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From School Library Journal

March 1, 2019

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-olds Asha and Yesofu have been friends their whole lives. African Yesofu's mother works for Indian Asha's family in formerly British-occupied Uganda. Their many differences have never bothered them, until the year Asha invites Yesofu to her birthday and he doesn't attend. Then, Uganda's leader declares that all Indians with British citizenship must leave Uganda within 90 days in order to return the country to its original and true proprietors: the African people. As the countdown progresses, the mandate becomes more exclusionary to all Indian citizens, and the friends struggle to repair their friendship as both are torn between what they feel is right for themselves versus the unfair treatment of the other. Any chance of reconciliation is thrown into question when Yesofu shares a secret about Asha's family that puts them even more at risk. Athaide's debut competently tackles the tough topics of colonialism and refugee crises, among other issues that were faced by the citizens of Uganda in 1972. Told in alternating perspectives within the 90-day countdown, both characters reckon with questions that are still relevant in today's world. An author's note provides more information about this conflict. VERDICT A timely addition to middle grade shelves in need of non-Western historical fiction. This works as a strong companion to Veera Hiranandani's The Night Diary and A.L. Sonnichsen's Red Butterfly.-Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove Public Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

March 1, 2019
Grades 3-7 Asha and Yesofu are best friends, despite the fact that the wealthy Asha is Indian and Yesofu is African. Asha isn't always aware of her privilege, but Yesofu is all too conscious of the inequalities between Indians and Africans in Uganda. Things get exponentially more complicated when Idi Amin announces that all of the Indians in Uganda must leave. At first, Yesofu supports Amin's plan, seeing in it the potential of a brighter future for his family. But when both Yesofu and Asha see the violent reality of the expulsion, everything they used to think shatters. Told in alternating perspectives, Athaide, who was born in Uganda and lived there until her family left just before the expulsion, excellently captures how Amin's plan affected individuals in complex and heart-wrenching ways. It also portrays how the development of an us versus them mentality can be swift and brutal, with no easy solutions for peace. A moving story about the power and limits of friendship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

From Horn Book

March 1, 2019
Part of Ugandan President Idi Amin's Africanization policy included ordering Indian residents to leave Uganda within ninety days. Brought to the country in 1895 as laborers, Indians eventually became a privileged class, to the resentment of some native Ugandans. The story of twelve-year-old best friends Asha and Yesofu takes place during the expulsion period in 1972. Asha's family is wealthy, educated, and Indian. Yesofu's family is poor, uneducated, and black. While Asha doesn't see the distinction ( We're Ugandans. Just like you ), Yesofu can't ignore their differences. Asha receives superior medical care; Yesofu is prohibited from entering certain places. Author Athaide (who was born in Uganda of Indian descent) probes questions of nationalism, poverty, and privilege in original and compelling ways. The novel examines how institutions built on the oppression of a native population can change a culture, and it asks: who is African? Eschewing a saccharine conclusion of reconciliation, Athaide explores Asha's recognition that some differences cannot be easily bridged. Anchored in historical research and autobiographical remembrance, with additional context provided by an author's note, childhood photographs, a timeline, and additional resources, this is a heartbreaking and resonant tale. julie hakim azzam

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from February 18, 2019
Through the eyes of two 12-year-olds, Athaide's timely middle grade debut captures Uganda's political unrest during three months in 1972, following President Idi Amin's rapid expulsion of those of Indian descent from the country. Asha's family heritage is Indian; Yesofu's is African. They're best friends, but after Asha invites Yesofu to her birthday party at a club where "the only Africans inside were... serving the drinks and food," he becomes increasingly exasperated with her obliviousness to their class differences. His mother does household work for Asha's parents, who enable Yesofu to attend school and play cricket, but Asha has never been to his home. As Ugandans of African descent celebrate when people of Indian descent begin to leave the country, tensions heighten, spilling over into the classroom, the cricket field, and the town, and erupting into violence. In alternating chapters, Athaide presents each child's frustration at the other's perspective, as well as their concern for each other's welfare and their growing awareness of the danger their friendship poses to their families. This compassionate novel conveys the multiple injustices and tragedies experienced by both African and Indian Ugandans during this period, and the power of friendship to sustain hope in tumultuous times. A context-building timeline and author's note conclude. Ages 8—12.

From Kirkus

Starred review from January 15, 2019
In 1972, the president of Uganda, Idi Amin, ordered the expulsion of the country's "foreign Indians," giving them 90 days to leave the country. In alternating chapters, Athaide tells the story of best friends Asha, who is Indian, and Yesofu, who is African and whose mother is a servant in Asha's home, as they navigate this xenophobic, nationalist chaos. Yesofu is influenced by Mamma's words--"You and Asha are from different worlds," she warns him--but Asha is determined to prove him wrong: "Black. Brown. Indian. African. She'd...[s]how him these differences didn't matter." Yet when Asha sees Yesofu "cheering, waving, and hollering" at an anti-Indian rally, she is hurt and confused. When, shortly after, at school during a heated argument, Yesofu snarls at her, "Don't [my family] deserve more than being your slaves--don't I?" Asha is incredulous. As the novel progresses, however, Yesofu, too, has misgivings about this Ugandan nationalism and the possible loss of his dearest friend. Drawing on Athaide's own childhood experiences as a Ugandan-born British-Indian whose family was affected by the expulsion, the story does not shy from the violence and death of the episode. The use of the alternating perspectives helps readers unfamiliar with the era understand both it and the feelings on both sides; an author's note provides further context.Though based in history, this novel is timely, addressing the human complexity of literal borders and figurative walls and lives that are irrevocably and heartbreakingly changed in crises. (bibliography, further resources) (Historical fiction. 9-13)

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