Review: Watched

Watched by Marina Budhos
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Naeem was five when his mother died and his father left Bangladesh for NYC. It wasn't until he was 11 that Naeem found himself on a plane heading toward his father, new stepmother and half-brother, and opportunity that awaits.

Now, as a high school senior, Naeem may not be the poster-child of immigrant success, but he doesn't consider himself a lost cause either. A bit rebellious, sure, but when he learns he won't graduate and is arrested for shoplifting, Naeem is forced to reconsider his options. A way out is offered to him by police when they give him the opportunity to "watch" for potential threats within his tight knit Muslim community. Is this his chance to be a hero or a traitor?

Through Naeem, readers are exposed to a world where being watched is a way of life that most Americans have no idea actually exists. "Watched" is a window into immigrant life and culture, but also to the cost of today's culture of surveillance.

View all my reviews