"My name is Aisha Hossain. And I am an illegal alien."

Throughout this entire book, there has been two themes that run nearly parallel,but not quite. In the end, they must inevitably clash. The traditionalists believe that the best way, and the only way to handle being an illegal immigrant in a country that is hostile, is to stay unseen, to stay silent behind polite smiles. And then, there is a another group, that wants to blow the top off of all the secrets- shout the news off the rooftops and loud blaring signs and billboard and long lines of joined-hand protesters. And those two attitudes can only co-exist for so long. Aisha really had a choice to make here- either make some blah-blah speech, or (le gasp) tell the truth. There was no middle ground. And the decision she made led to her family being legal. Personally, as far as the ending goes, i was disappointed- i had expected more of the author. However, i can note that her strengths seem to be more rooted in language then plot, which is understandable. But on that note, some of the similes and metaphors she used were very good. I can even see traces of her in my writing now-a-days, and i feel as though i owe much of how i grew as a writer this year to her.