The New Ma

"Ma is most definitely not the same. She insists on wearing that purple coat everywhere, even though it's warm out. And she doesn't walk behind Abba as in the old days, but gently leads him along while he gets his strength back."

Ch. 16 pg. 142

I am happy that Ma has finally gotten adjusted to life in America. I think it helped that her husband was taken away and she had to think for herself more. It helped both Ma and Nadira, actually. I think that the purple coat was the thing that started Ma's new independence, and that's why she doesn't want to take it off. I think that she feels that she won't be strong enough if she takes it off, even though I'm pretty sure she will be. In the beginning, the coat was like a personality that she was hiding behind, and pretending she had, but now she actually has that personality, and she can take the coat off. She has also probably become very attached to it, because it was the one person belonging she had to take comfort in while her family was away from her. 

Goofy Abba

"'Nadira," he whispers. "You're here." He drops down in a chair opposite us. He's got this goofy smile on his face, sort of sloppy and tilted. One of his teeth bites on his lower lip, which makes him look silly. 

Abba, I want to say. Please sit up."

I think that Abba's time in the detainment facility has addled his brain a tiny bit. But I also think it's sweet that he's so happy to see Nadira. I am also kind of embarrassed for him, because he looks silly, and it probably would have mattered to him to look his best before he went to jail. I am kind of mad at Nadira for thinking this way about her father. She should be happy to see him, not be worrying about what he looks like. I can understand that she wants him to look professional, though.

"Strong lungs, they would say of Abba. Strong lungs give him staying power. He's the one who always lasts."

Ch. 13 pg. 114

When I read this quote I was very hopeful. Maybe because he's the one who always lasts, he will stay strong throughout his detainment. I really hope that he gets out soon so that they can reunite their family and solve some of their problems.

"I always thought of college as a place for stars like Aisha, who does everything that her teachers expect from  her... But for the first time I start to actually imagine me sitting on concrete steps like this, or reading lots of fat books and saying what I think."

Ch. 11 pg. 107

Yay, Nadira! I love this quote because I think that it is the first time that Nadira believes that she can have the same things that her sister has. She can go to college even though she's "not as smart" as Aisha. 

"...I'm sick of knowing too much about the adults. It's not such a great talent, I think, this putting things together. Not if it makes people so sad."

Ch. 11 pg. 99

It is a good talent, though. She can always know what is going on. I can see how that could be really hard, though. Sometimes its really hard to know everything, because then you worry about it. I think that Nadira wants "blissful ignorance".

"Aisha shoves her plate aside and starts to cry. 'It's all my fault. I should have been able to convince them to let Uncle out.'"

Ch. 10 pg. 86

I chose this quote because I thought it was really sad. Aisha is used to being able to fix things, and when she can't, she constantly beats herself up about it. Very sad.

Word Gardens

"And if I say something good, then it is like watching my own garden grow, and that is the greatest pleasure ever. That's what Aisha and I are doing. We're planting a garden with our words. Our future. Everything careful and chosen well so the shoots come up strong and straight."

Chapter 9 page 79

I liked this paragraph because I thought that the idea of planting a garden with your words is really cool. It makes me imagine all the different gardens you could grow. Someone who was really mean and cursed a lot might have a garden full of weeds and bristles, and someone with a large, colorful vocabulary would have a large, colorful garden, with big, bright flowers. 

Aisha

"But Aisha is already in Mr. Rashid's office-he's there, laughing, holding up his palms. 

'The boat can't wait for the tide, nah?' he asks in Bangla."

Ch. 8 page 63

The entire section of the book that surrounds this quote interested me, but I picked this one because I think that what Mr. Rashid says about Aisha really sums her up. If she wants something, she'll go for it, and she won't stop until she has it. She feels like she doesn't need anyone or anything to get what she wants. I think that this book has formed a bit of  mis-understanding of Aisha. I actually really like her personality. She's strong, and independent. I like how she is trying to deal with this situation. I can hear her voice. I like her.

Comparison with "Wetback" video

The situations of the video and Ask Me No Questions are very similar. In both situations the main characters are leaving their homes to go to Canada for a better life. I think that in the video Nayo was like Aisha, and Milton was like Nadira.

Nayo was like Aisha because he put on a stronger, tougher demeanor. He was always saying things like "I am brave and strong. I am not nervous or scared. I am ready for this adventure." Aisha always jumps into things full on. She was the one who convinced her parents to come to the US, and she's always getting what she wants because she's tough and she has a similar attitude to Nayo. Nayo doesn't contact his family during the trip, and Aisha thinks that she doesn't need her family to be able to do what she wants to do.

Milton was like Nadira because he felt "scared, tired, nervous, and sick", and missed his family. He was more worried about what could happen to them, like Nadira was when they were going to Canada. Milton is not as confident as Nayo, and Nadira is not as confident as Nadira. Milton cares about his family, and called his mother several times during their trip. Nadira's family is also important to her. She does what her parents ask and is always the one who listens to their stories. 

So Alone...

"But I can't, I think, hunching in my chair. I can't go to my sister. I can't go to anyone, not now."

pg. 54 Ch. 6

I think that this quote is really sad. It must suck to feel so alone all the time. Sometimes when I have a secret, it eats away at my insides and I can't go to sleep until I tell someone, usually my mom. I think that Nadira should find someone she can confide in, so that she won't feel so bottled up and depressed all the time. She has to be careful who she trusts, though, because her secret is so huge.

Ma

"...she sometimes turns out phrases like that; they sound like the high, pretty trill of a bird, perfect and light."

When I read this quote, I started thinking about Ma's life. Before in the book, it said that she was really sad to come to the US, and that when she got her it was really hard for her. It makes me wonder what kind of a life she came from before she married Abba. She obviously was better off before, because she can talk english in pretty phrases like the one above. 

pg 38 Ch. 5

Response to Elana's Blog

I agreed with Elana's last blog about chapters 3 and 4. It is really screwed up that people in places like India and Mexico have to live in shacks that can't really stand up to violent weather, while most of the population in America get to live in stable homes with heating, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, etc. When reading her blog, I also made a connection between this book and Across A Hundred Mountains. Nadira's family used to live in houses that flooded easily and had a hard life back in India, and so did Juana/Juanalina's family. Both of the books we have read have been about women who undergo huge hardships and tragedy but come out of it stronger people than they were before. (Although we don't know whether Nadira will, but I predict that's what will happen.)

Sisterly Love?

"'So we have to stick together. Not fight.'(- Aisha)

She holds out her hand as a peace offering. I look at her slender wrist, her single bangle glinting against the bone. No way am I sticking together with Aisha. What that really means is I'm supposed to do whatever she says, and then she gets all the credit."

When I read the first part of this quote, I was really hopeful that finally they were going to show some sisterly love towards each other. But then I read further and realized that that wasn't going to happen. At first I thought that Nadira was a bit stupid for not trying to be friends with her sister. They really do have to stick together. But then I read the last sentence of the quote, and realized that they've passed the point where they can be friends. Aisha insults Nadira too much, and unfortunately Nadira would never be able to be around that for long enough to make up with her sister. The two girls are too different, and too much time has passed for them to form a strong relationship. 

pg 28 Ch. 4

"We began to feel as if the air had frozen around us, trapping us between two jagged* ice floes."

*Vocab Word! :)

That's really descriptive!