Internment was on my to read list as soon as it was published, and I read the summary for it. I knew that I had to add it to books I had read, and I wanted a copy to put in my classroom for my students. So, this year since I had extra money in my budget, I bought the paperback copy from Amazon, and I sat down to read it. The scary part is that I read this during the Pandemic and during all of the protests to ensure Black people equal rights. I read it with the intent to learn and to listen, and I did learn a lot!
The story starts with Layla, a Muslim American, sneaking out to see her boyfriend, David. Since the previous election for President of the United States multiple exclusion laws have been put into place, and of course, Muslims are the ones that are targeted. They are stripped of their jobs and even just the sense of security that they had prior to the election. They are targeted as terrorists, and eventually, they are taken to Internment camps that are not considered part of the United States of America. Layla and her parents are taken to the camp near Manzanar on the same night that she returns from sneaking out to see David. David's family are not taken because his father is white, and they are Jewish.
As soon as they arrive at the camp, they are assigned to "blocks" where they will live in small trailers. Each of the blocks is comprised of people from the same ethnic groups, and Layla and her friends soon see how the "director" of the camp is trying to divide them and cause contention even in the camp. Layla sees horrific things happen such as a lady getting tased and dragged off, and other people simply disappearing from the camp with no explanation.
Layla and the other teenagers her age realize that they have to resist because no one is going to get them out of the camp from the outside. Layla befriends a guard, Jake, who tells her that he is not what she thinks he is. Jake helps to sneak message from Layla to David, and he even helps David sneak into the camp a couple of times. Eventually, the Red Cross comes to visit, and Layla and her friends stage a peaceful fast where they refuse to eat. This gets the attention of the Red Cross, and there are a lot of people on the outside who are protesting as well. Unfortunately, the Red Cross does not have any real power, and they can only be there for a short amount of time to help improve the situation.
Once the Red Cross leaves, Layla is taken by the director, and she is basically tortured to try to get her to give the director names of adults who have been helping them. Luckily, Layla proves she is stronger than the director, and at the end, the Internees are freed and sent back to their homes. The sad part is that there are deaths along the way, and there are serious consequences that are very real.
As I read the book, I couldn't put it down. I was very disturbed by the fact that this could so easily happen in the United States today, and the fact that our President now has openly called Muslims terrorists, and he is trying to build a wall to keep refugees and immigrants out of the country makes it even more believable. I shivered each time I read "Make America great again." It was scary to see how easily supporters of our President are persuaded to look the other way and not speak up when they see injustice happening around them.
The current events in our country have hopefully made all of us look more deeply at our prejudices and biases, and I hope that we never turn a blind eye to injustice again. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, and so many others have forced us to look at the system that is built on racism and bigotry. I hope that with these deaths positive change will come, but I worry that there are too many who are still turning a blind eye when injustice happens. As the new school year approaches I plan on introducing Internment to my students and encouraging each and everyone of them to read it and contemplate its message. This is a must read for every young adult and adult in our country to learn how terrifying life can be if we don't take steps now for change.
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