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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman>
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 08:40:12 -0500
Marina Budhos asked me to post the following message. Megan
From Marina:
Just to give readers some sense about the origins of the book and its connection to 9/11: right after the tragedy, I went to the Muslim community in Brooklyn to interview girls about their experiences. Having published Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers several years before, even then I'd become aware of the distinct experiences of Muslim girls--indeed that became a section in the book, where I tried to make visible their lives and perspectives. The girls I met were frightened, confused, opinionated, silent, and in the next few months, I tried to keep my ear to the ground about what was happening for immigrant teenagers--especially undocumented teenagers, who thought their whole life, their future, rested in the U.S.
At first I thought I was going to do some journalism around this story. And then I realized that what interested me was getting "inside" and imagining their lives--the leap that we can make in fiction and which makes this a human story, not just a political one. I realized I wanted to write a family story, about one girl who comes to be visible within her family and in the world at large.
Two "moments" set the story in motion for me: the day I opened the paper and read about families fleeing to the Canadian border. All I could think about was "Those are the kids I interviewed. What are they feeling right now?" And another time, I sat on a panel where another participant mentioned how shattered the Bangladeshi community was, in the wake of 9/11, and with the institution of the Muslim Registration Act. I walked away very shaken and knew it was time to take the fictional plunge.
That said, I've also been amazed at how the imaginary does touch on the real. On my website, www.marinabudhos.com
<http://www.marinabudhos.com>, I've posted some responses I've received to the book, and the story of two real-life Bangladeshi sisters, one of whom was held under suspicion of being a terrorist.
Marina
Marina Budhos 17 Ridgewood Terrace Maplewood, NJ 07040 973-763-4503 (h) 973-763-6601 (f) 917-292-7074 (mobile) www.marinabudhos.com <http://www.marinabudhos.com/>
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 08:40:12 -0500
Marina Budhos asked me to post the following message. Megan
From Marina:
Just to give readers some sense about the origins of the book and its connection to 9/11: right after the tragedy, I went to the Muslim community in Brooklyn to interview girls about their experiences. Having published Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers several years before, even then I'd become aware of the distinct experiences of Muslim girls--indeed that became a section in the book, where I tried to make visible their lives and perspectives. The girls I met were frightened, confused, opinionated, silent, and in the next few months, I tried to keep my ear to the ground about what was happening for immigrant teenagers--especially undocumented teenagers, who thought their whole life, their future, rested in the U.S.
At first I thought I was going to do some journalism around this story. And then I realized that what interested me was getting "inside" and imagining their lives--the leap that we can make in fiction and which makes this a human story, not just a political one. I realized I wanted to write a family story, about one girl who comes to be visible within her family and in the world at large.
Two "moments" set the story in motion for me: the day I opened the paper and read about families fleeing to the Canadian border. All I could think about was "Those are the kids I interviewed. What are they feeling right now?" And another time, I sat on a panel where another participant mentioned how shattered the Bangladeshi community was, in the wake of 9/11, and with the institution of the Muslim Registration Act. I walked away very shaken and knew it was time to take the fictional plunge.
That said, I've also been amazed at how the imaginary does touch on the real. On my website, www.marinabudhos.com
<http://www.marinabudhos.com>, I've posted some responses I've received to the book, and the story of two real-life Bangladeshi sisters, one of whom was held under suspicion of being a terrorist.
Marina
Marina Budhos 17 Ridgewood Terrace Maplewood, NJ 07040 973-763-4503 (h) 973-763-6601 (f) 917-292-7074 (mobile) www.marinabudhos.com <http://www.marinabudhos.com/>
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, UW-Madison 600 N. Park St., Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706 ph: 608-262-9503 fax: 608-262-4933 schliesman at education.wisc.eduReceived on Thu 07 Sep 2006 08:40:12 AM CDT
