Internment

by Samira Ahmed

[Beth C.]

I am gutted. Shattered. Not words I usually use, but Ahmed has written a story that is terrifying in its reality. As she says in the Author's Note, "When fascism comes to America, it will come draped in the flag.". Such is the case here, the tale of what America could have been, is verging on becoming, *could still be*. A tale of Muslims, banned, then rounded up and put into internment camps. A tale of nationalism flowering at the highest levels of government. Where those who stand up, who resist, are the youth. And where those who resist may pay a heavy price.

This is a hard book, and it seems like maybe not one to finish the year out with. But then again - it feels like the perfect book to finish this hellacious year out with, to start a new year more aware and stronger in will than before.

The writing here is excellent. There isn't a lot of flowery language - it's spare and honest, as befitting a character...AN AMERICAN CITIZEN...stolen from her home, locked in a camp run by a man who feels that Muslims are "vermin". That reporters are "fake news". That "People want to be happy in their ignorance.". If this all seems a little too on-point, that's because it is. And it could be sappy. Or weak. Or pushy. Or any other of a dozen ways this could have been a badly written story. But it's not - it's just a straight up gut-punch with the reality that THIS is truly a possibility.

And in the end, we have the reality that THIS. IS. US. Americans have allowed this to happen before, and we're dangerously close to allowing it again. Ahmed reminds us that we are stronger together than apart, reminds us of the cost of being "other", reminds us of the cost of resisting - then reminds us that this - the hope, the resistance - this also is WHO. WE. ARE.