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We Are All We Have
When a teenage girl’s single mom is taken by ICE, everything changes—all of her hopes and dreams for the future have turned into survival.
There’s a knock at the door.
It’s the police.
They’re taking Rania’s mom.
Seventeen-year-old Rania doesn’t understand why—they’ve done all the right things, haven’t they? Her mom said their case with immigration was fine. If this was a lie, what else is?
Alone with her younger brother, Kamal, Rania will have to figure out how to survive. When they wind up in a home with other kids waiting to hear if they can stay in this country, she meets a charming boy named Carlos. He persuades Rania to go to her high school graduation. And from there, they just keep driving.
Searching for freedom while feeling trapped by circumstances beyond their control, Rania begins to fall for Carlos and uncovers painful truths about her family, and this country, where being an asylum seeker or an undocumented immigrant can mean anything but freedom.
There’s a knock at the door.
It’s the police.
They’re taking Rania’s mom.
Seventeen-year-old Rania doesn’t understand why—they’ve done all the right things, haven’t they? Her mom said their case with immigration was fine. If this was a lie, what else is?
Alone with her younger brother, Kamal, Rania will have to figure out how to survive. When they wind up in a home with other kids waiting to hear if they can stay in this country, she meets a charming boy named Carlos. He persuades Rania to go to her high school graduation. And from there, they just keep driving.
Searching for freedom while feeling trapped by circumstances beyond their control, Rania begins to fall for Carlos and uncovers painful truths about her family, and this country, where being an asylum seeker or an undocumented immigrant can mean anything but freedom.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2022
5 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
Marina Budhos
15 books71 followersMarina Budhos is an author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent novel is We Are All We Have, about Rania, a teenage asylum seeker, whose life is suddenly shattered and she goes on the road, in search of sanctuary, and family truths. Previously she published The Long Ride, Watched, which received an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature YA Honor and a The Walter Award Honor. Her other novels include Tell Us We're Home, a 2017 Essex County YA Pick and Ask Me No Questions, recipient of a James Cook Teen Book Award, The Professor of Light, House of Waiting, and a nonfiction book, Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers. With her husband Marc Aronson, she co-authored Eyes of the World: Robert Capa & Gerda Taro & The Invention of Modern Photojournalism and Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom & Science, a 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Award Finalist. Budhos has been a Fulbright Scholar to India, received there Fellowships from the New Jersey Council on the Arts and is a professor emerita at William Paterson University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
April 12, 2023
This was a tender and extremely moving YA romance between Rania and Carlos, two undocumented teens sent to a detention camp by ICE officials. When they break out and embark on a summer road trip, they can't help falling in love as they avoid the harsh realities of their life as unwelcome, unofficial citizens of the United States.
While Muslim Rania is seeking asylum with her mother and younger brother from their abusive father, Carlos is a Mexican immigrant who finds himself without any options other than escaping to Canada where he has a relative willing to take him in.
Perfect for fans of Somewhere between bitter and sweet or Sia Martinez and the moonlit beginning of everything. This was good on audio narrated by Ferah Merani and does a great job putting a relatable, human face on the American immigration problem. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! This will definitely be on the top of my YA reads this year!!
While Muslim Rania is seeking asylum with her mother and younger brother from their abusive father, Carlos is a Mexican immigrant who finds himself without any options other than escaping to Canada where he has a relative willing to take him in.
Perfect for fans of Somewhere between bitter and sweet or Sia Martinez and the moonlit beginning of everything. This was good on audio narrated by Ferah Merani and does a great job putting a relatable, human face on the American immigration problem. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! This will definitely be on the top of my YA reads this year!!
July 13, 2022
I'm so lucky to be able to read this manuscript pre-release; but what an adventure!! I absolutely fell in love with all the characters!
October 28, 2022
Short and concise, very straight to the story and point of it which I appreciate. Sad and important - Felt very realistic.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
October 7, 2022
In many ways this book reads like a reboot of the author's 2007 book Ask Me No Questions, there are sprinkled in references to Islamic culture, but nothing about the characters or the author truly show the book to be a Muslim story, or Islam centered. Much like Ask Me No Questions, the book is told through a female protagonist who is forced to figure out why a parent is detained, what to do now that they are on their own with a sibling, and figuring out why they are being forced to leave America if they are not undocumented, but asylum seekers. And much like that book, the protagonist is really whiney, entitled, and annoying, as is the mother. This 256 page middle school/young YA read draws drama from the 2019 Muslim ban and ICE raids, but is more a character based plot than a political focused telling. Because of the similarities to the earlier published book, and the lack of Islam in the text, and being unclear regarding the faith of the author, I'm just going to write a quick review and move on. The book is a quick read it has flashbacks to Pakistan and in those scenes mentions mosques, Eid, and Ramadan in passing. A few cultural side characters mutter an inshaAllah on occasion and there is a clear #muslimintheillustrations like side character that is remarked to wear a scarf on her head named Amirah, but is barely in the story. Worth being aware of for younger readers is romance, kissing, making out, between Rania and Carlos, and *SPOILER* that the mother left her husband for another man years earlier.
SYNOPSIS:
Rania is weeks away from high school graduation when an ICE raid casts a wide net and picks up her mother as collateral. Rania has always known they check in regularly to appeal their status, but with her journalist father killed years earlier in Pakistan, the family fled to America for safety, Kamal was even born in America, it has never been a concern. As her mother gets taken away, Rania starts to wonder about the secrets her mother has always kept and the truth starts to unravel. In the process though, protective services takes her and her brother to a shelter where they meet Carlos and escape. Once on the run, they attend Rania's graduation, spend months on Cape Cod, gain protection from a congregation at a synagogue all while trying to piece together Rania's truth.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I like that it touches on the Muslim Ban and the fear that gripped the nation for anyone in the process of being a citizen or trying to travel to the flagged countries. I wish it would have actually spent a bit more time on that. The title of the book makes it sound like the family is completely alone and isolated, yet, they are constantly surrounded by people that are looking out for them and sympathetic in their choice not to ask too many questions. I struggled with liking Rania, when you write a book about people that may or may not have broken a law, regardless of if you agree with the law or not, you really have to make it compelling. You have to get behind the character and their motives, and I never did. I did not understand why she for example finally finds her uncle or an aunt and doesn't demand answers, it is like, I'm tired, I'll nap and we will talk later, no, not believable. Additionally, I could not get a feel for the younger brother, I get that he is sheltered, but he reads like he is four years old, not that he is in second grade at best, I think he might be in fourth. Really all over the place. And the Rania and Carlos relationship, should have stayed awkward. They at times are like siblings, and when the line is crossed, Carlos even remarks on it, and I think having it be weird, but clear that they have a bond, would have been a much stronger choice. A lot of the plot holes make the story drag such as what was the problems at the bank for the uncle, but because it is short, I think older readers will get through it. I don't think I'd suggest anyone read the book, but it isn't so awful that I would warn too harshly against it. The characters don't identify or act Muslim, so when they kiss or lie, it isn't a reflection on the religion.
FLAGS:
Kissing, lying, running away, making-out. Muslim friend sneaking out, drinking, partying, stereotypical oppressive Muslim dad and meek mom.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I don't know that I would throw the book out, but I wouldn't actively seek to acquire it to shelve either.
SYNOPSIS:
Rania is weeks away from high school graduation when an ICE raid casts a wide net and picks up her mother as collateral. Rania has always known they check in regularly to appeal their status, but with her journalist father killed years earlier in Pakistan, the family fled to America for safety, Kamal was even born in America, it has never been a concern. As her mother gets taken away, Rania starts to wonder about the secrets her mother has always kept and the truth starts to unravel. In the process though, protective services takes her and her brother to a shelter where they meet Carlos and escape. Once on the run, they attend Rania's graduation, spend months on Cape Cod, gain protection from a congregation at a synagogue all while trying to piece together Rania's truth.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I like that it touches on the Muslim Ban and the fear that gripped the nation for anyone in the process of being a citizen or trying to travel to the flagged countries. I wish it would have actually spent a bit more time on that. The title of the book makes it sound like the family is completely alone and isolated, yet, they are constantly surrounded by people that are looking out for them and sympathetic in their choice not to ask too many questions. I struggled with liking Rania, when you write a book about people that may or may not have broken a law, regardless of if you agree with the law or not, you really have to make it compelling. You have to get behind the character and their motives, and I never did. I did not understand why she for example finally finds her uncle or an aunt and doesn't demand answers, it is like, I'm tired, I'll nap and we will talk later, no, not believable. Additionally, I could not get a feel for the younger brother, I get that he is sheltered, but he reads like he is four years old, not that he is in second grade at best, I think he might be in fourth. Really all over the place. And the Rania and Carlos relationship, should have stayed awkward. They at times are like siblings, and when the line is crossed, Carlos even remarks on it, and I think having it be weird, but clear that they have a bond, would have been a much stronger choice. A lot of the plot holes make the story drag such as what was the problems at the bank for the uncle, but because it is short, I think older readers will get through it. I don't think I'd suggest anyone read the book, but it isn't so awful that I would warn too harshly against it. The characters don't identify or act Muslim, so when they kiss or lie, it isn't a reflection on the religion.
FLAGS:
Kissing, lying, running away, making-out. Muslim friend sneaking out, drinking, partying, stereotypical oppressive Muslim dad and meek mom.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I don't know that I would throw the book out, but I wouldn't actively seek to acquire it to shelve either.
June 20, 2025
3.5 stars
November 1, 2022
“Sometimes you think your life story is a straight line, a road humming forward. Maybe Ammi thought her story was a clear way ahead. She went to the best schools. She had a family, fancy clothes, a spot at a university. A big wedding and husband.
Me too. I thought Fatima and I were the same.
I thought my biggest problem was Ammi trying to be me.
I thought I got my height from Abu.
I was so focused on what was ahead, that I didn’t understand what was behind me. It was too complicated. It didn’t make a clean story.
What good is a story if you don’t know all the parts?” (215)
Seventeen-year-old Rania came with her pregnant mother from Pakistan when she was a child. They were seeking asylum, ostensibly fleeing threats from those who killed her father, a journalist. Her younger brother Kamal was born an American citizen.
When her mother is arrested by ICE and sent to a detention facility, Raina’s life—her plans for hanging out with best friend Fatima, working in a book store, getting ready for college—come to a screeching halt. Not yet 18 and without an adult to take custody of them, Raina and Kamal are sent to a shelter, and Raina learns that her mother has been lying to her about the status of their appeal, her Pakistani family, who her father is, and the reason they fled to the United States. And she has no proof that their lives in Pakistan were in danger.
“What hurts more: That they want us to leave? Or that my mother lied to me? (30)
“It’s like everything I’ve understood about us, our situation, has widened into this huge movie screen. It’s not just me and Kamal. Or Ammi [in detention] in Pennsylvania. Something bigger is going on: the white tents we’ve seen on the news; the shifting lines; the children sleeping curled on concrete floors; and now here [in the shelter], covering their faces. We are disappearing, into the holes and crevices of this country.” (85)
Carlos was one of the thousands of undocumented, unaccompanied teens who crossed the border on his own, fleeing gang violence, and ended up in a shelter, facing deportation when he turns 18.
When Rania and Carlos meet, they take to the road with Kamal, first to find the uncle that Rania didn’t not know she had, and, when he refuses guardianship, to disappear. They shelter in a motel for teen summer workers where they earn money and the people look after them and when it is necessary to leave, Lidia finds them a temporary sanctuary in a synagogue in Vermont where Carlos realizes that their only chances are for him to cross to Canada and for Rania and Kamal to return “home” to help their mother prove her case with Rania’s newly-awakened memories of their life in Pakistan.
The heart of the story is Rania and Carlos’ relationship, both proud, independent teenagers who support and accept help from each other while providing Kamal with the childhood that they missed.
This is an essential YA read, showing multiple sides of the immigration-refugee situation, and should be read by all teens, including teachers, as many of these children and adolescents are hiding in plain sight in our classrooms. As Lidia, Rania’s mother’s lawyer, says, “The rules keep changing. I’ve got long-term clients in detention. I’ve got grandmothers put on airplanes without saying goodbye. People with job offers unable to get here. Everyday it’s another story. Your mother’s story is just one of them.” (69)
Me too. I thought Fatima and I were the same.
I thought my biggest problem was Ammi trying to be me.
I thought I got my height from Abu.
I was so focused on what was ahead, that I didn’t understand what was behind me. It was too complicated. It didn’t make a clean story.
What good is a story if you don’t know all the parts?” (215)
Seventeen-year-old Rania came with her pregnant mother from Pakistan when she was a child. They were seeking asylum, ostensibly fleeing threats from those who killed her father, a journalist. Her younger brother Kamal was born an American citizen.
When her mother is arrested by ICE and sent to a detention facility, Raina’s life—her plans for hanging out with best friend Fatima, working in a book store, getting ready for college—come to a screeching halt. Not yet 18 and without an adult to take custody of them, Raina and Kamal are sent to a shelter, and Raina learns that her mother has been lying to her about the status of their appeal, her Pakistani family, who her father is, and the reason they fled to the United States. And she has no proof that their lives in Pakistan were in danger.
“What hurts more: That they want us to leave? Or that my mother lied to me? (30)
“It’s like everything I’ve understood about us, our situation, has widened into this huge movie screen. It’s not just me and Kamal. Or Ammi [in detention] in Pennsylvania. Something bigger is going on: the white tents we’ve seen on the news; the shifting lines; the children sleeping curled on concrete floors; and now here [in the shelter], covering their faces. We are disappearing, into the holes and crevices of this country.” (85)
Carlos was one of the thousands of undocumented, unaccompanied teens who crossed the border on his own, fleeing gang violence, and ended up in a shelter, facing deportation when he turns 18.
When Rania and Carlos meet, they take to the road with Kamal, first to find the uncle that Rania didn’t not know she had, and, when he refuses guardianship, to disappear. They shelter in a motel for teen summer workers where they earn money and the people look after them and when it is necessary to leave, Lidia finds them a temporary sanctuary in a synagogue in Vermont where Carlos realizes that their only chances are for him to cross to Canada and for Rania and Kamal to return “home” to help their mother prove her case with Rania’s newly-awakened memories of their life in Pakistan.
The heart of the story is Rania and Carlos’ relationship, both proud, independent teenagers who support and accept help from each other while providing Kamal with the childhood that they missed.
This is an essential YA read, showing multiple sides of the immigration-refugee situation, and should be read by all teens, including teachers, as many of these children and adolescents are hiding in plain sight in our classrooms. As Lidia, Rania’s mother’s lawyer, says, “The rules keep changing. I’ve got long-term clients in detention. I’ve got grandmothers put on airplanes without saying goodbye. People with job offers unable to get here. Everyday it’s another story. Your mother’s story is just one of them.” (69)
November 4, 2022
Listened to audiobook through Libby. This story of the plight of asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants is one that will stay with me.
November 11, 2022
Wow, this book is intense!
I’m super, super grateful for the chance I had to read this one. It was so raw, emotional, and impactful. I feel like I’ll be thinking about this book for days to come.
I really liked Rania. She’s strong, but also confused and scared. It makes her more realistic. Rather than being able to handle it all, she breaks from time to time. Who could blame her? With a younger brother, a mom in a detention center, and her life in shambles, she has a lot to deal with at such a young age. Her plight frustrated me, it broke my heart, and it infuriated me. It reminded me that so many others are going through similar situations in real life…right now!
I really love how the author wrote this story. It feels very “life before” and “life after” which somehow makes it even more impactful. I applaud the bravery in exposing a broken system. I admire the author’s desire to create empathy and show the people in the immigration for who they really are—humans.
As far as young adult contemporary novels go, this one is fantastic. It’s not a light, fluffy read, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it. If you enjoyed All My Rage, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
I’m super, super grateful for the chance I had to read this one. It was so raw, emotional, and impactful. I feel like I’ll be thinking about this book for days to come.
I really liked Rania. She’s strong, but also confused and scared. It makes her more realistic. Rather than being able to handle it all, she breaks from time to time. Who could blame her? With a younger brother, a mom in a detention center, and her life in shambles, she has a lot to deal with at such a young age. Her plight frustrated me, it broke my heart, and it infuriated me. It reminded me that so many others are going through similar situations in real life…right now!
I really love how the author wrote this story. It feels very “life before” and “life after” which somehow makes it even more impactful. I applaud the bravery in exposing a broken system. I admire the author’s desire to create empathy and show the people in the immigration for who they really are—humans.
As far as young adult contemporary novels go, this one is fantastic. It’s not a light, fluffy read, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t it. If you enjoyed All My Rage, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
February 19, 2025
This is a book that's really going to stick with me. It follows Rania, a 17-year-old Pakistani-American girl who is just about to graduate high school and begin the free life of her dream--college, working at a bookstore, when suddenly her mother is detained by ICE. Now she's left to care for her young brother, attempt to appeal her family's asylum case, and navigate a world that is incredibly hostile to immigrants, especially as the story is set during the 2019 Muslim Ban. Rania and her brother are taken by CPS and incarcerated in a facility for undocumented minors, unable to attend school or do anything. There they meet 17-year-old Carlos, an undocumented Mexican-American boy, and the three of them eventually flee and try to make ends meet and deal with their legal battles on their own.
For a short book, the story really deals with a lot of topics--young love, friendship, growing up, what it means to be family and of course what it means to be an immigrant in the US at that specific moment. I was very impressed with how much nuance the author handled all the topics, weaving them together deftly and creating multi-faceted characters and complex relationships that made you feel for (almost) all of the characters. The prose was also gorgeous and a joy to read, and Rania and Carlos's sweet, slow romance was as delightful as it was heartbreaking.
This is a great book about the struggles and disenfranchisement immigrants experience in this country, and the violent systems that eject and incarcerate many people just trying to survive. It's a great read for teens (obviously it's YA, but it manages to give the disturbing topics covered the gravity with they need while staying age-appropriate and not too dark), but also very impactful for adults too. Highly recommend.
For a short book, the story really deals with a lot of topics--young love, friendship, growing up, what it means to be family and of course what it means to be an immigrant in the US at that specific moment. I was very impressed with how much nuance the author handled all the topics, weaving them together deftly and creating multi-faceted characters and complex relationships that made you feel for (almost) all of the characters. The prose was also gorgeous and a joy to read, and Rania and Carlos's sweet, slow romance was as delightful as it was heartbreaking.
This is a great book about the struggles and disenfranchisement immigrants experience in this country, and the violent systems that eject and incarcerate many people just trying to survive. It's a great read for teens (obviously it's YA, but it manages to give the disturbing topics covered the gravity with they need while staying age-appropriate and not too dark), but also very impactful for adults too. Highly recommend.
December 16, 2023
Seventeen-year-old Rania's life drastically changes when her mother, who had fled Pakistan with pregnant Rania for asylum in the US, is arrested by ICE. Suddenly, Rania's normal teenage life of hanging out with her friend Fatima and working at a bookstore is upended. She and her younger brother Kamal, born in the US, are sent to a shelter. There, Rania uncovers a web of lies about their asylum status, her family in Pakistan, her father's identity, and the reasons for their flight to America. With no proof of danger back in Pakistan, their future becomes uncertain.
Carlos's story intersects with Rania's. He's an undocumented teen who escaped gang violence, only to find himself in a shelter and facing deportation at 18. When Rania and Carlos meet, they form a bond and decide to take Kamal on a desperate journey. They initially seek out an unknown uncle for help, but when he refuses, they choose to disappear. They find respite at a motel, earning money and receiving care, and later at a synagogue in Vermont. There, Carlos makes the tough decision to head to Canada, while Rania and Kamal consider returning to Pakistan to support their mother's case, using Rania's resurfacing memories as evidence.
At its core, this story revolves around Rania and Carlos, two fiercely independent and resilient teenagers. They support each other, accept help, and strive to give Kamal the carefree childhood they never had. Their journey is a poignant tale of survival, identity, and the lengths one goes to forge a future against all odds.
Carlos's story intersects with Rania's. He's an undocumented teen who escaped gang violence, only to find himself in a shelter and facing deportation at 18. When Rania and Carlos meet, they form a bond and decide to take Kamal on a desperate journey. They initially seek out an unknown uncle for help, but when he refuses, they choose to disappear. They find respite at a motel, earning money and receiving care, and later at a synagogue in Vermont. There, Carlos makes the tough decision to head to Canada, while Rania and Kamal consider returning to Pakistan to support their mother's case, using Rania's resurfacing memories as evidence.
At its core, this story revolves around Rania and Carlos, two fiercely independent and resilient teenagers. They support each other, accept help, and strive to give Kamal the carefree childhood they never had. Their journey is a poignant tale of survival, identity, and the lengths one goes to forge a future against all odds.
October 17, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the eARC
This book was not written for me. It is for immigrants and the children of immigrants. It is for those who feel that the place they are in does not welcome them, does not accept them. It’s a story about the complicated experiences that people have to go through, but also about the hope that you can find in them.
Rania is such a messy character, and I mean that in the best way. She is impulsive, proud, and a bit selfish at times. She's a teenager, she's been through a lot and when she thought everything would be alright, it's not. She is shocked at the unfairness of it all. I like that she's allowed to have these emotions, because that's exactly what makes her such a great character.
It touches on family relationships and just relationships in general, connecting with others and accepting help and the importance of being there for one another. The way Rania interacts with her brother, trying to make things easier for him, to give him the peace that she couldn't have. There is also Carlos, someone she can relate to and trust to comfort or protect her.
I think there’s much to learn from this story and I loved that we got to read it and accompany Rania on her journey.
This was a great book and I would definitely recommend it.
This book was not written for me. It is for immigrants and the children of immigrants. It is for those who feel that the place they are in does not welcome them, does not accept them. It’s a story about the complicated experiences that people have to go through, but also about the hope that you can find in them.
Rania is such a messy character, and I mean that in the best way. She is impulsive, proud, and a bit selfish at times. She's a teenager, she's been through a lot and when she thought everything would be alright, it's not. She is shocked at the unfairness of it all. I like that she's allowed to have these emotions, because that's exactly what makes her such a great character.
It touches on family relationships and just relationships in general, connecting with others and accepting help and the importance of being there for one another. The way Rania interacts with her brother, trying to make things easier for him, to give him the peace that she couldn't have. There is also Carlos, someone she can relate to and trust to comfort or protect her.
I think there’s much to learn from this story and I loved that we got to read it and accompany Rania on her journey.
This was a great book and I would definitely recommend it.
October 25, 2022
We Are All We Have is a hard-hitting, if short and concise contemporary, capturing the reality of the impact on families during the “Muslim immigration ban” during the previous presidential adminstration, but also more broadly about the immigrant experience in general, and how it reflects the desire for survival, freedom, and the hope for better, as it always has, even if the powers that he choose to ironically and selectively politicize it.
But I appreciate that, while there are some deep themes, Marina Budhos avoids making her characters into martyrs for the sake of the cause. Rania’s family is dealing with the consequences of xenophobic policy, but she’s also a typical flawed, messy teenage girl, giving into impulsiveness and selfishness at times. However, she’s also a good sister, looking after her younger brother, Kamal, and she’s very much at the crossroads of navigating the typical teen challenges, while also having to grow up fast to deal with her family’s situation.
I also enjoy the road-trip aspect as they attempt to navigate their tenuous circumstances and find happiness and clarity where they can. It also forms the perfect structure for the book, keeping the momentum going.
This is a beautiful, moving, and hopeful read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries.
But I appreciate that, while there are some deep themes, Marina Budhos avoids making her characters into martyrs for the sake of the cause. Rania’s family is dealing with the consequences of xenophobic policy, but she’s also a typical flawed, messy teenage girl, giving into impulsiveness and selfishness at times. However, she’s also a good sister, looking after her younger brother, Kamal, and she’s very much at the crossroads of navigating the typical teen challenges, while also having to grow up fast to deal with her family’s situation.
I also enjoy the road-trip aspect as they attempt to navigate their tenuous circumstances and find happiness and clarity where they can. It also forms the perfect structure for the book, keeping the momentum going.
This is a beautiful, moving, and hopeful read, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries.
January 31, 2023
THIS BOOK IS SO GREAT ITS A MUST READ!!!
This follows a young girl Rania. Trying to figure out why her mother was taken away from her. She has to stay strong for her little brother Kamal.After ICE comes to her home she does not know what the future holds for her. Through this whole ordeal she meets Carlos. Who is just a sweetheart. She need to learn to survive and thrive in a world and a country that thinks less of her for being who she is.
I hope more people read this and explore what going on in there country.
But more so I hope that they are treating everyone with kindness and in their heart. We are all one people.
This book opened up the floodgate and I went down a rabbit hole trying to find more.
2018-2019 immigration law was changing and the way they did this was despicable. I hope you all read this book and realize what I've known for a long time we need to change. By staying silent 😶 is not the way to change it.
I'm unsure who said this but I live by it
If I you don't like it Change it.
If you can't Change it. Change the way you see it and try again .
Once again I hope you all read this 📚 book.
This follows a young girl Rania. Trying to figure out why her mother was taken away from her. She has to stay strong for her little brother Kamal.After ICE comes to her home she does not know what the future holds for her. Through this whole ordeal she meets Carlos. Who is just a sweetheart. She need to learn to survive and thrive in a world and a country that thinks less of her for being who she is.
I hope more people read this and explore what going on in there country.
But more so I hope that they are treating everyone with kindness and in their heart. We are all one people.
This book opened up the floodgate and I went down a rabbit hole trying to find more.
2018-2019 immigration law was changing and the way they did this was despicable. I hope you all read this book and realize what I've known for a long time we need to change. By staying silent 😶 is not the way to change it.
I'm unsure who said this but I live by it
If I you don't like it Change it.
If you can't Change it. Change the way you see it and try again .
Once again I hope you all read this 📚 book.
February 7, 2024
Wow this book was good, but it was a hard read. I wouldn't recommend this for someone who wants their stories to have a nice, wrapped up ending. But I understand why the author didn't do that, because it wouldn't have been realistic. To tell the story of the immigrants coming to the United States from various places and for differing reasons, it had to have a bit of a bittersweet ending.
One thing I didn't like though was how Fatima's storyline was ended. She just never stands up to her sexist dad? And just accepts all their bs rules in exchange for... college? Are her parents paying for college or something? I was confused by that part, because it's not like she couldn't just save up and go to college herself. Idk. I didn't sympathize with Fatima I guess, and I also really didn't like Rania's uncle. A lot of the side stuff feels unresolved and unfair still at the end of the book (maybe that was the point?)
One thing I didn't like though was how Fatima's storyline was ended. She just never stands up to her sexist dad? And just accepts all their bs rules in exchange for... college? Are her parents paying for college or something? I was confused by that part, because it's not like she couldn't just save up and go to college herself. Idk. I didn't sympathize with Fatima I guess, and I also really didn't like Rania's uncle. A lot of the side stuff feels unresolved and unfair still at the end of the book (maybe that was the point?)
May 26, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. Budhos’s books are always thoughtful and inspiring. In light of immigration reform constantly being in the news, without resolution, this is a timely novel. The reader really gets to know what it feels like to be undocumented and afraid, always running. The themes of immigration, family, and finding oneself lend themselves to great discussion. I appreciate that this is a clean novel, without profanity and with only a little kissing. While the main character is from Pakistan, there is nothing really religious in the story. I would recommend this for our middle/high classroom libraries. I hope to see a sequel on the horizon, but there is enough closure here that it’s not a cliffhanger.
June 17, 2022
Budhos addressed and humanized the difficult issue of immigration deeply touching this reader's heart. I cheered as these two strong, courageous women who find their strength, courage and even begin to see each other in a different light - all accomplished in the face of unspeakable circumstances.
Though I recommend this book to readers in general, book clubs, buddy reads and middle and high school students would certainly be able to have deep, meaningful discussions regarding immigration, family, the relationships between mother and daughter and coming of age. The teacher in me sees an endless list of potential discussion topics and activities to be included in a thematic unit.
Highly recommend.
Though I recommend this book to readers in general, book clubs, buddy reads and middle and high school students would certainly be able to have deep, meaningful discussions regarding immigration, family, the relationships between mother and daughter and coming of age. The teacher in me sees an endless list of potential discussion topics and activities to be included in a thematic unit.
Highly recommend.
August 23, 2022
In this timely and moving novel, Budhos brings us up close to the complicated experience of being a young immigrant in the U.S. Having fled Pakistan with her mother after her beloved father has been killed, Rania is now seventeen and ready to graduate high school and take on life. When her mother is arrested by ICE, all her plans are turned upside down. Rania must figure out what to do. As she cares for her much younger brother and leans on her best friend, Rania ends up on a road trip, searching for answers about her mother and their shared past. Along the way she meets a boy who is, himself, an illegal immigrant, trying to navigate the system as best he can. Her journey is a poignant and heartbreaking one, and her story has an immediacy that is truly affecting.
November 1, 2024
This YA contemporary novel is high quality. I liked Rania—her voice and her goals. Her little brother Kamal is childish and innocent. I really liked Carlos—his quiet strength. The book starts when Rania’s mom—Ammi—is taken into detention by immigration officers. Rania lives on her own for a while but her neighbor changed her mind about being her guardian. Rania and her brother are taken to a shelter where they meet Carlos. They decide to sneak out to go to her graduation and find her uncle. He signs guardian papers to buy them time. The kids find a tourist town to live and work in for the summer, hiding from the lawyers, waiting for Ammi to be released. Rania and Carlos become more than friends. They go to a safer sanctuary until they have to say goodbye
July 8, 2022
We Are All We Have is a solid novel about immigration and asylum, and the damage ICE and other government agencies do in their pursuit of "illegals." Told by a young woman who finds herself on the run with her younger brother when their mother is detained, the story reminds me of Cynthia Voight's Homecoming, a classic about being unable to rely on family, making your own way, and navigating--avoiding--agencies like Child Protective Services and others. The characters can be a little one-dimensional, but the story itself is important enough to overlook it. Recommended for book clubs and in-school reading.
August 2, 2022
I really wanted to enjoy this book far more than I actually did. Budhos tackled an intense and important topic with Raina's story of the asylum fight she finds herself in during the fraught political time of the previous administration. However, I found myself continually frustrated with Raina and her illogical choices. She kept making choices that did not make sense to who she seemed to be and what everyone kept telling her. It was hard to have empathy for her because of the decisions she makes as well as the overly complicated personal history that led her mother to seek asylum in the first place.
October 24, 2022
Title: We Are All We Have
Author: Marina Budhos
Genre: YA
Rating: 3 out of 5
I didn’t find Rania or her mother very likable at all. Raina’s mother seems to never tell the truth, and while at first Raina has a problem with that, eventually she seems to think it’s perfectly justified. It’s not. And Raina embraces her identity as a victim and continually runs away from her problems instead of taking responsibility for her actions. Solid writing, plus this being a very quick read were the only things that made me finish reading this.
(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.)
Author: Marina Budhos
Genre: YA
Rating: 3 out of 5
I didn’t find Rania or her mother very likable at all. Raina’s mother seems to never tell the truth, and while at first Raina has a problem with that, eventually she seems to think it’s perfectly justified. It’s not. And Raina embraces her identity as a victim and continually runs away from her problems instead of taking responsibility for her actions. Solid writing, plus this being a very quick read were the only things that made me finish reading this.
(Galley courtesy of Random House Children’s in exchange for an honest review.)
November 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy.
We Are All We Have is a hard hitting YA novel about immigration, asylum, ICE and how government agencies pursue illegals and the ramifications surrounding the seizure of them. This story is told from the perspective of a young woman who goes on the run with her younger brother when their mother is detained by ICE. This is a great novel for young teenagers who want to expand their minds on what life can be like for immigrants their age.
We Are All We Have is a hard hitting YA novel about immigration, asylum, ICE and how government agencies pursue illegals and the ramifications surrounding the seizure of them. This story is told from the perspective of a young woman who goes on the run with her younger brother when their mother is detained by ICE. This is a great novel for young teenagers who want to expand their minds on what life can be like for immigrants their age.
November 2, 2025
I have really enjoyed this author in the past. She writes heroically and truthfully about very real issues facing immigrants-primarily Muslims-in post 9/11 America. This is more of the same, but in the age of ICE and blatant bigotry passing for normality. While I enjoyed this and certainly found it eye-opening, when I stepped back for a minute some of the story was highly implausible, and I really did not like the love angle between Rania and Carlos. This is the first book in my Road Trip Book Club list for the year, so I am curious to hear others' take on it.
January 8, 2023
Audiobook
The story of a mom taken into detention by ICE and her teen daughter who learns how precarious her life is. She’s Muslim and not a citizen. Her brother was born here. A road-trip with a boy trying to get citizenship too. He’s Latinx. First love, immigration, indemnity, safety, family, asylum, sanctuary. . .
The story of a mom taken into detention by ICE and her teen daughter who learns how precarious her life is. She’s Muslim and not a citizen. Her brother was born here. A road-trip with a boy trying to get citizenship too. He’s Latinx. First love, immigration, indemnity, safety, family, asylum, sanctuary. . .
April 29, 2023
despite rania and i not being of the same racial background or culture, this was insanely and universally relatable. the details of the immigrant experience, the genuinely good love story, and the pure beauty of marina budhos’ writing were an experience. keep driving by harry styles is this book in music form.
June 1, 2023
This was pretty good! I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I just don't think it's going to stick with me. The main character (I've already forgotten her name, if that tells you anything) was quite selfish, except when it came to her brother.
I think this is one of those that I won't remember by the end of the summer, but it was still a decent read.
I think this is one of those that I won't remember by the end of the summer, but it was still a decent read.
August 23, 2023
Thank you to netgalley & the publishing house for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. This book was thrilling and very engaging. The characters were loveable and the plot was intresting and easy to follow. This is for people who enjoy YA! This book spoke to me and definitely tugged at my heart strings. I would to see this book being read in high schools!
February 29, 2024
This is one of the BEST books I've ever read!!
A senior in high school, Rania is looking forward to graduating and getting freedom. But in a turn of events in which ICE detains her mother unfairly , Raina’s whole world turns upside down. One grumpy neighbor and CPS visit later Rania finds her and her brother; Kamal in a shelter for unaccompanied youth immigrants. There they meet Carlos. With the prospect of not being able to go to graduation , Rania, Kamal,and Carlos set off on a road trip, seeking refuge and family where they can find it, however secrets of Rania’s past resurface and the hope of help from family seems far off. We Are All We Have by Marina Budhos, is the honest, bittersweet tale of young immigrants during the ‘Trump-era’, searching for family, refuge, hope, and a home.
A senior in high school, Rania is looking forward to graduating and getting freedom. But in a turn of events in which ICE detains her mother unfairly , Raina’s whole world turns upside down. One grumpy neighbor and CPS visit later Rania finds her and her brother; Kamal in a shelter for unaccompanied youth immigrants. There they meet Carlos. With the prospect of not being able to go to graduation , Rania, Kamal,and Carlos set off on a road trip, seeking refuge and family where they can find it, however secrets of Rania’s past resurface and the hope of help from family seems far off. We Are All We Have by Marina Budhos, is the honest, bittersweet tale of young immigrants during the ‘Trump-era’, searching for family, refuge, hope, and a home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2024
The perspective of illegal immigration from 2 teens. When Rania's mom is taken into custody, she has to take care of her brother and keep from getting taken themselves. As a senior, Rania was looking forward to college, now she just wants to stay in the US. You can feel Rania's desperation as she and her new friend Carlos take a road trip to find her uncle.
September 6, 2022
What a memorable novel. Budhos has humanized a portion of life in America that is often overlooked. The characters within this story will stay with me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
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