Review: ASK ME NO QUESTIONS by Marina Budhos

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Budhos, Marina. 2006. Ask Me No Questions. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 1416903518.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Young Nadira and her family are fleeing to the Canadian border to start a new life. They had always thought of the United States as home but since the INS are tracking down and deporting illegal aliens with haste since the 9/11 attacks, her family who are from Bangladesh must seek asylum in Canada. Unfortunately, their world is turned upside down when they are sent away and Nadira’s father is taken into custody. Now it is up to Nadira and her older sister to figure out how to save their father and remain in the home they’ve come to love.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Through this story of a Bangladesh family’s struggle to stay in the United States, Budhos sheds light on the prejudices faced by immigrant families. She gives some insight into how the detainees are mistreated and the families are ignored. Many political issues are brought into question through these events and others such as the lawyers who prey on desperate immigrants promising them help then leaving them helpless. Intertwined with the social problems is the story of a loving family who encounter some of the same difficulties as other families such as the sibling rivalry between Nadira and Aisha.

Nadira and her sister learn from a young age that in order to maintain their family’s secret, they must keep a low profile. As her Abba told them “The most important thing… was not to stick out.” This is reflective of the lives of actual immigrant children who know they must not make trouble and disappear among the crowds. Even students who are not immigrants would benefit from reading this book because Budhos’s story captures the reader and her style of writing helps the reader connect to Nadira. The other characters in the book are not as well developed; however the connection to the main character is enough to create an interesting, heartfelt story.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
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.”

KLIATT review: “This is a powerful story, especially for those YAs who know something themselves about the immigration situation. Budhos doesn't make heroes of the illegal immigrants, but she illuminates the reasons why families stay here, and she focuses on the children who have grown up in America but who are threatened with deportation because of the mistakes of their parents.”

5. CONNECTIONS
A great nonfiction companion to Ask Me No Questions is Ann Bausum’s Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories From the Dark Side of American Immigration (ISBN 1426303327). It contains three profiles of immigrants who were treated unfairly followed by further discussions about current immigration issues.

The topic of immigration opens up a multitude of discussion questions. Students should be encouraged to openly talk about their opinions and research to find out more about the realities of immigration.