Aftereffects of 9/11

With the 10th anniversary of the horrible events of 9/11 coming up, Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos was a very timely book to read. Narrated by 14-year-old Nadira Hossain, the story follows the life of her family, Muslims and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, after 9/11. Hoping to receive political asylum in Canada, the Hossains are turned away, and then the father is arrested and kept in detention because of his expired visa. Nadira's mother stays near him in a shelter, while Nadira and her sister Aisha travel back to New York to live with their aunt and uncle. Aisha is getting ready for college - brilliant and on the road to success - but the stress of her family's situation causes her to fall apart, and it's up to Nadira to keep her family together. A very powerful look at some of the unintended consequences of our country's previous anti-terrorist policies.