Adversity

The story of being a Bangladeshi undocumented immigrant after 9/11, told through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl. It's short and to the point, with mature and poetic prose. A good read.

Nadira and her family are illegal aliens from Bangladesh living in Queens, New York, whose lives have gone unnoticed by their host country. But in the wake of 9/11, certain groups of people are being scrutinized for deportation. Nadira's Abba flees with the family to seek asylum in Canada only to be denied and arrested in the U.S. Nadira and her older sister Aisha return to New York to live with their aunt and uncle. Frustration mounts as weeks go by with no progress in Abba's case. Nadira and Aisha decide to write to Homeland Security and their congressman to show why Abba should be set free. The situation takes its toll and the always-confident, outspoken Aisha begins to crumble. Nadira, steady and patient, discovers the spelling error in Abba's name on his detention papers. The error is key to freeing Abba and obtaining his residency. Although the solution is rather pat, this is as timely novel about immigration.

This book was okay, but very slow. Whilst I enjoyed following the struggles of an illegal migrant family, I never really connected with any of the characters. They all annoyed me in one way or another, until the end when both Nadira and her sister, Aisha, found the courage to stand up and speak the truth. ( )

RGG: Amazing story told by a fifteen-year-old girl about her family's experience as illegal Muslim immigrants after 9/11.