Synopsis via Goodreads:
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 internment camp’s Director and his guards.
Internment will come out on March 7, 2019.
My Review:
I had the pleasure of getting an ARC of this book in the tote bag I received from the NOVL S’mores and Pours event at YALLfest, and I’m really glad I did. Books like Internment are what we really need in this day and age. This heart-breaking tale was like getting a bucket of ice cold water dumped on you: it was eye-opening and chilling. Samira Ahmed portrayed this very real issue in a very real way, which, again, is important in this day and age. Islamophobia isn’t an issue that gets talked about a lot, and Ahmed shouts that loud and clear in Internment. My heart went out to each and every internee in the fictional camp, and following their journey throughout the book was one of the realest emotional rollercoasters I’ve been on in a long time. My heart was broken and put back together probably three times from the time I picked up the book to the time I read the last page. What scares me the most is how real it felt–like this could happen in our current nation at any time, and already is happening some. At the risk of being bold, I would it up there next to The Hate U Give in terms of how powerful and real the message it contains within its pages is. We need more books like this one. Thank you, Samira Ahmed.
apritch reads 