Internment

Sadly, this one is a scary glimpse into the possible future of our country. Layla is an American who is also Muslim. The President has decided that Muslims are a threat to the country and decides to start an Exclusion Camp in the desert outside Independence, California. When Layla’s family is rounded up and sent to the camp, Layla doesn’t know what to do. She is incensed that she is ripped away from her boyfriend and her life to be stuck in the desert under the watchful eye of the Director and an whole lot of white guards. Things at the camp slowly descend into unlivable conditions. People going missing, guard brutality, rules, regulations and an all around feeling of helplessness. Layla and her friends decide that can no longer sit silently, that someone needs to speak up. And it may as well be her. With the help of a sympathetic guard, Layla somehow gets under the skin of the Director and is set on a path of a deadly confrontation. The question is asked, what does it mean to be American and how can that be protected? This book was an unpleasant reminder that we are on the brink of some critical decisions and people will need to take a stand. How many rights will be lost before more people speak out against hate and discrimination? Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it. I hope we do not repeat the atrocities of Manzanar. Happy reading my friends.