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Internment
by
Rebellions are built on hope.
Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.
With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a ...more
Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.
With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a ...more
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Paperback, 386 pages
Published
March 19th 2019
by Atom
(first published March 18th 2019)
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Lee
No, beautiful language with wonderful quotable lines, but not in verse
Community Reviews
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Start your review of Internment
A powerful premise that crumbles under weak execution. According to Ahmed, Internment takes place '"fifteen minutes" into America's future.'* It's a terrifying "What if?" that sees seventeen-year-old Muslim American Layla, and her family, gathered against their will and shipped to an interment camp for Muslims who have been labeled prisoners of war.
Blunt is the word best-used to describe this book. Delivery of ideals and themes is heavy-handed. Everything is blatantly on the nose, spelled out ...more
Blunt is the word best-used to describe this book. Delivery of ideals and themes is heavy-handed. Everything is blatantly on the nose, spelled out ...more
Important topic. Horrifying circumstances. Necessary perspective. Just could have been better as an overall narrative. Fuller review within this video: https://youtu.be/jqL3ZMvLqvg
This hurts my heart.
I wanted so much to love this. It was one of my most anticipated reads for the first part of the year.
I did not and therefore am crushed.
One reason I was so excited for this book was the exploration of topics and perspectives that I think are hella important and need to be included in YA and Middle Grade more often.
This book did touch on many issues salient in today's culture, such as:
Islamophobia, xenophobia, 'us vs. them' mentality, the politics of fear, the importance of ...more
(Scene of barrack homes at Manzanar, a War Relocation Authority Center for citizens of Japanese ancestry during WWII, by Dorothea Lange)
Internment is a timely work of fiction, imagining what could easily happen in an America where people are controlled by fear and prejudice. In an America where Donald Trump is elected president. In an America where people gullibly follow the populist, who rants and raves about building walls and "making America great again".
Set shortly after the 2016 ...more
A two star is harsh-I know but it had to be done.
Last year I said I was no longer going to say that a writer is bad; I was going to start saying that their writing was not for me. In this case, I'll have to go back on my word and say that I don't think Ahmed is a good writer.
I thought the idea was good but the execution...YIKES!!!
Problem #1-The World. It's set in a not so distant alternate universe but Ahmed doesn't explain it; she just assumes the reader will fucking figure it out...um, no. If ...more
Last year I said I was no longer going to say that a writer is bad; I was going to start saying that their writing was not for me. In this case, I'll have to go back on my word and say that I don't think Ahmed is a good writer.
I thought the idea was good but the execution...YIKES!!!
Problem #1-The World. It's set in a not so distant alternate universe but Ahmed doesn't explain it; she just assumes the reader will fucking figure it out...um, no. If ...more
Original review posted on my blog : Word Wonders
TW: Islamophobia, slurs, displacement, internment camp, violence, torture, electrocution, gunshots, death.
If you know me, you know that this one of my most anticipated releases and I’m still in a little in denial about the fact that I read it back at the end of 2018, and it’s all done. I admittedly didn’t love it as much as I hoped but I still have a lot of love for it. I will go in detail about the why of it a little further down in the review ...more
TW: Islamophobia, slurs, displacement, internment camp, violence, torture, electrocution, gunshots, death.
If you know me, you know that this one of my most anticipated releases and I’m still in a little in denial about the fact that I read it back at the end of 2018, and it’s all done. I admittedly didn’t love it as much as I hoped but I still have a lot of love for it. I will go in detail about the why of it a little further down in the review ...more
RTC after tonight's liveshow, which is happening at 7pm PST on Kassie's channel.
4.5 stars
Internment is not a perfect story. But it is so, so powerful.
Especially given recent events, books that fight Islamophobia are so important and I hope they will show future generations the consequences of perpetuating bigotry and hatred. I can only hope that Internment will shed light on the dangerous paths people–high profile and everyday–have taken in normalizing Islamophobia.
Because Islamophobia is not okay, even if it’s meant as a “joke.” Internment shows a dangerous future that ...more
Internment is not a perfect story. But it is so, so powerful.
Especially given recent events, books that fight Islamophobia are so important and I hope they will show future generations the consequences of perpetuating bigotry and hatred. I can only hope that Internment will shed light on the dangerous paths people–high profile and everyday–have taken in normalizing Islamophobia.
Because Islamophobia is not okay, even if it’s meant as a “joke.” Internment shows a dangerous future that ...more
There is a lot to love about this book, especially since it focuses on some grim realities for Muslims in our world today, along with the possibility of a pretty grim future for us too.
I'm mostly rating this 3 stars because I feel like this book didn't push enough, when it should have. For me, it was strongest when the book really dug into the history of interning marginalised people under propaganda and oppressive leadership. Like the parallels Ahmed draws to WWII and Nazi concentration camps ...more
I'm mostly rating this 3 stars because I feel like this book didn't push enough, when it should have. For me, it was strongest when the book really dug into the history of interning marginalised people under propaganda and oppressive leadership. Like the parallels Ahmed draws to WWII and Nazi concentration camps ...more
Miss Samira came through with the book, but left with my wig.
2.5 - thought it had moments of real, powerful strength, certain events towards the end of the book brought down the rating.
weirdly enough, the trump-era setting of this book is one of its weaknesses. although trump has been blatantly islamophobic, his presidency is in no way the first to incite anti-muslim violence and discriminatory (im)migration policies. in fact, the events of this book seems even more plausible in the bush era when being islamophobic was "acceptable" and a key part of the ...more
weirdly enough, the trump-era setting of this book is one of its weaknesses. although trump has been blatantly islamophobic, his presidency is in no way the first to incite anti-muslim violence and discriminatory (im)migration policies. in fact, the events of this book seems even more plausible in the bush era when being islamophobic was "acceptable" and a key part of the ...more
![laurel [suspected bibliophile]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546974316p2/7494844.jpg)
When the president's new Exclusion Act sends American-Muslims into "camps," Layla decides that enough is enough. She's going to fight back. No matter what the cost.
Four years ago, this book's premise would be ridiculous. Over the top. No way in hell would America ever lock its own citizens into concentration camps "for their protection and for the protection of the country." Never again.
Fast forward to today.
Not only is this an entirely plausible scenario,, it's also one that has happened, in ...more
Four years ago, this book's premise would be ridiculous. Over the top. No way in hell would America ever lock its own citizens into concentration camps "for their protection and for the protection of the country." Never again.
Fast forward to today.
Not only is this an entirely plausible scenario,, it's also one that has happened, in ...more
I thought this book had a good message at an important time but would have been much better in a different writer’s hands, or perhaps if it had taken a more mature tone. I thought the writing was sometimes inspired and sometimes amateur-ish. I almost wish the book had spent more time with the how it all happened, too. The villain was so cartoonish, I wish the author had gone much more subtle with that. The teenage dialogue was stilted and immature (though this may be a personal problem; I have
...more
3.5 stars
This book is set 15 minutes in the future, but it feels like it's happening right now. It's a frightening yet realistic look at the path America is on and what that potentially means for Muslim Americans and other non-Christian and/or non-white people.
The migrant workers and immigrants whose status is currently coming under scrutiny and fire, and their horrific treatment by the current administration shows the camp imagined in Internment already effectively exists in the United States. ...more
This book is set 15 minutes in the future, but it feels like it's happening right now. It's a frightening yet realistic look at the path America is on and what that potentially means for Muslim Americans and other non-Christian and/or non-white people.
The migrant workers and immigrants whose status is currently coming under scrutiny and fire, and their horrific treatment by the current administration shows the camp imagined in Internment already effectively exists in the United States. ...more
I feel horrible about my feelings towards Internment and for the one star. From a reader's standpoint, this is probably the worst book that I've read all year. I didn't care about the writing, I don't think any of the characters felt real or were fleshed out and the premise, while having tons of potential, felt more like an after school special than anything else. It just felt shallow.
And this hurts. It hurts because Internment is about Muslims and I’m a Muslim. The rise of Islamophobia is ...more
And this hurts. It hurts because Internment is about Muslims and I’m a Muslim. The rise of Islamophobia is ...more
TOTAL READING TIME: 4 hours, 34 minutes.
Wow. That was... Jesus Christ, that was intense.
A book I found this to be similar to was Mark Oshiro's Anger is a Gift. Both explore current, real-life issues--Islamophobia in the Trump era and police brutality against Black Americans, respectively. Both also have slight elements of science fiction--Anger is a Gift features militaristic weapons (that sounded futuristic in my opinion but for all I know could be real weapons that aren't being used yet) and ...more
Wow. That was... Jesus Christ, that was intense.
A book I found this to be similar to was Mark Oshiro's Anger is a Gift. Both explore current, real-life issues--Islamophobia in the Trump era and police brutality against Black Americans, respectively. Both also have slight elements of science fiction--Anger is a Gift features militaristic weapons (that sounded futuristic in my opinion but for all I know could be real weapons that aren't being used yet) and ...more
A POWERFUL read. This book set my anxiety on high during the first 2/3-3/4. Samira Ahmed illustrates clearly how today’s America could become this dystopian and it was terrifying.
I knocked a star off because the ending felt a little too easy, a little too clean. It was jarring how wuickly we went from this horrifying reality to the fix.
Still a highly recommended read, and i can’t wait to discuss at the end of April on my channel for Sassy Book Club.
I knocked a star off because the ending felt a little too easy, a little too clean. It was jarring how wuickly we went from this horrifying reality to the fix.
Still a highly recommended read, and i can’t wait to discuss at the end of April on my channel for Sassy Book Club.
I was hooked on Internment from the very beginning, and I couldn’t stop reading. However, this book was hard to read because it felt so realistic — set “fifteen minutes in the future,” it’s scary to think what people in power can do out of fear.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of this book, and what can I say, this is a must read. Even if the book is incredibly hard to read at times it is meant to start conversations about the state of our country and what we can do to be the America we need to be.
So. I’m surprised at the amount of negative reviews this book has gotten. Seems like the only thing readers got out of the story is a 17-year-old girl obsessed with her boyfriend and not fit to lead a revolution. That makes me kind of sad, to tell you the truth, and super disappointed.
The expectations people have these days…unreasonable. They strip down a really important story into tiny details that, honestly, are not important to the overall plot.
Yes, Layla was obsessed with finding a way to ...more
The expectations people have these days…unreasonable. They strip down a really important story into tiny details that, honestly, are not important to the overall plot.
Yes, Layla was obsessed with finding a way to ...more
”America is built on life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. All those things have been ripped away from us, and I believe that every American who came before us, who stood up to oppression, who fought to guarantee our right to religious freedom, is looking down on us and telling us to rise up, to speak out, to shout our names to the world. We stand on the shoulders of giants. We are Americans. We make America great. This is our country. And we're taking it back.”
4 stars
TW: Islamophobia ...more
This is one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to read, but with every page, it became more and more obvious that this is a book that kids should be given in schools, the way I was given NIGHT by Elie Wiesel and THE GIVER by Lois Lowry.
I’ve also seen reviews of the book calling it “heavy-handed” and too obvious in its themes. I do want to caution adult readers like myself to remember that this is a book for kids and teens, some of whom may be coming face-to-face with these parts of American ...more
I’ve also seen reviews of the book calling it “heavy-handed” and too obvious in its themes. I do want to caution adult readers like myself to remember that this is a book for kids and teens, some of whom may be coming face-to-face with these parts of American ...more
This book honestly made me feel like I was going to throw up and the fact that the scenario within it's pages is not impossible is absolutely terrifying.
Jan 06, 2019
Sara (A Gingerly Review)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
physical-2019,
2019
I'm going to be honest - I enjoyed parts oft his, but a whole lot of the story fell on the *extreme* side of the spectrum. Parts of the story made me roll my eyes whole others did make me cringe. I heavily skimmed the last 100+ pages because they were full of empty flashback dialog that really had nothing to do with the story. The story has power and I wish I could have given this more than 3 stars.
Frtc
Huge thanks to the publisher for sending an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
----
Full ...more
Frtc
Huge thanks to the publisher for sending an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
----
Full ...more
Feb 17, 2019
Bookphenomena (Micky)
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
own-voices,
2019-read,
abuse,
important-representation,
heroine-meh,
standalone,
arc-read,
ya,
diversity,
netgalley
2.5-3 stars
This piece of dystopia-around-the-corner was thrilling for the first 10-15%. The context for INTERNMENT feels real, chilling and told through the eyes of Layla, the protagonist, I bought into this immediately. The idea of a Muslim ban that has come to full fruition with a camp in the desert, away from general American eyes, seemed totally feasible. This story needed to be told.
Layla was 17, she had a Yemeni-Jewish boyfriend, progressive Muslim parents and a cast of great internment ...more
This piece of dystopia-around-the-corner was thrilling for the first 10-15%. The context for INTERNMENT feels real, chilling and told through the eyes of Layla, the protagonist, I bought into this immediately. The idea of a Muslim ban that has come to full fruition with a camp in the desert, away from general American eyes, seemed totally feasible. This story needed to be told.
Layla was 17, she had a Yemeni-Jewish boyfriend, progressive Muslim parents and a cast of great internment ...more
Okay, listen. I wanted to like this book, and I did plow through it, but the initial conceit required SO MUCH suspension of disbelief as portrayed in this book that I just could not. Do I think it's possible that America could detain Muslims based only on their religion? Absolutely. However, would they do it in THIS particular fashion? COULD NOT BUY.
- Single camp established as a "model," includes ENTIRE FAMILIES of people, from toddlers through teens.
- No real assessment of what criteria was ...more
- Single camp established as a "model," includes ENTIRE FAMILIES of people, from toddlers through teens.
- No real assessment of what criteria was ...more
Internment is a timely and politically urgent young adult novel which explores life as Muslim-American in the not too distant future. It's an all too real tale of division and hurt between communities but also hope. Islamophobia and racism are at the heart of it all, and I think the reason it's been causing such a stir is because people realise that it isn't too far from becoming our reality. This is a stark warning, a call to action, and an order to stand up, be counted and resist the bigotry,
...more
A frighteningly prescient novel, in President Trump's developing political environment of xenophobia and his re-election rallying cry of "send them back" for certain non-white U.S. elected political officials, replacing his popular "put her [Hillary] in jail" cry from the 2016 campaign. Muslims are being herded into an internment camp by the federal government, where laws seem to be suspended and the camp commandant has unfettered authority. Seventeen-year-old Layla Amin, refuses to be cowed
...more
Mar 06, 2019
Manon the Malicious
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contemporary,
netgalley
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set "15 minutes into the future," Internment focuses on Layla's story. Layla is seventeen, she has a boyfriend and used to look forward to prom and college. But not anymore. It started with her being pulled out of school, then a curfew, her boyfriend's parents forbidding him seing her, and then, white people show up at her door late at night and take her and her parents away, telling them they have ten minutes to pack and ...more
Set "15 minutes into the future," Internment focuses on Layla's story. Layla is seventeen, she has a boyfriend and used to look forward to prom and college. But not anymore. It started with her being pulled out of school, then a curfew, her boyfriend's parents forbidding him seing her, and then, white people show up at her door late at night and take her and her parents away, telling them they have ten minutes to pack and ...more
Wow, this was so intense. I was enraged and despondent and had all the feels while listening to this. I felt that it was so real and we are on the path to this now. It's a call to do more, pay more attention, and don't stay silent when you see something wrong happening. Layla was scared, who wouldn't be, but knew what was happening was not right and spoke up. I saw some reviews that said she made too many waves and should have kept quiet. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! No way should she have just followed
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy for Young A...: Internment by Samira Ahmed → Start Date: September 1st, 2019 | 17 | 27 | Sep 24, 2019 02:03AM | |
| Addicted to YA: Internment | 4 | 50 | Sep 23, 2019 08:41AM |
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SAMIRA AHMED was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, Illinois, in a house that smelled like fried onions, spices, and potpourri. She currently resides in the Midwest. She’s lived in Vermont, New York City, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango.
A graduate of the University of Chicago, she taught high school English for seven years, worked to create over 70 ...more
A graduate of the University of Chicago, she taught high school English for seven years, worked to create over 70 ...more
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“The scariest monsters are the ones who seem the most like you.”
—
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“A compass doesn’t tell you where you are, and it doesn’t tell you where you have to go. It can only point you in a direction. It’s up to you to always find your true north.”
—
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Nov 04, 2019 09:46AM
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