Ask me no questions

by Marina Budhos

Fourteen-year-old Nadira, her sister, and their parents leave Bangladesh for New York City, but theexpiration of their visas and the events of September 11, 2001, bring frustration, sorrow, and terror for the whole family.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Teen, Contemporary, Cultural

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Marina Budhos is an author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent novel is We Are All We Have, about Rania, a teenage asylum seeker, whose life is suddenly shattered and she goes on the road, in search of sanctuary, and family truths. Previously she published The Long Ride, Watched, which received an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature YA Honor and a The Walter Award Honor. Her other novels include Tell Us We're Home, a 2017 Essex County YA Pick and Ask Me No Questions, recipient of a James Cook Teen Book Award, The Professor of Light, House of Waiting, and a nonfiction book, Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers. With her husband Marc Aronson, she co-authored Eyes of the World: Robert Capa & Gerda Taro & The Invention of Modern Photojournalism and Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom & Science, a 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Award Finalist. Budhos has been a Fulbright Scholar to India, received there Fellowships from the New Jersey Council on the Arts and is a professor emerita at William Paterson University.

Reviews

[Isatta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nadira is that fat daughter. She is also the slow daughter, the one who is slow to speak and quick to feel. She is constantly compared to her sister Aisha. Aisha is the perfect sister. She is the sister who is going places and the one who impressed everyone with her knowledge and her ability to adapt. After the arrest of her father and facing the possibility of deportation for being undocumented, the familial roles of these two siblings is flipped. It is up to Nadira to retain the amount of hope needed to help her family through this time.

I cried real, actual tears reading this book. I love reading books that make me think of other people and their experiences. I love having the knowledge of what others deal with and how they live. This book gave me all of that understanding and more.
Ironically, I could relate to both Nadira and Aisha in this book. I call it Ironic because usually when you read a book you can only relate to one person since the characters are usually so different. In this book, although the two main characters were very different, they were also very similar. They both had this feeling of discomfort because of their legal status and their social status. This is completely understandable because as teenagers, I don’t think there is ever really a point where you feel you fit in completely.

FOr the rest of my review click here

[Kate Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Muslim girl from Bangladesh has her life turned upside-down after 9/11 when all Muslim men from certain middle-eastern countries are required to register with the US government and show valid IDs.

Her family has long out-stayed their travel visa, and have been living successful, if illegal, lives in the United States. Her father works in a restaurant and her older sister has been nominated to be her high school's valedictorian.

But now all of that success is in peril. Her family has two choices: drive to Canada and ask for amnesty OR continue to live illegally in the US and risk serious consequences if discovered.

In an effort to do the right thing, her family drives to Canada and is turned away, only to be detained when they try to re-enter the States. Her mother stays on the border for many months, waiting to see what will happen while the girls return "home" to finish out the school year--though what college would possibly accept an illegal alien?? Why even study if they could be deported back to a place that offers little opportunity for educated women?

This was an eye-opening book to read with immigration issues constantly being debated in the evening news. It certainly brought to light the plight of decent hard-working illegals that are trying to carve out a life in the shadows, blending in with communities but never really feeling secure or equal.
A must-read for grades 7-10.

[Yoo Kyung Sung · Rating 5 out of 5]

" I look at her, amazed. She's American-born. I can tell by her accent and the way she holds herself. I didn't even know you could do something like that. I sure didn't know a girl could do something like that. " But how do you kow you want to be a geologist?" I ask. She smiles, tilting her head to the side. p.106

This quote exactly shows how the U.S. immigrant and consequence of immigrant kids are divided. They are "the others" to each other.

Often multicultural literature has two cultural groups that are opposite extremes among hyphenated-Americans--newly arrived immigrants or America-born-but-(grand)parents are immigrants. There is not much in between. It is rare or it does not stand out. For example, we have a lot of " my first English word I spoke was 'cat'/'apple' (ie. My Name Is Yoon/One Green Apple)" or hyphenated cultureal American kids who refuse to be identified with their heritage to stay with their "Americans" identity. It is like speaking English solves all problems. Ask Me No Quesions educates audience who are not familiar with honest reality of people with "Alien status" with visas and legal documents. Whole fear around having parents seperated from two girls with possible direction to be deported to Bangladeshi centers the story and other peer bullying, pressure, teen's desire to be successful are realistically portrayed.

Students with visa will make great connection with this book.Also 911 book list needs to include book like this in addition to books from "American" sides.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Ask Me No Questions. It teaches the importance and significance of family, and fighting to do what is right, no matter how difficult it may be. It also teaches just how much a person can grow, and how they are much more than just their surface. Nadira, for example, describes herself as slow, fat, and lazy, but in actuality she is a courageous, loving daughter who fights for the things she loves and believes in. Nadira progressed and improved vastly as the story continued. At first, she was whiny and irritable at times, and often grew jealous of her older sister of Naisha, almost letting the jealousy grow and thrive in her stomach, it's vines poisonous, and the thorns poking holes in her morals and values. But she let the jealousy go, and let it pass as she breathed, out though her nose, riding the waves of her breath. She decided to help her father, stay strong for the family, and prevailed all of the hardships that came with fighting for her father's case. Nadia was a strong character in many ways, staying strong when her sister gave in, her sister letting her uncontrollable fear swallow her whole. She loved her family so much, she risked losing everything to help them, and to make their futures bright and overflowing with hope and happiness. This book teaches everyone a very important lesson, and I think everyone should read it. *drops mic*

[ASPawar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think what arnaud said is false, I highly disagree. I think it had no structure plus Arnaud rates five stars for every book...What is the difference? Supported by Aris.

[RoRo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Well, well, well. This book was good. I loved the concept and how the author's writing style formed the book. I also liked the main character and how she was such a strong female lead and basically held the book together but also was strong for her family, because of the situation that she was in. The only reason, I did not like this book is because even if I loved the fact that this was a slightly true story I felt that the sister could have done more to add to the story. Also, at some times the story was a little confusing and I didn't understand what was happening.

Also, just so you know this book does have some trigger warnings so please check. This book is basically all about 9/11 so please check.

Have a nice day!
BYE!!!

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book and I loved it. Nadira and her family is trying to get used to their new life and I was thinking so much how hard it should've been to try to do their best every moment but one thing that they couldn't get away from was their own country, Bangladesh. Aisha is a brave girl in this book and she is an A+ girl but one thing that she is not good at was that she was afraid of her country, where she's from - she wants to be invisible not standing out in front of a lot of people.
They work so hard on their visa and trying to get their father out of the jail even though he was not supposed to go their but his name was written wrong so he had to. But his younger daughter Nadira,a fourteen year old girl points it out that the name on the paper is not her father. So she saves her family and they get their visa at last. Everything's happy ending and I would like to recommand this book to anyone who would like to read about any sad and happy ending books. Good book!
Another reason of why I like this book is because I love how
this book is formed. Almost from the beginning and in the middle, everything was starting to happen and a lot of troubles and problems were blocking Nadira's family but as I read I found out that each problem was being solved by Aisha or Nadira or their other family members and in the last part of this book, everything was all clearly solved and they were all wrapped up. I felt so good when I finished reading this book because I really felt like I read the whole book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in first person from the point of view of a young girl in the ninth grade, Nadira. her family came to the US from Bangladesh on a tourist visa and ended up staying illegally after the visa expired. The family did try to become legal and met with some problems and then just let it go and stayed in the US anyways. The novel tells the story of their attempt to seek asylum in Canada and what happens when they are sent back to the US and the father is detained as an illegal alien. For most of the book, I was distracted from the story by the author's construction of the story. In the beginning, Nadira is simply an observer of the events, watching and inwardly criticizing the actions of her older sister. As the drama unfolds and things become more critical for the family, Nadira begins to react to things and take an active role in seeking a resolution. While this construction is perfectly understandable within the confines of the story, the extreme character changes that take place in Nadira and her sister, Aisha, detract from the story's plausibility. Aisha is the star pupil in the beginning of the story, as the challenges come into their lives she retreats from the world. Nadira begins as a shy, loner envious of her older sister and ends more self-confident but also disparaging of her sister. Both characters go from one extreme to another, all used to portray the author's extreme view of their experiences. It is an interesting story but the construction is weak and distracting.

[Amy Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because the blurb had a powerful meaning in my point of view. It shows how much the main character and her family was suffering to live. For being illegal citizens, the main character couldn't even tell her best friend about their problems and that they were illegal. In this book, I learned that no matter how bad your situation, don't like it get in your way of happiness. In this book, it says "A flicker of tension twitches between us: Five times on the way to school Aisha told me not to say anything about our trip to the border, not even to Lily Yee, my best friend at school" (Budhos 30). Since the main character, Nadira and her sister were illegal citizens, they wanted to travel over to Canada for a better life with their family without feeling the anxiety of people finding out about them. But turn out when they went there, they were rejected because too many people had already came. Although the family is like this, they either had to lie or just act like nothing happen with a smile covering it up. This may be hard but this is how Nadira and her family lives. In conclusion, from the book, I learned that lying may be a bad thing to do, there's a reason behind it. To avoid to lie, you either cover it up with smile, act like nothing happen or without a choice lie for your own good.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nadira’s family emigrated to the US from Bandgladesh a few years ago. Now, they are living in New York City on expired visas, hoping to realize their dream of becoming legal US citizens. But 9/11 changes everything. Suddenly, being Muslim, looking different, and speaking with an accent means that you are a suspected terrorist.

When Nadira’s father is arrested at the US/Canadian border, Nadira and her college-bound, motivated and smart sister Aisha are told to continue on as if nothing has happened. But even though their teachers don’t ask any questions or pry, Aisha falls apart. Nothing matters to her anymore as she sees her dreams of college drifting away.

Now, it’s up to quiet Nadira to be the strong one and hold her family together.

This book is so important because it is easy to forget, when you read articles in the paper about new immigration laws, that immigrants are people, with families and hopes and dreams. Hardworking, good people who want to do things in the right and legal way, but also want to provide the best life possible for their families.

This book is smart and powerful and it stings, and most importantly, it makes you think. I won’t be able to read another article about immigration laws without seeing Nadira and Aisha in my mind.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily moving book about a young girl named Nadira whose family has emigrated from Bangladesh and are now living in the United States...illegally. The book explores the increase in suspicion towards Muslim minorities since 9/11 and the terror of trying to make it in America while disguising the fact that you are there illegally. Nadira's father is ultimately arrested when the family attempts to enter Canada and ask for asylum. He is detained even longer when the INS makes a simple mistake with his name and accuses him of being affiliated with a terrorist group. Nadira is in the shadow of her overachieving older sister, Aisha, but comes into her own when she stands up during her father's hearing and reveals the inept fumbling of the INS investigators. This complex story works on so many levels: the growth in confidence of Nadira is nicely contrasted with the corresponding decline of Aisha's faith in the US, the book's moving account of the horrific plight of many illegal aliens in this country, and the prejudice that many Muslims face after the 9/11 attacks.

[(NS) Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it like to be an illegal alien living in New York following the 9/11 tragedy? Nadira, 14, and her family leave Bangladesh to find a better life in the United States. They have entered the country on a tourist visa, and stay long after the visa has expired. Their illegal status is discovered, and they seek asylum in Canada. Her father is detained in Canada because his passport is no longer valid. Nadira and her sister return to New York and must go on with life as nothing has happened. Nadira's sister cannot handle the pressure, so it is up to Nadira to help her father escape detention, and prevent her families deportation. Will the family survive this ordeal, or will they be returned to Bangladesh, and lose all their life dreams. This novel portrays how Muslims were profiled after the 9/11 tragedies. Being a Muslim now means you are dangerous - a suspected terrorist.

Interest level: 5th grade and up

[Miranda Kor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was quite interesting. At first I did not think that I would like it very much. I am glad that I gave it a chance. I feel bad that life had to change for immigrants after 9-11. They weren’t safe and everybody thought that any immigrant was out to get you or kill you. I have a lot of respect for Nadira in the story. She had to deal with so much stuff. She had to figure out how to help her mother and father. She also had to figure out how to keep her sister happy and keep her from skipping school. This is a great novel anybody to read. When you read it you realize how people are treated because of their race and where they come from. I never realized how hard some people have it, especially immigrants, until I read this novel. This book taught me that I need to value what I have. I have it better off than some people. I would suggest this book to other people for them to read. So all in all it was a really good book and I enjoyed it.

[Emily Nuttall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ask Me No Questions is a story about a family of immigrants from Bangladesh whose lives significantly change after the events of 9/11, which leads to the father being detained as result of citizenship status. This story is told from the perspective of 14 year old Nadira who struggles with feeling overshadowed by her older sister Aisha, who is exalted by their father because of her academic potential. Some themes in this story are immigration laws, identity, cultural acceptance, family, persistence, and female empowerment. This book would be great for readers at the middle school level and high school level.

[maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA or not, this is a lovely and poignant tale of a family of illegal immigrants living in post-9/11 new york, told from the perspective of a 14-year old girl.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revealing story about what it's like for Muslims living in post-9/ll New York City.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story that brings to light the American conduct towards Muslims after 9/11! Strong girl character!

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

22 August 2006 ASK ME NO QUESTIONS by Marina Budhos, Atheneum, February 2006, ISBN: 1-4169-0351-2

"...And it's a story, ladies and gentlemen, that I didn't read in a book, or learn in a classroom. I saw it and lived it, like many of you. I watched a small man with thick calluses on both his hands work 15 and 16 hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example. I learned about our kind of democracy from my father. And I learned about our obligation to each other from him and from my mother. They asked only for a chance to work and to make the world better for their children, and they -- they asked to be protected in those moments when they would not be able to protect themselves. This nation and this nation's government did that for them.

"And that they were able to build a family and live in dignity and see one of their children go from behind their little grocery store in South Jamaica on the other side of the tracks where he was born, to occupy the highest seat, in the greatest State, in the greatest nation, in the only world we know, is an ineffably beautiful tribute to the democratic process..."

--Mario Cuomo, from his keynote address at the 1984 Democratic National Convention.

So here we are, counting down the days leading up to the fifth anniversary of 9/11. For some of us who are in the fortunate position of having had ancestors come to America a century or more before, and who recognize that good fortune, such commemorations heighten the recognition that we sit today in collective judgment as to whether those currently outside our borders (or illegally within our borders), who dream the same dreams our forebears did, should be permitted similar opportunities as those from which we benefit.

"I like the shores of America!
Comfort is yours in America!
Knobs on the doors in America,
Wall-to-wall floors in America!
" -- Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, America from West Side Story (1957)

Of course, many would say, the world of my own immigrant Sicilian grandparents was a different world -- different circumstances. And they would be right. My grandmother arrived by boat with her siblings and parents a few years before the Wright brothers' first successful flight; my grandfather sailed from Palermo a few years after Kitty Hawk became a household name. Now the sort of aircraft that Wilbur and Orville could never have imagined in their wildest dreams have been used to change the world forever.

But what of those people who, like my grandparents, have done their best in today's world to make those American dreams come true for their own children, even if their efforts aren't always one hundred percent legal? Where does the crackdown that 9/11 spawned leave them?

I expect that this will be a potentially frightening week for anyone in America who is Muslim or who might be mistaken for being Muslim.

"The thing is, we've always lived this way -- floating, not sure where we belong. In the beginning we lived so that we could pack up any day, fold up all our belongings into the same nylon suitcases. Then, over time, Abba relaxed. We bought things. A fold-out sofa where Ma and Abba could sleep. A TV and a VCR. A table and a rice cooker. Yellow ruffle curtains and clay pots for the chili peppers. A pine bookcase for Aisha's math and chemistry books. Soon it was like we were living in a dream of a home. Year after year we went on, not thinking about Abba's expired passport in the dresser drawer, or how the heat and the phone bills were in a second cousin's name. You forget you don't really exist here, that this really isn't your home. One day, we said, we'd get the paperwork right. In the meantime we kept going. It happens. All the time."

9/11 was a personal and deadly tragedy for thousands of Americans and their families. And it was also a black day for illegal aliens like Nadira, her big sister, Aisha, and their parents who had the ill-fortune a number of years ago of hiring an incompetent attorney when they'd attempted to stay in the country legally. Nadira's older sister Aisha is within striking distance of being valedictorian of her high school class when, in the wake of 9/11, the government begins tightening laws and hauling in Muslims and the girls' father decides the best thing to do is for the family to head for the Canadian border with their expired visa and request asylum. When they reach the border they are forced to turn around and the girls' father is promptly arrested because of the expired visa. Mom finds refuge in a shelter near the border where her husband is being held, while the girls are forced to return to New York City to be looked after by relatives and pseudo-relatives, to try to continue their schooling while waiting indefinitely for the American government to make its next move.

Nadira, who narrates the story and has always existed in the shadows of her brilliant and fashionable older sister, finds herself having to step out into the light as Aisha falls into despair over the loss of her American dreams.

"On the way back from school Aisha repeats to me, 'We're going to hear from the lawyer, Nadira. Today. Or our letter, it's going to be answered. I know it.'
"But when we get to the mailbox, it's empty. And there are no messages on the machine.
"Aisha becomes obsessed. Every day there's no letter in the mailbox from Homeland Security, no phone call from the lawyer. Every evening that we speak to Ma and hear there's no news there, either. Aisha grows more frantic. At night she goes over her homework again and again. She gets up early to go to school, studying in the empty classrooms. She's like a boxer, jabbing and hitting, trying her old moves, but this time she's up against something that so much bigger than her, beyond her power.
" I wish I could just put a hand to her skin, stop her whirring inside. "Soon Aisha is barely going out. She sits in Taslima's room and stares out the window. Her hair looks greasy; she hasn't even bothered to press coconut oil into her scalp or run her fingers through the kinks. She keeps wearing that stupid Destiny's Child T-shirt, and when no one's home, she sneaks into the living room and watches soaps on TV."

Imagine what it would be like to be an American in the wrong country at the wrong time with all the rules changing, just when after years that country was feeling like it was home.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...

[Natalie M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were many good qualities about this book. But, there were also many parts of the book I disliked. I liked all of the important underlying themes and motifs in "Ask Me No Questions" and I thought that Nadira's story was very interesting. I didn't like how some characters were a bit unnecessary (in my opinion) and how sometimes the author, Marina Budhos, tried to be too deep. I think by trying to be too deep, the book lost some of its realistic touch and credibility. I didn't hate the book, but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Samantha Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos. The story is about an illegal immigrant family and the struggles of living in America after September 11th. The story is told from the perspective of Nadira; she is in ninth grade and the youngest of the Bangladesh family. Nadira feels as if she is the most ignored because she has no special qualities. Her sister, Aisha, is the smart family member whose focus is getting into an American college. Their family puts all their effort into making sure she can attend. The problem is that Aisha can’t apply for FAFSA because of her illegal status in the United States. They attempt to travel into Canada to apply for an asylum, but get denied and must return to the United States. Abba, the father, gets denied access back because of his expired visa. The story follows the struggles of a family once invisible, but made visible by the horrors of 9/11. The book is about overcoming what seem to be insurmountable troubles and keeping the family from being separated.
Personally, this is not a book I enjoyed very much. The genre of the book is multicultural. I don’t normally read this type of genre, and this book wouldn’t make me want to read anymore. The book follows the story of one family and the ending is a “happily ever after”. The whole book follows the struggles of being an illegal alien in the United States and then everything turns out how they wanted it to. I think it was unrealistic because most families going through INS don’t get the happily ever after. The children are the people who get the government to listen about the errors of the system. In reality children would not have the opportunity to have the government listen to them and take their advice. The book is extremely slow and doesn’t catch the reader. I found myself dozing off and daydreaming and had to remind myself to pay attention.
Professionally, I would suggest this book to people who enjoy multicultural texts. I would suggest anyone from 7th grade and up could read Ask Me No Questions. Individual readers may enjoy this easy read if they want this type of genre. I would not read it as a class because I feel as if select students would read it outside of class. I believe that females would connect more with the characters because it is told from the perspective a young girl. Nadira doesn’t have any male siblings so it may be hard for a boy to connect with any character. If a student has a hard time getting into a book and continuing reading it, I would say stay away from this book. Because of the happy ending I don’t find it realistic and you may not be able to use this text as an educational book. I think you could use bits and pieces of this family’s life to tell of the hardships of illegal immigrants trying to find their way in America.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ask Me No Questions, by Marina Budhos, is about a 14 year old girl named Nadira and her family emigrating from Bangladesh to the U.S., and living in New York City on expired visas. Nadira’s family hope to become legal U.S. citizens and better their life, just like the famous saying, “live the American dream!” However, after 9/11 occurs, everything changed. Being Muslim has a horribly negative view attached to their culture, and every Muslim is viewed as a terrorist; which affects Nadira’s family and causes a lot of turmoil. After Nadira’s father is arrested at the Canadian border, she and her sister, Aisha, are supposed to carry on with their lives. Aisha breaks down and loses a sense of hope for anything and everything around her. In the end, Nadira is left to be the strong one and bring her family back together.

This novel is not particularly a well-written book. It’s not bad, but it’s certainly not anything remarkable in that regard. The characters aren’t very developed and I didn’t find anything very impressive; however, it’s still an important book because of the subject matter it confronts (I haven’t heard of a better book dealing with this; if there even is one). This is yet another aspect of the world post-9/11 that the American media and government chose not to show us. Through Nadira’s eyes, we see the fear and the uncertainty, the fear of awful things happening to people who are just trying to live a better life in this country, and yet we express freedom, through the statue of liberty, but we deny them citizenship. Overall, this book left me wanting more – from the characters, stories/events, etc. I wanted to be blown away by such a touchy, controversial, and important historical issue in U.S. history, and sadly I wasn’t.

I would recommend this novel to any student who wants to know about American prejudices and fears, 9/11 and its aftermath affecting those who are being discriminated against, patriotism, identity, etc. This book can be used in middle and/or high school English/Language Arts, and Social Studies/History classes. I think it’s a valuable addition to post 9/11 literature and can be used for different educational purposes. I think this novel can be eye-opening for both teens and adults and I would propose that children grades 7 and up would be appropriate for this novel.

[JaNiece · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins with Nadira and her family fleeing America, traveling to Canada because they are illegal immigrants. It is shortly after 9/11 and the government had instituted strict laws (i.e. the Patriot Act, registration of all people from certain Middle Eastern countries). Nadira and her family are from Bangladesh. They came to America on a tourist visa that has expired. They are going to Canada to apply for asylum (a form of protection granted to individuals who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of their race, religion, nationality). They are denied entry into Canada and while trying to re-enter the United States - Nadira's father is detained due to the expired visa.
Nadira and her older sister Aisha go back to Queens while their mother stays at a shelter near the border waiting to see what will happen to their father.
Aisha is the sister that always has it all together. But, under the pressure she starts to lose control and it is up to Nadira to bring the family back together.
I really got hooked into the family's struggle and it was very interesting to read from the perspective of the illegal immigrant.
It also provided knowledge on the process of applying for U.S. citizenship.
I was horrified to know that the registration act was something that really happened to people in this country - whether they were U.S. citizens or not. It reminded me of the way America treated Japanese Americans during WWII.
Marina Budhos wonderfully crafted the 2 main characters, Aisha and Nadira. I really felt for Aisha as she slowly lost control and became someone I didn't even recognize by the end of the book. The contrast between the two sisters was exceptionally written.
Overall, I liked the book. It was an easy read and an interesting story.

I understand why this book has many starred reviews and honors. The writing is outstanding as Marina Budhos pulls the reader into this family's story. The reader feels the heartbreak as the family is separated, feels the prejudice, and the fear. The literary element of characterization is particularly strong in this book which appears to be a strong criteria for many book awards.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos is a story about a family from Bangladesh that came to America to begin a new life out of poverty. Nadira and her family live in New York, but they have been living with expired visas while they wait out the long process of becoming legal U.S. citizens. The family runs into danger when the Attack of 9/11 hits the United States and suddenly Nadira’s family is not able to stay under the radar any longer. The family is separated when Nadira’s father, “Abba”, is arrested. Nadira and her sister Aisha have to be brave and they are not allowed to tell anyone of their father’s whereabouts, not even their school counselor or closest friends.
This story is a great and powerful story that brings the effects of 9/11 to surface and gives readers insight into difficult it was for Muslim families to live in America when this tragedy happened in our country. I was able to read this novel in about five hours. It was excellent, and I did not want to put it down. It is a coming of age novel, but wrapped up in a story that is eye opening and very powerful. I found myself getting very emotional while reading the events of the story as Nadira describes them. I like reading about the happenings of 9/11 and I am very interested in personal stories of how this terrible tragedy affected people and families of America and other countries as well. This is a story that I would pick for myself. I picked it out to read in the beginning of this year, and now that I have read it, I am glad I stumbled upon it.
I would assign this book as a novel for the whole class to read or any individual who is interested in 9/11 and the aftermath. I think the coming of age theme is prominent, but it is one that is not as common in traditional coming of age stories. This situation is not likely to have happened to families that were U.S. Citizens at the time of 9/11, but it is important to our country and our countries history that people know how it affected everyone living in the country, legally or not. I enjoyed reading this novel. It was quick, easy, and meaningful. I think a lot of students would enjoy reading this novel.

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had its up and it’s downs. I had a hard time reading it at first, but then I didn’t want to put it down. I think it had put a very different outlook on my opinion on immigration. I used to be that person who was all like “if you don’t have a Green card, Get out!” But, now I see everything differently. I see that they too are trying to make a better life for their selves. I now believe that it is one-hundred percent okay for them to be here and doing well for our country. I think it is a great thing to see them so eager to work. There are so many people that all they do is sit at home and collect their child support or even welfare. But, you see that the immigrants are actually doing the gross jobs that none of us would want to do. But, they actually think of this as a good life like they are getting somewhere. I think that immigrants are probably way better workers than most of these low lives in our country. Also I would like to point out that a lot of the high school even college students are going and showing all these kids up because they try. Some are those students that struggle but most are students that fit in and even excel in every aspect in life.
I now would like to mention that I think I would pass out majorly if I was valedictorian. I also would not be able to have the courage to tell my secret up front of everybody. I would probably start crying. People would most likely start falling asleep. I think that the valedictorian speech should be able your high school career and your friends. I think it should exceed everyone’s expectations of the speech. I think it should also be talking about the good times of being a high school student.
I also want to talk about the ending of the book. I loved it. It makes me so happy when I read a happy ending. Not like feed. Feed can die. Anyways, I just want to say that It makes me so happy that they got their right papers and the worry can be wiped off.

[Emily Leclerc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel, Ask Me No Question, is a fictional story of a Bangladesh family living illegally in the United States of America. The story takes place just weeks after the tragic event of September 11th, 2001. Many Bangladesh people are being persecuted because of their religion and nationality. This makes many want to seek asylum in the bordering country of Canada.
When the Hossain family tries to flee the country and go to Canada, they are stopped at the border. They are told that there are too many people coming into the country at once, and they have to turn back. As they return to the U.S. the father, Abba, is arrested for not having a green card or citizenship.
The main character, Nadira isn’t confident about herself and is always in the shadow of her older sister Aisha. Nadira eventually figures out the effects of being an illegal alien in America not only on herself but on her sister Aisha as well. The mother, Ma, tries to save her husband at the border, and heads north to Vermont. The girls are left with their aunt and uncle frightened of being deported by the U.S. government.
Marina Budhos does an excellent job writing the story through a child’s point of view. She gives a realistic view of how hard it is to be illegal citizen in a country at a difficult time. The flash back sections of the book and the fascinating description add a unique depth to the storyline. The reader feels the urge to keep reading the book because of the compassion felt towards the family.

[Marvin Bautista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos is an enjoyable novel. It is about an illegal immigrant family after 9/11. Nadira Hossain is one of the main characters. Her family emigrated from Bangladesh years ago. However her family was not able to receive a permanent visa and stayed in the united states illegally. After 9/11 being a Muslim became dangerous and official papers, passports, and visas were checked for illegal aliens. In fear of being found out the Hossains moved to the Canadian border for hospitalty only to be turned away. As the family tried to return to their home in New York City, their true identity was revealed, and Nadira’s father was forced into detention in a police cell. There mother stayed in canada while Nadira and Aisha drove back to NYC to live with their aunt.
This is where Nadira’s struggle begins to keep calm in spite of her father’s arrest, her separated family, and the looming threat that her father could be deported back to Bangladesh. Aisha had college interviews and a future to think about before her family broke into pieces. Now even though her teachers are pushing her, she can’t seem to find the strength to keep up her schoolwork and plan for college. No one except for Nadira knows the reason for Aisha’s bad schoolwork and lower grades.
In conlusion I think the book ends in a very happy ending and overall I enjoyed reading it. The only weakingness I think it had was a bit slow moving and the characters should of developed more but overall a good book.

[Keren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has moments of magic where one authentic experience of a Muslim family living in America reveals a lifestyle of hiding in fear, working hard to accomplish goals in which they may contribute to society, and clinging to elements of their culture while simultaneously assimilating into Americanized cultural behaviors and styles of dress. Where the story lost stars for me are the places where ideas or story lines seemed out of place or unfinished. For example, the scene where the uncle with foul-smelling breath grabbed Nadira's arm, leaving a red mark and inspiring her to bully her sister in a similar way and revealing that she "kind of liked it" seemed very out of place or unfinished. If the purpose was that she liked the feeling of speaking up for herself in an assertive way, that point wasn't made with that experience. Instead, it seemed she would follow the path of a bully, hurting people for her own pleasure, which she certainly didn't do. Similarly, the inclusion of an Asian friend whose father secretly has a second family seemed random. Was the purpose of that whole experience that she would learn to wait patiently and use her observations to solve problems? If so, couldn't that have been demonstrated in some other way that didn't involve a single negative portrayal of the Asian community? In sum, this book is worth reading for the exposure to a perspective many people haven't experienced; and, there are a few plot elements that seemed unfinished or disconnected.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What didn't make the papers after 9/11 was how a witch hunt of immigrants, especially from Arab countries and Pakistan, took off with hardly any checks or balances thanks to the very terrifying Patriot Act. Undocumented immigrants were an easy vulnerable target of a country who still, after 7 years, has not been able to track down Bin Laden. Civil liberties and human rights were pushed aside in the name of "patriotism". This book does an excellent job of narrating the personal and human experience of that dark time in this country's recent history.

I would definitely teach this with Tram Nguyen's "We Are All Suspects Now" which is a collection of journalistic articles detailing the persecution of immigrants post-9/11. These two books go hand in hand.

On another level, though, "Ask Me No Questions" touches the usual concerns of adolescents. The main character, Nadira, is overweight, quiet, and rather invisible in the shadow of her perfect, overachieving, skinny older sister Aisha. As Nadira's family faces the crisis of having their father detained, Nadira must dig deep inside of herself to discover her true inner strengths.

I read this book for a literature conference on using literature circles with young adult literature. The books that were grouped together for this literature circle were this one, "La Linea" by Ann Jaramillo, "Call Me Maria" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and "From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun" by Jacqueline Woodson.

[Mark Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ask Me No Questions" by Marina Budhos is the story of a family of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and the trials they face in America after the tragedy of 9/11. When Abba is detained by the INS for violating his visa, Nadira and Aisha attempt to save their father as they struggled with the daily challenges of finding their place in a country they now realize is not their home. "Ask Me No Questions" is a heartrending tale of the horrors one family is forced to endure after the U. S. tightens immigration regulations following 9/11.
This book was very interesting. You get to see how immigrants struggle with jobs and living in different places. To us Americans it seems weird that so many people are trying to get into the United State when we have lived here our whole lives. We didn’t have to struggle to live here. I’m sure there are a lot of people who wonder why they just can’t come and live in this country. This is so many people’s dream. In my opinion I think people should live here if they want to, they shouldn’t have to wait for their Visa’s.
I would recommend this book to people who are concerned about immigration of if you have loved ones that have been taken away because they were immigrants. You will be surprised on how America really truly treats immigrants. I would read this book again because I would probably understand it a little better with each time I read it

[Haley Lunden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. I never realized the grief that immigrants get from other Americans until I read this book. Immigrants are not treated as well as they could be. After 9/11, all Muslim immigrants were suspected terrorists. I think this is very wrong because not all Muslims hate the United States. Most, if not all, of them just want a new start. This is all that Nadira and her family wanted. After these events took place in 2001, Muslims were faced with a difficult situation like Nadira and her family faced. Nadira’s family is a very strong family. I would not be able to go through everything that they did.
The story begins with the family traveling to the U.S. – Canadian border. They travel to the border in hopes of leaving the United States. Their plan fails, however, and Nadira’s father is held in jail until he is proven innocent and granted citizenship. Nadira, a fourteen year old girl, decides to take matters into her own hands. She tries to think of every way possible to free her father. With her father in jail, her mother staying with her father and her older sister falling apart, Nadira becomes a big leader in helping her father and the rest of her family. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in immigration. Hopefully it will open your eyes like it did mine.