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Internment Hardcover – March 19, 2019
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"Internment sets itself apart...terrifying, thrilling and urgent." –Entertainment Weekly
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 revolution against the camp's Director and his guards.
Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today.
- Reading age12 years and up
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 and up
- Lexile measureHL660L
- Dimensions6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
- PublisherLittle, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication dateMarch 19, 2019
- ISBN-100316522694
- ISBN-13978-0316522694
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From the Publisher
Internment | Hollow Fires | This Book Won't Burn | Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds | Amira & Hamza: The Quest for the Ring of Power | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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4.6 out of 5 stars
3
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Price | $7.68$7.68 | $11.99$11.99 | $17.09$17.09 | $6.99$6.99 | $8.99$8.99 |
More thrilling and empowering reads from Samira Ahmed | Seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. | A young journalist seeks to tell the whole truth about a murdered boy and those who killed him because of their hate-based beliefs. | A timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe. | For younger readers: A fantasy adventure intertwining Islamic legend and history, for fans of Aru Shah and the Land of Stories. | This epic sequel takes readers on a thrilling magical adventure as the siblings face their most terrifying and formidable opponent yet. |
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for March 2019
*Taking on Islamophobia and racism in a Trump-like America, Ahmed's magnetic, gripping narrative written in a deeply humane and authentic tone, is attentive to the richness and complexity of the social ills at the heart of the book.―Kirkus, starred review
*"...a poignant, necessary story that paints a very real, very frank picture of hatred and ignorance, while also giving readers and marginalized individuals hope."―Booklist, starred review
*"An unsettling and important book for our times."―Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"By the end of the first two pages of this title the reader will be breathless with the anticipation and excitement of what's to come."―School Library Connection, starred review
*"...Sensitive and stirring. For all collections."―School Library Journal, starred review
"Internment sets itself apart...terrifying, thrilling and urgent."―Entertainment Weekly
"A riveting and cautionary tale. Internment urges us to speak up and speak out, to ask questions and demand answers, and when those answers prove unsatisfactory, to resist."―p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Times}span.s1 {font-kerning: none; background-color: #ffffff}Stacey Lee, award-winning author of Outrun the Moon
"Internment is a visceral, essential book, both horrifying and hopeful. Ahmed deserves a spot on every book shelf in America."―p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Kiersten White, New York Times Bestselling author of And I Darken and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
"A testament to what girls are capable of when they are overlooked, Internment is a masterwork of dignity and grit."―E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Exit, Pursued by a Bear
"Internment is a scathing indictment of our current political times. Ahmed has gifted us Layla, a courageous young revolutionary who fights against all boundaries of hate and ignorance. A must read for activists who continue to push back against the big What-Ifs."―National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street and Pride
"A powerful and poignant exploration of a nightmare made real. It's a testament to Ahmed's writing then, that the heart of the story is one of hope. Read INTERNMENT. Raise a fist."―David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Moquitoland and Kids of Appetite
"Terrifying, inspiring, heart-pounding, and incredibly timely. With an ultimately hopeful voice, Samira Ahmed shows how one person and small acts of bravery can spark a flame of resistance and inspire others to bring change."―Lauren Nopenz Fairley, Curious Iguana, Frederick, MD
"Internment builds a great case for empathy on all sides and for fighting history repeating itself."―Sami Thomason, Square Books, Oxford, MS
"Thank you to Samira Ahmed for giving us Layla, the Strong and Independent Female Character that we are always promised, but never actually get."―Emily Knosher, Read It Again Bookstore, Monticello, NY
"A riveting, ferocious read that will keep you up at night, a story about complicity and cowardice, strength, vulnerability, and hope."―Eugenia Vela, BookPeople, Austin, TX
"A necessary read for all young people, now more than ever."―Cecilia Cackley, East City Bookshop, Washington DC
"It's an action-packed thriller that will make your teen sit up and think."―Family Circle
"[A] raw portrait of a young activist coming into her own....a potent and impassioned reminder of what American nationalism led to in our not-so-distant past."
―New York Times Book Review
"[Gives] understanding [to] the extreme dynamics of race in America from a Muslim perspective."
―PBS News Hour
"Samira Ahmed's Internment is timely in the most harrowing way.... will stay with you long after it ends." -Popsugar.com
―Popsugar.com
"This heart-thumping book horrifies and inspires; Layla's struggle reminds readers to speak up and that only the persistent and resistant can make a change."―Teen Vogue
"Powerful. Emotive...a must-read."―Forbes
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (March 19, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316522694
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316522694
- Reading age : 12 years and up
- Lexile measure : HL660L
- Grade level : 7 and up
- Item Weight : 1.1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #297,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
SAMIRA AHMED is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of young adult novels: Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know and Hollow Fires. As well as the middle grade fantasy adventure series: Amira & Hamza.. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in anthologies including: Take the Mic, Color Outside the Lines, Ink Knows No Borders, Vampires Never Get Old, and A Universe of Wishes.
She was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, Illinois, in a house that smelled like fried onions, spices, and potpourri. A graduate of the University of Chicago, Samira has taught high school English in both the suburbs of Chicago and New York City, worked in education non-profits, and spent time on the road for political campaigns.
You can find her online at www.samiraahmed.com Twitter & Instagram: @ sam_aye_ahm
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Layla, her parents, and thousands of other Muslims are sent to an internment camp called Mobius, the fact that it was close to the Japanese internment camp Manzanar was not lost on me either. The cause of such a drastic move? Islamophia. Does it sound familiar? This book is placed in what seems like a few years from now, in this presidency, under this current political climate and that made this book all the more urgent.
The scenes that take place in the book are appalling not because they are violent, but because we see actions like this committed every day. A hijab being ripped off a woman's head, a man being shot just because he is Muslim, a woman being silenced because she has no right to speak. How did they end up here? The census, that one that keeps track of our religions, ages, nationalities, and livelihoods that we report to the government every now and then. That flimsy piece of paper, if you checked Islam you are at Mobius.
The president has declared Muslims an enemy of the state, so they rounded them up just like they did to Japanese-Americans in the past. Layla had learned of this history in school and it was her only reference to what was happening to her, it made her scared and at times selfish but determined. She refused to live the rest of her life there. So she decided to make a start much like Sophie Scholl did during the time of Nazi propaganda. This was scary because let's remember that Sophie was executed. She knew it was a risk but to be honest she could have died just as easy by just being within those gates, anyone who made false moves were taken away never to be seen again.
I won't ruin the story by elaborating on the allies that she finds or those that learn of her plans and join her in the revolution, because that is honestly the best part of the story. The teenagers in this book used their place of "Privilege" as minors to get ahead. They couldn't be treated like the others, they couldn't just simply be disappeared without a trace. So they stood tall and spoke for those who couldn't. That is the point of the book. It is to educate the younger generation, allow them space to reflect, and show them that just because their young does not mean they are powerless. A small voice is better than no voice and this book does its best to bring that home.
Despite all its harsh reminders, it also gives us a sense of hope. Not everyone in the country agrees with what is going on, kind of like now. Those people fought for them when they learned of the injustices, even some that allowed it to happen realized it was a big mistake and joined the cause. It is the kind of situation where you won't really know how to react until it's happening and I am glad the book provides a space for both.
Rating 5/5 ❤❤❤❤❤
My rating is a #unpopular opinion with many readers of this book, I will give some examples of the complaints below and my reasoning behind why it shouldn't matter. You can make your decision on this and read it for yourself as we all know books are perceived differently by different readers.
The book is too obvious, it doesn't give us space to make our own conclusions said by most people over the age of 21- The book wasn't made for them, it was made for younger readers who need books that tell a compelling story quickly and with all the consequences and backstory because attention spans for reading these days is short. I mean come on, I get annoyed when a commercial interrupts my anything and its only 30 seconds.
Layla is selfish it looks like all she wants is her boyfriend- Her mom and dad are in the camp with her, so the only person on the outside she can really want is her boyfriend, but that scene where she begs to call him is not about David. It's about everyone's loved ones outside those gates. Everyone has to beg for a phone call, get it approved, and still be careful because they are being listened to. For Layla that was David but for others, that was a husband, a son, or a daughter.
Layla is too informed about previous internment camps in history- I learned about the Holocaust and Japanese internment camps when I was in tenth grade, two years younger than Layla, and was taught by an amazing student teacher, who really ingrained in us the importance of studying situations like this and learning from them. I have continued to educate myself and read about those moments in history ever since then. So yes, she could have been that educated about the topic at 17.
David is annoying- Indeed he is, I honestly am still trying to comprehend if he could have been written in a different way where he didn't seem so clueless and unaware of what was going on around him. I know he was trying his best and did play a role in it but he just seemed out of place a bit.
The Director of the Internment camp is cartoonish- yes he is, but what matters is not his reactions but his power. Time and time through the book he shows that he can get away with literally anything. He gives an air of desperation to Layla's resistance. The fact that his actions have no consequences is what matters. Because it means that at Mobius there were no respites, no way out, no one to protect them. They were no one. He got angry like a child sometimes and turned blue in the face because of her actions, but let's not pretend that there weren't people in internment camps who died just because a guard was in a bad mood.
The book was too raw, too crass it felt like it was throwing its beliefs at me- It is raw at times and in your face but if you were inside the internment camp it would be in your face, you would be in the middle of the violence, you would feel the oppression, this book is not about beliefs its about right and wrong. The book makes you feel like you are there like there is no place to go. That is the point, they had nowhere to go.
Now that you have been informed about the chief complaints of the book, I hope that you give it a chance and make your own opinion on the matter. This is such an important book for young adults to have a discussion about these days, and for adults to read and share with others.
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2019
Layla, her parents, and thousands of other Muslims are sent to an internment camp called Mobius, the fact that it was close to the Japanese internment camp Manzanar was not lost on me either. The cause of such a drastic move? Islamophia. Does it sound familiar? This book is placed in what seems like a few years from now, in this presidency, under this current political climate and that made this book all the more urgent.
The scenes that take place in the book are appalling not because they are violent, but because we see actions like this committed every day. A hijab being ripped off a woman's head, a man being shot just because he is Muslim, a woman being silenced because she has no right to speak. How did they end up here? The census, that one that keeps track of our religions, ages, nationalities, and livelihoods that we report to the government every now and then. That flimsy piece of paper, if you checked Islam you are at Mobius.
The president has declared Muslims an enemy of the state, so they rounded them up just like they did to Japanese-Americans in the past. Layla had learned of this history in school and it was her only reference to what was happening to her, it made her scared and at times selfish but determined. She refused to live the rest of her life there. So she decided to make a start much like Sophie Scholl did during the time of Nazi propaganda. This was scary because let's remember that Sophie was executed. She knew it was a risk but to be honest she could have died just as easy by just being within those gates, anyone who made false moves were taken away never to be seen again.
I won't ruin the story by elaborating on the allies that she finds or those that learn of her plans and join her in the revolution, because that is honestly the best part of the story. The teenagers in this book used their place of "Privilege" as minors to get ahead. They couldn't be treated like the others, they couldn't just simply be disappeared without a trace. So they stood tall and spoke for those who couldn't. That is the point of the book. It is to educate the younger generation, allow them space to reflect, and show them that just because their young does not mean they are powerless. A small voice is better than no voice and this book does its best to bring that home.
Despite all its harsh reminders, it also gives us a sense of hope. Not everyone in the country agrees with what is going on, kind of like now. Those people fought for them when they learned of the injustices, even some that allowed it to happen realized it was a big mistake and joined the cause. It is the kind of situation where you won't really know how to react until it's happening and I am glad the book provides a space for both.
Rating 5/5 ❤❤❤❤❤
My rating is a #unpopular opinion with many readers of this book, I will give some examples of the complaints below and my reasoning behind why it shouldn't matter. You can make your decision on this and read it for yourself as we all know books are perceived differently by different readers.
The book is too obvious, it doesn't give us space to make our own conclusions said by most people over the age of 21- The book wasn't made for them, it was made for younger readers who need books that tell a compelling story quickly and with all the consequences and backstory because attention spans for reading these days is short. I mean come on, I get annoyed when a commercial interrupts my anything and its only 30 seconds.
Layla is selfish it looks like all she wants is her boyfriend- Her mom and dad are in the camp with her, so the only person on the outside she can really want is her boyfriend, but that scene where she begs to call him is not about David. It's about everyone's loved ones outside those gates. Everyone has to beg for a phone call, get it approved, and still be careful because they are being listened to. For Layla that was David but for others, that was a husband, a son, or a daughter.
Layla is too informed about previous internment camps in history- I learned about the Holocaust and Japanese internment camps when I was in tenth grade, two years younger than Layla, and was taught by an amazing student teacher, who really ingrained in us the importance of studying situations like this and learning from them. I have continued to educate myself and read about those moments in history ever since then. So yes, she could have been that educated about the topic at 17.
David is annoying- Indeed he is, I honestly am still trying to comprehend if he could have been written in a different way where he didn't seem so clueless and unaware of what was going on around him. I know he was trying his best and did play a role in it but he just seemed out of place a bit.
The Director of the Internment camp is cartoonish- yes he is, but what matters is not his reactions but his power. Time and time through the book he shows that he can get away with literally anything. He gives an air of desperation to Layla's resistance. The fact that his actions have no consequences is what matters. Because it means that at Mobius there were no respites, no way out, no one to protect them. They were no one. He got angry like a child sometimes and turned blue in the face because of her actions, but let's not pretend that there weren't people in internment camps who died just because a guard was in a bad mood.
The book was too raw, too crass it felt like it was throwing its beliefs at me- It is raw at times and in your face but if you were inside the internment camp it would be in your face, you would be in the middle of the violence, you would feel the oppression, this book is not about beliefs its about right and wrong. The book makes you feel like you are there like there is no place to go. That is the point, they had nowhere to go.
Now that you have been informed about the chief complaints of the book, I hope that you give it a chance and make your own opinion on the matter. This is such an important book for young adults to have a discussion about these days, and for adults to read and share with others.
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 get in touch with her boyfriend. Yes, she was rebellious and risked getting herself and her family in trouble, and she acknowledges that and is constantly terrified of that. Her fear was tangible, it felt real. But I also believe that it is completely normal for a 17-year-old girl to WANT to see her boyfriend, the guy that she is in love with and at that age, we all believe this is the guy we’re going to love for the rest of our lives, so hey…cut her some slack, yeah?
But was she obsessed with David – the boyfriend – throughout the book? No! She wasn’t! Once they’re transported to a camp that is right next to an area called Manzanar, it becomes more than just “seeing” or “speaking” to her boyfriend. Sure, at first, she still does some stupid things in an effort to speak to him, but then it becomes more than that. It becomes about getting in touch with someone from the OUTSIDE world to help them inside. To get their messages and stories and struggles outside. Hence the blogposts, hence the media outcry, hence the interviews! David becomes Layla’s tool to get news out to the world. That’s how she leads the revolution. That’s how she becomes the face of this revolution. And she succeeds! So it really frustrates me that there are reviews out there who are referring to Layla as an unsympathetic protagonist, or who only focus on her initial obsession with David, or who are annoyed that she shows her inner turmoil and rage by “clenching her fists” or “punching her thigh”…what do you expect her to do? She’s scared. She’s angry, but she’s also scared. She wants to help, but she’s helpless. And yet, that doesn’t stop her. Eventually that fist clench and thigh punch becomes so much more. She gets beaten and imprisoned and spat on and almost gets her parents executed, all in an effort to make a change, to stand for their cause. Again…she’s 17! And yes…a 17-year-old can and should lead the revolution. The youth are our only hope to make a change.
And how relevant is this story? Think about current events…think about past events…it’s depressing, but hell, it’s extremely plausible these days!
A reviewer put it best when she said:
“It's a future that is not only happening to some portions of people living here, but could happen to other marginalized communities of American citizens, people who have been deemed Other because their skin color, religion, citizenship status or sexuality/gender orientation didn't match the ~American Ideal.~
Hmm. That sounds weirdly like another point in history.
Oh.
Where you thinking the Nazis?
Because I was thinking something a little closer to home.
Slavery. Jim Crow. Literally everything that happened to the indigenous peoples of North America.
9/11. Guantanamo Bay. The PATRIOT Act. ICE and the detainment of illegal immigrants and people who don't "look" American (because apparently being American has a look? Who knew!). The Muslim Ban. Any Trump rally. General Islamophobia. #BlackLivesMatter. And on and on and on.”
Muslim-Americans are being hunted with this new wave of Islamophobia, and at first it might start with the little things, and as the hate increases, shootings start, at schools and mosques and communities, and then before we know it, we could end up in the same environment as Layla. Their rights are taken away from them, living on curfews, losing jobs, and suddenly they’re being transported to a camp in the middle of nowhere. Being told it’s temporary, but knowing in their hearts, that this is it, that they will live the rest of their lives and die there. Unless someone does something about it. Layla steps in.
Is there some drama involved? Of course. It’s a Young Adult book! I loved Jake, I didn’t quite know or understand why he singled her out, but I loved him. I think he saw something in her that he respected from their very first meeting on the train. The Director, who was the villain, and reminded me a lot of Snow from the Hunger Games, was a psychotic sociopath. Again, it might have been over the top, but holy hell, why not?
All of that aside, this is a really important book to read. The messages, the reality that it conveys is a reality we should start thinking and worrying and planning against. Please give it a chance. Please don’t let the negative reviewers put you off it.
Top reviews from other countries
Gut-punching is the best way to describe it. Set in a horrifying near-future United States, where there’s a Muslim ban, a wall at the Mexican border and even book burnings and mandatory watching of the president’s address, 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, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, she begins a journey to fight for freedom.
The text, composed to further a political agenda (which I heartily endorse), occasionally appears overly forceful (probably because it is also written for teens). But what happens has already happened before, with Nazi concentration camps, and the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. And Ahmed doesn’t sugar coat how history can repeat itself. The removal of rights, the drones watching over the internment camp, the threats to enforce obedience, the public violence, and the people disappearing with no explanation. Raw and emotional, Internment addresses a lot of important and difficult themes, such as Islamophobia, xenophobia, and the importance of freedom, including religious freedom. It may not cover everything, but it has a lot of nuances to it. For example, the different ways one can practice their religion; how black Muslims are treated differently from white Muslims or Desi Muslims; how Ahmed incorporates poetry and also portrays the Arabic language as lyrical and comforting; and how there is an interracial and interfaith relationship between Layla, a Desi Muslim, and her boyfriend, a brown Jewish.
The plot was deeply engaging to me and I was sucked in from the very first chapter. But beware, it is a very introspective story: it focuses a lot on the main character’s thoughts and feelings about the horrible circumstances she’s in. Regardless of her many questionable decisions and equally reckless actions, it was Layla’s internal dialogues that resonated the most to me: constantly living in fear–and struggling to stay true to who you are, when who you are has been criminalised–is not living at all. She felt that at her core, and with emotions like fear and despair at the forefront of it all, the story was quite draining. I was enraged most of the time, laughed a little, and cried a lot. Because, even if I don’t live in the US but in Portugal, where the level of crazy seems non-existent in comparison, I know Internment can happen anywhere in the world. All is needed is an authoritarian, cruel human being in power, and no one to question it.
It's set seemingly now, under an administration that runs on fear and hate. Hm. While it focuses on Muslim-American internment, the parallels are there to the treatment of migrants and refugees in countries around the world. The book focuses on the story of one teen girl who is brave enough to try and speak out, to try and fight back.
Some smooching, some swear words, but mostly a powerful YA novel that makes us question how we treat and think about others, and think about the power of one person against a seemingly greater force. We need more contemporary novels like this one.
Don’t put it in your TBR pile. Stop what your reading and pick this up.
Unbelievable read from start to finish.