Borderline

Borderline starts out as a coming of age story about Sami Sabiri, a Muslim-American teen who is struggling to balance his family with his school and social life in a very white suburb. It turns in to a taut thriller that explores safety in the Homeland Security era, race, and terrorism.

Now, if those were descriptions of two different books, I would probably pick up book #2. And if I did, I would be missing out. While the issues of justice, fear, and racial profiling that are addressed in the story of the arrest of Sami's father are extremely interesting and the author does a nice job of carefully weaving them into the text, I did find the situations sometimes past my point of belief. And I was genuinely more invested in Sami's story show more before he is thrust into extraordinary circumstances - not my usual reaction to a book.

Sami is such a likable kid, and his isolation from friends and schoolmates and his frustration with his strict father are shown in a way that make you really feel for him. Sami's easy sense of humor when he is with his best friends Andy and Marty contrasts with his insecurity at school, where he is the only Muslim student. But as Sami tries to navigate a path between the usual small teenage rebellions and his desire to please his parents, and especially his strict and distant father, Sami begins to drift away even from his friends, who don't understand the pressures that Sami feels. Sami's uneasy navigation of those relationships are this book's greatest strength.

Sami's father's strange actions begin to arouse Sami's suspicions, and shortly after Sami launches his own investigation of his father's activities, Mr. Sabiri is suddenly arrested and accused of being part of a terrorist plot. Not only is Sami ostracized and sometimes threatened by neighbors, classmates, and even school officials, but he is also desperate to learn the truth about his father. Whlie his mother works closely with a lawyer to fight a justice system that seems to ignore the idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty in the face of potential terrorism, Sami becomes convinced that he is the only person who will be able to reach the accused leader of the terror plot and prove his father's guilt or innocence. He and his buddies race off on a poorly-planned mission to seek out a possible terrorist.

This is the part of the story that I had some mixed feelings about. Maybe if Sami hadn't been such a vividly drawn character, I might have been more willing to gloss over some of the tremendously stupid decisions that were made by someone who seemed like a smart kid, if a little bit impulsive. If this book had started as a legal thriller, I probably would never have questioned Sami's actions in his quest to save his dad. But because Sami was so real to me, I had a little trouble reconciling the two parts of the book, which sometimes pulled me out of the action of the story.

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that the true story behind Sami's father's arrest is much more interesting and convincing than I ever would have guessed. I may have drifted away a little bit, but the conclusion really grabbed my interest and pulled me back into the plot of the book. And I never drifted away from the characters - Sami and his friends and family had a grip on me from beginning to end. show less

Borderline starts out as a coming of age story about Sami Sabiri, a Muslim-American teen who is struggling to balance his family with his school and social life in a very white suburb. It turns in to a taut thriller that explores safety in the Homeland Security era, race, and terrorism.

Now, if those were descriptions of two different books, I would probably pick up book #2. And if I did, I would be missing out. While the issues of justice, fear, and racial profiling that are addressed in the story of the arrest of Sami’s father are extremely interesting and the author does a nice job of carefully weaving them into the text, I did find the situations sometimes past my point of belief. And I was genuinely more invested in Sami’s show more story before he is thrust into extraordinary circumstances – not my usual reaction to a book.

Sami is such a likable kid, and his isolation from friends and schoolmates and his frustration with his strict father are shown in a way that make you really feel for him. Sami’s easy sense of humor when he is with his best friends Andy and Marty contrasts with his insecurity at school, where he is the only Muslim student. But as Sami tries to navigate a path between the usual small teenage rebellions and his desire to please his parents, and especially his strict and distant father, Sami begins to drift away even from his friends, who don’t understand the pressures that Sami feels. Sami’s uneasy navigation of those relationships are this book’s greatest strength.

Sami’s father’s strange actions begin to arouse Sami’s suspicions, and shortly after Sami launches his own investigation of his father’s activities, Mr. Sabiri is suddenly arrested and accused of being part of a terrorist plot. Not only is Sami ostracized and sometimes threatened by neighbors, classmates, and even school officials, but he is also desperate to learn the truth about his father. Whlie his mother works closely with a lawyer to fight a justice system that seems to ignore the idea that a person is innocent until proven guilty in the face of potential terrorism, Sami becomes convinced that he is the only person who will be able to reach the accused leader of the terror plot and prove his father’s guilt or innocence. He and his buddies race off on a poorly-planned mission to seek out a possible terrorist.

This is the part of the story that I had some mixed feelings about. Maybe if Sami hadn’t been such a vividly drawn character, I might have been more willing to gloss over some of the tremendously stupid decisions that were made by someone who seemed like a smart kid, if a little bit impulsive. If this book had started as a legal thriller, I probably would never have questioned Sami’s actions in his quest to save his dad. But because Sami was so real to me, I had a little trouble reconciling the two parts of the book, which sometimes pulled me out of the action of the story.

I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that the true story behind Sami’s father’s arrest is much more interesting and convincing than I ever would have guessed. I may have drifted away a little bit, but the conclusion really grabbed my interest and pulled me back into the plot of the book. And I never drifted away from the characters – Sami and his friends and family had a grip on me from beginning to end. show less

I was excited to read Borderline because it's the first book I have read with a Muslim boy as a main character. It's always interesting for me to read about a character so different than myself.

I instantly liked Sami. His inner dialogue was so real and funny it had me cracking up. Stratton did a fantastic job at capturing the voice of a teenage boy. Sami had a difficult life. He lived in an area where he was the only Muslim boy. He was often treated differently and picked on because of this. But Sami can't retaliate, because the bullies will just get worse, plus, he would hear from his dad about shaming the family. I found myself getting so mad at the way Sami was treated and often had the urge to jump in the book and punch the show more offender. Along with Sami, his two best friends were also enjoyable to read about and brought some lightness into the story.

The first half of the book moved a little slow for me. I found myself bored at a few parts that seemed to drag. But once you get to the middle of the story, it becomes thrilling. When the FBI break in to Sami's house and arrest his dad and accuse him of terrorism, his life becomes so much harder. I felt at times that this fiction story was based on a true story, because we have all heard about similar things happening in the news. But one thing I have never thought about before was the devastation these actions would put on a family. To be accused of something so horrible simply because of your race or religion . . . it's a terrible thing that no one should have to go through.

Stratton did a great job at showing the outcome, and while the plot was exciting, there were a few parts that seemed a bit over dramatic. Just to me a few parts felt like a scene out of a soap opera. My favorite part of this story was getting to know Sami and getting a look into the daily happenings in a Muslim family. Sami really made the story for me. He was such a strong character that would never let anyone keep him down. It was great to see his love and respect for his family and his religion grow throughout the story.

Even with it's few flaws, I still really enjoyed this story. Borderline was thought provoking and compelling. It's a story not to be missed. show less

Have you ever felt like you were different from everyone around you? Was it because of your clothing, or your hairstyle, or maybe your religion? Sami, feels like that everyday. As the only muslim teen in his neighbourhood, and the only muslim student at his school, he has plenty of opportunity to feel single out. Allan Stratton's novel, Borderline, explores these ideas in the midst of forcing us as readers to examine how we perceive the world around us.

This novel is set in contemporary America. The small town setting further heightens the impact of our views of the Muslim world since 9/11. With skill, Stratton brings us into the world of Sami Sabiri, a bright, young man who everyday faces the small mindedness of those who look at him show more and see a terrorist. Due to Sami's being the only Muslim student in a prestigious private school, we get to see how the system works against the truth. The private school which he attends is much like the small town in which he lives, which in turn is similar to the mindset of much of America. Within this environment Sami is the constant target of the school bullies. He is picked on because of his skin colour, religion and country of birth.

Sami's world is our world. In seeing things from his perspective we are forced to examine how we view things. Do we buy the ideas and attitudes that the media presents to us without questioning? How many times have we been on the giving end of a stereotypical thought about someone simply because they look and believe in something different from us?

This is an important book for young people as well as adults to read. By allowing the reader to experience Sami's reactions to being bullied, and to the accusations of others, we can see how our own thinking can influence those around us. Stratton builds all of this into an exciting and very readable story that will be enjoyed by many. show less

Stratton, Allan. (2010). Borderline. New York: HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 304 pp. ISBN 978-0-06-145111-9 (Hard Cover); $16.99.

Sami Sabiri is used to being bullied for his Muslim faith. When his father is arrested for being a terrorist, however, the school bullying becomes a much smaller problem compared to proving his father’s innocence.

Sometimes in my mind significance trumps minor details. In this book Stratton introduces us to a very normal Muslim boy who is sometimes embarrassed by his parents religious instruction, especially when his friends are around. Nevertheless, Sami, in his own way, tries to create meaning within his family’s religious tradition. Stratton also forces us to confront the ongoing struggle with racism hiding show more in the clothing of fear and patriotism. We do not see many books for young readers that show so vividly the daily effects of fear-based border safety measures on our friends from the Middle East. The issues in this book make it best suited for high school libraries, but there is nothing in this book that should prevent it from being purchased for middle school libraries as well. show less

Sami struggles with his desire to be an American teen while living with his strict father. Being bullied and harassed by classmates at his boys school, Sami's life is turned upside down after his dad is arrested as part of a terrorist plot. Sami is unsure of his father's guilt or innocence, but he needs to try to uncover the truth. He's got some good friends in Marty and Andy.

Sami's dad is suddenly arrested as the prime suspect in a terrorist plot. The big problem is that Sami suspects his dad might actually be guilty.
This is a very tightly crafted, fast enjoyable read where the ending is refreshingly NOT predictable.