Samira Ahmed’s young adult novel Internment left me with conflicting feelings. The story of the internment of American Muslims under a new president is very timely. In fact, the novel, released earlier this year, feels even more prescient with recent events relating to immigration and racist presidential tweets.
Anyone who is a Trump supporter will not enjoy this book (or my review). Although he is never named in the novel, the actions taken by the president reflect those of the current administration. At first, it may seem like a leap to imagine American Muslims in California rounded up and put into an internment camp. Would Americans really let that happen? Yet many of the seemingly outrageous events preceding the interment in the book have actually happened—a call for banning Muslims, the separation of minors from their parents, unlawful detainment. The premise of this book takes those actions to the next step, and if that doesn’t frighten you, it should.
The novel centers on Layla Amin, a high school student that is unwilling to stay silent in the internment camp. Although Layla is the main character, the biggest concern I have is that she could not have accomplished the resistance she did without the help of a white man. I am torn about this character. I appreciate the model of a white male using his privilege to be an ally, but I worry about the White Savior trope that seems so persistent in Western narratives. I resisted the idea that a white man had to be the one to facilitate change happening.
Internment, although laced with sometimes frustrating teenage angst and decision making, is an important conversation starter. What are we as Americans willing to put up with in the name of national security?
Anyone who is a Trump supporter will not enjoy this book (or my review). Although he is never named in the novel, the actions taken by the president reflect those of the current administration. At first, it may seem like a leap to imagine American Muslims in California rounded up and put into an internment camp. Would Americans really let that happen? Yet many of the seemingly outrageous events preceding the interment in the book have actually happened—a call for banning Muslims, the separation of minors from their parents, unlawful detainment. The premise of this book takes those actions to the next step, and if that doesn’t frighten you, it should.
The novel centers on Layla Amin, a high school student that is unwilling to stay silent in the internment camp. Although Layla is the main character, the biggest concern I have is that she could not have accomplished the resistance she did without the help of a white man. I am torn about this character. I appreciate the model of a white male using his privilege to be an ally, but I worry about the White Savior trope that seems so persistent in Western narratives. I resisted the idea that a white man had to be the one to facilitate change happening.
Internment, although laced with sometimes frustrating teenage angst and decision making, is an important conversation starter. What are we as Americans willing to put up with in the name of national security?
