Ask Me No Questions

Ask Me No Questions

Juvenile/YA fiction
"We drive as if in a dream.
Up I-95, past the Triborough Bridge, chunks of black ice
floating in the East River. Me and Aisha hunched in the back, a green
airline bag wedged between us filled with Ma's luchis and spiced
potatoes. Abba in the front, clutching the steering wheel, Ma hunched
against the rattling door."
Nadira, protagonist of Marina Budhos' Ask Me No Questions, and
her family are fleeing to what they hope will be safety. Emigrants
from Bangladesh, they had stayed in New York after their passports
expired, hoping to find a way to acquire citizenship. After 9/11
their lives became precarious. Violence and deportations leave them
feeling they have no alternative to seeking assylum in Canada.
Only Canada, overwhelmed by people in their plight seeking
refuge, turns them away. Recrossing the border, they are stopped for
expired visas. Abba is jailed. Ma decides to stay near him in a
church run shelter. The girls are sent back to live with relatives,
attend school, and act as though nothing in their lives is amiss.
Will they ever again be together as a family? Read the book and
see.
On a personal note, work continues well. Last night before I started
serving Anna asked me to plate desserts for serving. I did fine with
eclairs, but not as well with delicate chocolate chiffon pies. Anna
did not get mad. She said, "We are learning from our mistakes." (Note
we and our instead of you and your. The difference seemingly small
words can make is amazing.)
jules hathaway


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