Title and Author of the Book: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Plot Overview (from Goodreads): 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 internment camp's Director and his guards.

Critique: The most compelling aspect of this book for me was the depiction of a futuristic Islamphobic America that has been taken to the extreme of the Japanese internment camps of World War 2. Though exaggerated, the feelings, thoughts, and emotions that are portrayed in the characters of this novel depict some of the fears that many Americans have not just about Muslims, but about various minority and majority ethnic and religious groups in the US. While the book portrays the consequences of fear towards Muslims, the concept can be scaled up to fit many molds in American society, such as gender, race, ethnicity, social status, etc. I felt that some of the characters of the book were unrealistically static and had no improvement throughout the novel in spite of major movements and changes in other characters.

Cover Critique: I was satisfied with the cover as an accurate depiction of many of the emotions and movements that were portrayed in the book.

Recommendation: If you are interested in reading about racial segregation and the movements being taken to combat such injustices, Internment would be a good read. Though it is futuristic and takes current fears and emotions to a much more widespread level, the book does depict many of the angles on the topic from the viewpoints of the oppressed and the oppressors.

Star Rating: 4/5