Internment

Research the history surrounding the American government’s decision to relocate thousands of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Explain the supposed logic behind the government’s heinous program. How does that historic reality shape the realism of the novel?

The Muslims interred in the camp turn to religion and prayer as a survival strategy, most notably Layla’s mother. How does religion provide the detainees with strength? How does the novel suggest that this sort of strength alone is not enough to endure?

Define how the novel uses the term “resistance.” Using Jake Reynolds, Saleem the minder, and David, how does the novel compare and contrast strategies for resisting the imprisonment policy?