1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Budhos, Marina. 2006. Ask Me No Questions. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
ISBN 9781416903512
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fourteen-year-old Nadira is the narrator of this
fictional story of a family of illegal aliens living in New York City. Nadira’s
family came to America from Bangladesh several years ago and disappeared into
the masses of New York, staying after their visa expired. As Nadira explained
“everyone does it.” But after 9/11 things changed. All Muslim men over the age
of 18 from certain areas were required to register and were subsequently either
thrown in jail or kicked out of the country. When the book opens, they are
fleeing to the Canadian border seeking asylum, because Nadira’s father says, “Why
should we wait for them to kick us out. I want to live in a place where I can
hold my head up.” After Nadira’s family is turned back at the Canadian border,
her father is taken into custody awaiting trial, and her mother stays there to
be with him. Nadira and her sister, Aisha, must go back to Queens alone, stay
with their uncle’s family and pretend that nothing has happened. Everyone
thinks that Aisha is the star of the family, “the smart one”, but it is Nadira
who comes up with the solution to their problem and holds her family together.
Marina Budhos, an award winning author, did an excellent
job writing this novel from the perspective of Nadira, the 14-year-old narrator
who tells what it is like to be a Muslim teen living in America post 9/11. Ask Me No Questions highlights the
issues facing the illegal aliens within the borders of the United States,
especially in the wake of 9/11 and the institution of the patriot act. The
characters are believable, and have multi-faceted personalities. Budhos also explores
the tensions within the family structure. Nadira and her sister Aisha are
opposites. Aisha is the one who always knows what to say in any situation, is
popular at school, and gets straight A’s. Nadira, on the other hand, is more of
a home-body. It is she who curls up at the feet of her elders and listens to
their stories. The main character, Nadira grows significantly from the
beginning to the end of the book. She grows from a girl who is shy, average,
and doesn’t want to be noticed, to the one who holds her family together and
has decided that the answer to their problem is to stop blending in, “sometimes
you have to tell them who you are. What you really think. You have to make them
see us.”
Cultural markers are apparent in this novel. Budhos
draws attention to the issues of the large population of illegal students,
“We’re not the only illegals at our school. We’re everywhere. You just have to
look,” and Nadira sums up the unwritten policy at their school as “ask me no
questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” Her father has told her that “the most
important thing … was not to stick out. Don’t let them see you.” Budhos makes
the reader think about the scope of illegal immigration in the United States.
She not only exposes the issues of new Muslim immigrants, she also talks
specifically about those from Bangladesh such as Nadira’s family. One example
of this is when Nadira gives a brief historical account of Bangladesh and its
geographic location, and relates
some of their family’s personal history.
The narrative discusses the religious practices of
the Muslims such as Ali-Uncle who works at a discount electronics store, prays
faithfully five times a day, and explains the Koran and Bengali literature at
the local mosque. Nadira also refers to the feast of Ramadan and that it has
been a long time since her father has pulled the prayer rug out of the closet. Gender
roles and how they vary between their native Bangladesh and America are also
referred to. The author contrasts the traditional male-female roles with modern
ones. For instance, Nadira’s Uncle is upset that his wife has a job, and says
that “I didn’t come to this country so that my wife could work” and “Daughters
are not daughters, and wives don’t act like wives.”
Teenagers and adults will not only enjoy reading
this informative novel, but will gain insight into the problems facing new
immigrants and their struggle to gain citizenship.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST REVIEW: Gr. 7-10. “What is it like to be an
illegal alien in New York now? In a moving first-person, present-tense
narrative, Nadira, 14, relates how her family left Bangladesh, came to the U.
S. on a tourist visa, and stayed long after the visa expired (Everyone does it.
You buy a fake social security number for a few hundred dollars and then you
can work. ). Their illegal status is discovered, however, following 9/11, when
immigration regulations are tightened.”…”Readers will feel the heartbreak,
prejudice, kindness, and fear.”
VOYA REVIEW: Budhos's descriptive writing style
helps the story seem more realistic. Nadira's conflicting emotions are
portrayed in such a way that even though teens might not identify with her
situation, they can easily relate to her feelings. The topics addressed in this
book are very relevant in today's society, and teens will quickly be able to
make real world connections.
5. CONNECTIONS
This would be a good novel for students to read when
studying about immigration in the United States, and could be used in
conjunction with learning about Ellis Island. Students could gain perspective
of the hardships faced by new immigrants when the country was first founded and
compare them to those faced today.
Other Books by Marina Budhos:
Budhos,
Marina. Tell Us We’re Home. ISBN-10: 1416903526
Budhos,
Marina. Remix, Conversations with
Immigrant Teenagers. ISBN-10:
1556356102
Budhos,
Marina. The Professor of Light. ISBN-10: 0399144730
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