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.

Trouble with a capital T

I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into the book Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt, but maybe your experience will be different.  Henry is the younger son in a well-off family of Boston's North Shore, where life is calm, easy, and privileged. But things change when Henry's older brother Franklin is critically injured in a car accident involving Chay Chouan, a Cambodia immigrant.  Henry and Franklin were going to climb Mt. Katahdin some day, but now Henry is determined to do it on his own.  Hitching a ride to the mountain with his adopted stray Black Dog, the only person to give Henry a ride is - improbably - Chay.  The soul-searching was authentic, and Henry's attachment to the dog was beautifully described, but I thought much of the character development was weak and there were a few too many coincidences to make for a satisfying read.   

Would you survive on a deserted island?

I know of so many classes that have read The Cay by Theodore Taylor that I decided it was time for me to read it, too, and I'm glad I did.  Taking place during World War II, young Philip is on a freighter that is hit by a torpedo.  When he comes to, he's on a raft in the middle of nowhere with Timothy, an elderly black man, and his feline companion, Stew Cat. They eventually land on a small, deserted island; Philip's head injury leads to blindness, and he must depend on the knowledge and kindness of Timothy to survive.  Will they make it through the approaching hurricane?  Will they ever be rescued?  A lot of action and food for thought are packed into this relatively small book.