by J.C. Carleson
ebook, 304 pages
February 11th 2014
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
ARC from Netgalley
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD
When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?
J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics.
It is certainly interesting to read about the so-called 'the other side' where we get to experienced first hand how the families of a fictional middle east dictator survived the aftermath of a fallen kingdom. And the fact that this book is purportedly written an ex-CIA officer just intrigued me.
I can't imagined how someone so young can go through all that and still retain her sanity. I mean to discover that your own father is responsible for the death of countless lives is harrowing. And as hard as Laila tried to adapt to her new life, she can't seemed to shake that sense of dread and responsibility that haunts her small family. At first, you can't help but feel sorry for Laila but as the story progress and we get a glimpse of how other families from her own country tried to live in the U.S., it just annoyed me that she didn't do more for them. It took her awhile to finally stand up to her mother who still desperately clings to the notion of life of luxury despite living in a rundown two bedroom apartment. And her younger brother is so clueless and still thinks of himself as the rightful prince to the lost kingdom.
I can't help but think that this is more of an in-between book. We only get glimpses of Laila's life after she left her country and before she actually went back there in the end. I mean the conditions of her family's return isn't that perfect and I get the feeling that it's more like choosing between the lesser of two evils but to realize that this book is partly inspired by real life situations disturbed me greatly.
I can't imagined how someone so young can go through all that and still retain her sanity. I mean to discover that your own father is responsible for the death of countless lives is harrowing. And as hard as Laila tried to adapt to her new life, she can't seemed to shake that sense of dread and responsibility that haunts her small family. At first, you can't help but feel sorry for Laila but as the story progress and we get a glimpse of how other families from her own country tried to live in the U.S., it just annoyed me that she didn't do more for them. It took her awhile to finally stand up to her mother who still desperately clings to the notion of life of luxury despite living in a rundown two bedroom apartment. And her younger brother is so clueless and still thinks of himself as the rightful prince to the lost kingdom.
I can't help but think that this is more of an in-between book. We only get glimpses of Laila's life after she left her country and before she actually went back there in the end. I mean the conditions of her family's return isn't that perfect and I get the feeling that it's more like choosing between the lesser of two evils but to realize that this book is partly inspired by real life situations disturbed me greatly.
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