Dear Pakistan

4.5 stars.

This is such a great book about teenager who grew up in Pakistan adapting to Australian culture. It really resonated with me as I was a migrant to Australia too, albeit a lot younger than the main character when we moved here.

I think Rosanne Hawke did a great job of depicting the struggles of fitting in and making new friends in a foreign culture. I couldn't help but think of Malala when I read this too and the similar struggle she went through when she started living in England. Overall a very well written book, I wouldn't mind reading the next one in the series too.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is one of the most impressive and well written book in the YA genre I have read in a long time. Jamie is struggling in her youth as she returns to her homeland Australia. She has spent most of her life in Pakistan and following their culture. Now back in Australia the culture, customs and tolerance is very difficult for her. There is a great message in this story for all ages. Actually two messages. First, tolerance and acceptance for anyone and secondly acceptance and love for yourself. Beautifully written and very good read.

This story about reverse culture shock rang so real, I had to go back to the summary and make sure it was really fiction.

Jamie is still in high school when her family decides to leave Pakistan and move back to Australia so she and her siblings could continue their education. Even though she is supposed to be home, she feels like an alien, and as if she has lost her identity.

The story is narrated in first person and has few parts initially in a diary form—where Jamie changed the greeting for "Dear Pakistan—and then as a story inside the story, a kind of a what-if in case she had remained in Pakistan. I didn't like those parts for most of the book but it gradually caught me.

I haven't experienced anything close to Jamie but even I could relate to her situation. The author knew to put in words the feeling of not knowing where home is, and having lived through something though less intense I could identify word by word.

I believe it is the perfect pick for a younger public, middle-grade level. Moreover, the different point of view on Pakistan was very enriching, and would make for a heated discussion in a group, when compared to what one would usually think of the country and its costumes.

Dear Pakistan

What a gem of a book! This young adult book has a little bit of everything that would appeal to mainly teenage girls I would say, who are interested in different cultures and facing teen challenges.
Jaime, or Jameela has returned to Australia after living in Pakistan for her formative years. I loved how the transition was handled, how the culture shock was dealt with and how Jaime faced the confusion over her identity.
I loved all the characters, the story and I look forward to reading the next instalment.

With many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5* from me.