"I feel a little burn of envy, and then it's gone, vanished into the blue sky outside."
Page 150 of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

This quote makes me feel very proud of Nadira. I know that I tend to get very jealous of simple things and knowing that my cousin's life would be suddenly way easier than mine just because she had gotten married I would have more than a little burn of envy. I would probably go up in a large smoke of envy. I love the fact that Budhos used the word vanished, because even if she hadn't included "the blue sky outside" and she just had said (something along the lines of) "the little burn of envy vanished" I would get a pretty clear picture (because of the terminology).

Jump, Aisha Jump!

“’Come on!’ I call. ‘It’s not that far!’ I hold out both hands. The hot air wavers between us. Then Aisha lets her arms float to her sides as she jumps toward me.”
Page 148 of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

I have really noticed that the author (Marina Budhos) loves using a combination of second meanings and foreshadowing. This is the last paragraph of the chapter, right after Nadira has convinced Aisha that they need to go talk to Mr. Friedlander about their legal status, and try to convince him that Aisha is worthy of being the next valedictorian. To me, I feel that this sentence proves that Aisha is trusting Nadira. She is jumping to her with trust both physically and literally.

Questions for you:

What do you like about this quote? (The way it’s written, what it means)
What do you dislike about it?
What do you think will happen with the girls and Mr. Friedlander?

No Air (Breathe)

"When the pool closed in September, Abba cupped his hands around my shoulders and said, 'If you know how to breathe, you can get through anything.'"
Chapter 13 page 116 of Ask Me No Questions, by Marina Budhos

I really enjoyed the whole story of Nadira learning how to swim that the author decided to include at the beginning of the chapter. I feel it was really great to get a sort of ominous feel of what is going to happen in the rest of the chapter.

Later in the Nadira ends up choking up when trying to get a green card illegally. At this point I feel that Nadira needs(or needed) to remember back to when her father was teaching her how to swim and/or breathe. She needed to either breathe and get out of there, or breathe and commit. I am glad that Budhos decided to include that so I could feel like I knew the history of Nadira and reflect back on her memory.

Puppy Dog Eyes

"'What's going on? You missed the city-wide finals a couple of weeks ago. Then you didn't even show for the practice this Saturday!'
She tenses, 'I was sick.'
'And you couldn't have called?'
Aisha tucks her hair behind her ears. She gives him one of her sweet smiles. 'I'm really sorry Mr. Friedlander...'"
Chapter 12, pages 108-109 of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

This quote makes me wonder how long Aisha can keep up this "good-on-the-outside" look. It also shows how even though Nadira is there, she isn't willing to correct her sister's lies in front of others.
Later in the chapter Nadira is called in to talk to her teachers about Aisha's personal problems, and why she hasn't been as committed as usual. I feel that the teachers/principal should've called in both Nadira and her sister. This might have been very difficult because of their legal status but it would have been very interesting to read.

Uncle III

"We've become a house run by women, just as Uncle warned."
Chapter 11, page 88 of Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

I like the fact that this is the first sentence of the chapter, and it is sort of foreshadowing what is to come in the chapter. Also it is referring back to before, so it's a two in one.

I don't exactly feel that the house is run by women. I am assuming that by thinking/saying this Nadira means that the women are in charge. I believe the only reason this is true is that there is just no men present in the house. But this should not affect Nadira, she should be willing to take charge regardless.

Uncle II

"Uncle is standing near the door, frozen. His arms hang at his sides at this crazy crooked angle, and his eyes glitter like black stones. It's like the words are stuck in his mouth, and he can't get them out."
Chapter 10, Page 81 of Ask Me No Questions

I chose this quote because I dislike it. I feel like this is a moment filled with hard emotion but the author did not portray it correctly. When I read this quote I compared it to when Aisha broke down in front of the bakery. I feel both of these key moments were not identified enough by Marina Budhos, the author.

If I were to portray the same scene, here is how I would write it:

"I glance towards Uncle, leaning on the door frame. His body locked and tense, and an expression on his face so deep with fear showed me a side of Uncle I had not seen before. He is staring at the ancy young man and I can see that he is attempting to speak but the words are stuck in him like a boulder that won't budge. I want to step into his body and speak for him, but I know that even at this moment not even Aisha or Taslima would say the right thing."

The Sister-sister Team

"It's been a long while since I felt so good about Aisha. We're together, a sister-sister team. Sometimes an idea occurs to me in the middle of class, and I'll jot it down and meet her in the hall later."
Chapter 9, page 78 of Ask Me No Questions

This quote shows a real turning point for Aisha and Nadira's relationship. I think that they have a much stronger relationship now that they are working together on an equal level. My prediction is that Aisha and Nadira will use this reborn(stronger than before) relationship to take on the congressman/whoever they face. Tim, Taslima, and Tareq will all be sidekicks to Nadira and Aisha. Then they are going to get into some sort of illegal immigration danger themselves. I don't have a prediction for then ending yet but I am guessing that is what is going to happen next.