
“It feels scary to talk, because once the words are out, you can’t put them back in. But if you write words and they don’t come out the way you want them to, you can erase them and start over.”― Veera Hiranandani, The Night Diary
In 1947 India, British rule has come to an end and the country is being split in two to form India and Pakistan. India will largely be inhabited by Hindus while Muslims will largely live in Pakistan. Half-Hindu, half-Muslim Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs. Her father says they need to leave because it is too dangerous for them to stay in what is now Pakistan, so the family embarks on a long and very dangerous journey across the new border. Nisha’s mother died when she was a baby, and after receiving a diary, Nisha decides to use the diary to write letters at night to her mother. In these letters, Nisha shares her fears, confusion, and hopes for the future. After losing her mother and her homeland, Nisha hopes she doesn’t lose herself too.
Before reading this book, I knew very little about the formation of modern day India and Pakistan. This story conveyed the tensions, confusion, and emotions of that time and I have a better understanding of what happened in 1947 and its impacts on today as a result. This book is very much worth time of kids and adults.
Content Advisory: Violence, religious persecution, deportation