BIBLIOGRAPHY
Budhos, Marina. 2006. Ask Me No Questions. New York, NY: Simon Pulse.ISBN-10: 1416949208 ISBN-13: 978-1416949206
PLOT SUMMARY
Ask Me No Questions is about Nadira and her family, who immigrated from Bangladesh, India to New York City when she was very young. After the 911 terrorist bombing the Hossain family is going to Canada to seek asylum. Nadira’s father is detained at the border due to his expired visa. Her mother decides to stay close to her father. Nadira, 14 and her sister, Aisha, 17 go back to New York and are to continue with their lives as if everything is the same. Nadira’s older sister Aisha falls apart (always the responsible one) and the teachers at Flushing High don’t “ask any questions”, but nothing matters to Aisha anymore, including her goal to go to college. Nadira finds the courage to be the strong one of the family and works to bring her family back together.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Ask Me No Questions is a fictional story, but deals with the harsh reality of being immigrants in America, especially if your visas are expired. If this isn’t bad enough, add being Muslim during the 911 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York City. This is the story of a family from Bangladesh, India who has been living in America for several years. Nadira and her sister Aisha have a life here and Aisha is planning on applying to go to college when she graduates. The story beings with “WE DRIVE AS IF IN A DREAM.” pg. 1, because everything changes when the attack occurs and the family flees to the Canadian border hoping for asylum. Unfortunately, her father is arrested at the border, her mother decides to stay to be close to her husband, and the girls are sent back to New York City. Aisha who is the oldest and was very strong loses her confidence and can’t seem to cope with the stress. Nadira who is 14 and somewhat insecure finds the courage and strength to do what needs to be done in keeping the family together.
Marina Budhos provides many cultural markers of Middle Eastern heritage. The names really speak of India’s culture with Nadira, Aisha, Taslima (Nadira’s cousin), Naseem (Nadira’s uncle), Ali (family friend), their surname Hossain, Nadira calling her father Abba, Tareq, Mr. Rashid, Amed, Tagore and Allah. The physical characteristics include the brown skin, dark eyes and dark hair. Clothing is mentioned with descriptions of a kurta and shalwar kamees or saria,, bangle bracelets and their hair in long braids. There are also many Bengali word references such as doodh –cha (milky tea), shada-chele (white guy), Mukit Bahini (freedom fighters), mela (a fair) and Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year). Her Abba and Ma also told many stories from their home land which talked about their culture and heritage. Here is a saying, “THEY ALWAYS SAY THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS to Bangladeshis – floods, storms, droughts, riots, strikes—we keep going.” Pg. 55.
That quote definitely applies to Nadira in her love for her family and how she will do whatever needs to be done to bring them together again. She changes from an insecure young girl into a courageous, strong and confident young woman as she holds the family together. This is proven when Nadira realized that her father’s last name was spelled incorrectly on his prison papers and the U.S. government was looking for another man with the same name, but spelled Hossein, with an “e” instead of an “a”. She also proved that her father was saving money for her sister’s college fund and not for terrorism.
This is a moving story that deals with an issue that is not as well known to Americans who have never dealt with immigration or being a foreigner in our country. It will appeal to young adults who will be able to relate to Nadira’s struggles as a teenager faced with an overwhelming challenge. The ending is a testament to the strength, courage, love and faith that young people are able to exhibit when faced with challenges.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-As part of a U.S. government crackdown on illegal immigration after 9/11, Muslim men were required to register with the government and many were arrested because their visas had long-since expired. Families who had lived and worked in this country were suddenly and forcibly reminded of their illegal status without any likelihood of changing it. For 18-year-old Aisha Hossain, this means the end of her dream of going to college to become a doctor. For 14-year-old Nadira, her younger sister and the story's narrator, it means coming out from behind the shadow of her perfect older sister to reveal her own strength and find a way to reunite her nearly shattered family. Immigrants from Bangladesh, the Hossains have lived illegally in New York for years, their visa requests handled by a series of dishonest or incompetent lawyers and mired in the tortuous process of bureaucratic red tape. Following their father's arrest and detention, the teens put together the documentation and make a case that requires the judges to see them as individuals rather than terror suspects. The author explains their situation well, but the effect is more informational than fiction. Nadira and Aisha are clearly drawn characters, but they don't quite come alive, and their Bangladeshi-American background is more a backdrop than a way of life. Still, this is an important facet of the American immigrant experience, worthy of wider attention.-Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred 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. When the family hurriedly seeks asylum in Canada, they are turned back, and Nadira's father, Abba, is detained because his passport is no longer valid. The secrets are dramatic ("Go to school. Never let anyone know. Never."), and so are the family dynamics, especially Nadira's furious envy of her gifted older sister, Aisha. But Aisha breaks down, and Nadira must take over the struggle to get Abba out of detention and prevent the family's deportation. The teen voice is wonderfully immediate, revealing Nadira's mixed-up feelings as well as the diversity in her family and in the Muslim community. There's also a real drama that builds to a tense climax: Did Abba give funds to a political organization? Where has the money gone? Will Immigration hear his appeal? The answer is a surprise that grows organically from the family's story. Readers will feel the heartbreak, prejudice, kindness, and fear. Add this to the titles in "New Immigration Materials"^B in the August 2005 issue's Spotlight on Immigration. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
AWARDS/HONORS
Winner, Inaugural James Cook Teen Book Award
ALA Best Book for Young Adults & Notable Children’s Award
Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Book
Booklist Editor’s Choice
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best
Bank Street Best Books of the Year
CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)
James Cook Teen Book Award Inaugural Winner
Kirkus Editor's Choice
Nutmeg Book Award Finalist (CT)
Nutmeg Children's Book Award Nominee (CT)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice
CONNECTIONS
This will be a great book for collaboration with the Language Arts and Social Studies teachers to introduce a study on the people and culture of Bangladesh and the backlash on Middle Easterners after the 9/11 attacks. Immigration, illegal aliens and the problems they face trying to enter our country and establish citizenship. Racial tensions, women’s rights, religion, terrorism and prejudice could also be incorporated in the discussions.
Author Website:
http://www.marinabudhos.com/
Other Books by Marina Budhos:
House of Waiting ISBN 9780964129221
The Professor of Light ISBN 9780399144738
Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers ISBN 9781556356100
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