people fought for them when they learned of the injustices, even some that allowed it to happen realized it was a big mistake and joined the cause. It is the kind of situation where you won't really now how to react until it's happening and I am glad the book provides a space for both.
Rating 5/5 ❤❤❤❤❤
My rating is a #unpopular opinion with many readers of this book, I will give some examples of the complaints below and my reasoning behind why it shouldn't matter. You can make your decision on this and read it for yourself as we all know books are perceived differently by different readers.
The book is too obvious, it doesn't give us space to make our own conclusions said by most people over the age of 21- The book wasn't made for them, it was made for younger readers who need books that tell a compelling story quickly and with all the consequences and backstory because attention spans for reading these days is short. I mean come on, I get annoyed when a commercial interrupts my anything and its only 30 seconds.
Layla is selfish it looks like all she wants is her boyfriend- Her mom and dad are in the camp with her, so the only person on the outside she can really want is her boyfriend, but that scene where she begs to call him is not about David. Its about everyone's loved ones outside those gates. Everyone has to beg for a phone call, get it approved, and still be careful because they are being listened to. For Layla that was David but for others, that was a husband, a son, or a daughter.
Layla is too informed about previous internment camps in history- I learned about the Holocaust and Japanese internment camps when I was in tenth grade, two years younger than Layla, and was taught by an amazing student teacher, who really ingrained in us the importance of studying situations like this and learning from them. I have continued to educate myself and read about those moments in history ever since then. So yes, she could have been that educated about the topic at 17.
David is annoying- Indeed he is, I honestly am still trying to comprehend if he could have been written in a different way where he didn't seem so clueless and unaware of what was going on around him. I know he was trying his best and did play a role in it but he just seemed out of place a bit.
The Director of the Internment camp is cartoonish- yes he is, but what matters is not his reactions but his power. Time and time through the book he shows that he can get away with literally anything. He gives an air of desperation to Layla's resistance. The fact that his actions have no consequences is what matters. Because it means that at Mobius there were no respites, no way out, no one to protect them. They were no one. He got angry like a child sometimes and turned blue in the face because of her actions, but lets not pretend that there weren't people in internment camps who died just because a guard was in a bad mood.
The book was too raw, too crass it felt like it was throwing its beliefs at me- It is raw at times and in your face but if you were inside the internment camp it would be in your face, you would be in the middle of the violence, you would feel the oppression, this book is not about beliefs its about right and wrong. The book makes you feel like you are there, like there is no place to go. That is the point, they had nowhere to go.
Now that you have been informed on the chief complaints of the book, I hope that you give it a chance and make your own opinion on the matter. This is such an important book for young adults to have a discussion about these days, and for adults to read and share with others.