![]() Watched by Marina Budhos was a difficult read for me. It opened a window to a world that I did not really know existed. After 9/11, I was aware of difficulties and Islamaphobia that many Muslims faced (and still face), but I guess I did not realize the intensity and how tough it must have been to be Muslim in America especially at this time in history. I did not love Budhos’s writing style or really connect with the protagonist Naeem, but I could not put the book down. It was like staring at a train wreck. I did not want to see what happened, but I needed to know. The one underlying point that Budhos makes clear in this novel is how the Muslim population felt “watched” and how that affected their lives and interactions with each other. It did not seem that the characters could really trust anyone because they were hyperaware that neighbors had been planted to “watch” them and report suspicious behavior. In the novel Naeem struggles with first being sort of proud that his handlers entrusted him with this important job. He felt that he was doing something to protect his community, and he enjoyed the money he received. But, as he got deeper into the program, and was in the midst of surveilling his friend, Ibraham, he began to feel differently. Naeem begins to empathize with Ibraham and see that he feels lost and isolated and does not know what to do. This internal struggle between what Naeem was seeing and how the police instigated and enticed Ibraham into admitting he is “planning” something is what really struck me. It made me realize how lost and isolated these young men must feel. Like many teenagers, they are struggling to find their place in the world, but they are also being pressured by their families to be “good Muslims”, they are feeling watched at all times, and then they become very susceptible to extremists and/or other outside forces that try to offer them a “better life”. Although, I hope none of my students have encountered a situation similar to Naeem’s, I do think the majority of teenagers could relate to Naeem and his struggles to find his place in the world and to make his family proud. I would be interested to see if my Muslim students see any of their lives mirrored in Naeem’s, and if they too have ever felt “watched”. I would hope they have not, but I imagine some of them probably have. I plan on adding this book to my recommended list for students to read. Approximate Reading Level: 6th-8th grades
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