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

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 i...

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...

Internment is a YA novel and I am, sadly, decades past being a YA myself. So when I say this book didn’t work for me perhaps that should be expected because I’m not the target audience. But good YA novels—certainly the best ones—appeal to readers of all ages. The substantial flaws here prevent this book from having much adult appeal.Set “fifteen minutes into our future,” Internment tells the what-if story of America passing a series of laws to marginalize and then actually imprison Muslim-Americ...

Important topic. Horrifying circumstances. Necessary perspective. Just could have been better as an overall narrative. Fuller review within this video: https://youtu.be/jqL3ZMvLqvg

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 stead...

Internment is not a perfect story. But it is so, so powerful.I know people will say that this book sounds “exaggerated” or “tries too hard,” but I personally disagree with the idea that Internment is overdoing it. Very strongly. Internment shows a dangerous future that may be shocking to some, but isn’t unimaginable to me. This book shows a future that could be very likely if we don’t speak out against it. It’s scary. It’s so scary. I think people who find this as a caricature or as overblown ne...

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 so...

This hurts my heart to write this, y'all, as Internment was one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. I'm so sad to report that it didn't work for me.One reason for my excitement was that this novel explores topics that need to be included more often in fiction.This book did touch on many issues salient in today's world, such as: Islamophobia, xenophobia, the dangers of an 'us vs. them' mentality, the politics of fear, the importance of resistance movements in initiating change, black op sites,

I really and truly wanted to write a review for this phenomenal YA fiction that is so perilously close reality...it kinda takes my breath away. I cannot find the words. Read it. If you dare.

RTC after tonight's liveshow, which is happening at 7pm PST on Kassie's channel.

3.5 starsThis 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.

(1.5/5) "oh, corporal reynolds, hold me in your strong manly arms as i swoon for the millionth time- oh wAIT AREN'T YOU MY OPPRESSOR BEGONE HEATHEN" *proceeds to be held by him while he says things typical of the enemy love interest* - my friend (I said I was going to steal that, didn't I), who happened to read this book around the same time I did but managed to say everything far clearer than I will :) )Honestly, I'm more disappointed in this book than in my own existence.I think my main tak...

(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 presidentia...

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

Miss Samira came through with the book, but left with my wig.

I have a great idea for a novel: a ya book about slavery but with people with disabilities. A dystopian world exactly like ours but suddenly slavery is happening again and this time, towards people with disabilities. Why? Cause they also experience discrimination nowadays, of course. If this sounds like a bad idea that removes historical context and has great potential to minimize Black experiences while also not going really in depth into disabled people’s experiences, you can understand why In...

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 i...

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 bu...

rtc when i'm not furiously covering for a far-too-relaxed group partner.---i did not like internment very much. i understand the point the author was trying to make, but it just felt too rushed to me. the characters were bland and boring, and the plot was predictable and old. layla, the protagonist, was one-dimensional. does she feel any emotion other than anger? she's reckless and foolish, and doesn't consider the safety of people around her. sure, starting a revolution is important, but not on...