It’s 1947, and India has just gained independence from British rule.
12-year-old Nisha’s family has lived in Mirpur Khas for as long as Nisha
can remember, but now they must leave: Nisha’s father is Hindu, and
Mirpur Khas falls within the part of India that is now the new Muslim
country of Pakistan. The country’s leaders have partitioned India along
religious lines, displacing millions. As refugees stream both ways
across the new border, violence erupts. But Nisha’s deceased mother was
Muslim, so she finds herself wondering where her place is in this new
India.
This book is gripping and well-written. Both the political
turmoil and Nisha’s inner struggles are given weight and dignity. I’m
sure this is an unfamiliar part of world history to many American
children, making this an important book as well as an interesting one.
It’s sure to inspire additional research in many of its readers.
(Reviewed from a copy borrowed through my library system.)
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