Zarina Divided by Reem Faruqi

Zarina Divided is a story told in free verse about one family's experience during the Partition in 1947.

Zarina's family are Muslim and her mother, a petite woman, is expecting another baby. Eleven-year-old Zarina lives in Poona, India with her father Abajan, her mother, and her three brothers, Wahab (15), Qadir (13), and Adil (7). Their home  was once Zarina'a great-great-grandfather's.  It is a bungalow with twelve rooms and a wrap-around verandah, as well as a walled garden. Beyond the garden walls are sellers of chai, samosa, sabzi (vegetables) and bananas. Zarina's family have servants: a mali (gardener) named Irfan, a chawkidar (watchman) named Mahesh, Khushboo who is their ayah (nanny) and Basheer who is their khansama (cook). 

Zarina's father and her uncles are always listening to the radio, leaving her wondering what is going on. She hears the names of Quaid-e-Azam, Gandhi-ji, Nehru, and Jinnah Zindabad. Zarina knows there is talk of splitting the land into two countries, Pakistan in the west for Muslims and India in the east for Hindus. Zarina's father is obsessed with the idea of Pakistan, a country just for Muslims and is working for the Muslim League. His friend is Quaid-e-Azam whose real name is Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the force behind the partition.

At school, Zarina and her friends wonder who is leaving and who is staying. But their teacher, Mrs. Nizami

Zarina's aunt, her father's younger sister whom he calls Pyari Jan which means "Loved One", is married in their garden. Abajan invites not only their famiily's hired help, Khushboo, irfan, Basheer and Makesh, but also Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister, Fatima Jinnah. Zarina is not happy about this and does offer these two special guests the sherbet as her mother asks. Zarina realizes that if Pakistan is created they will lose their home in Poona. 

As independence from Britain moves closer to reality, and the formation of Pakistan and India also appears to be happening, Mrs. Nizami reminds her students that they are all human regardless of their faith. She gives each student a brand new pencil, something that thrills Zarina.

Zarina is furious when her best friend, Jahana reveals that her family is leaving soon for Pakistan. She tells Zarina that if she stays in Poon, like their friend Geeta, she is Hindu. The next afternoon Jahana comes by to say goodbye as her family is leaving that night.

Things begin to change in Zarina's neighborhood: the normally noisy roads are now quiet with the sellers no longer yelling about goods for sale. Khushboo teaches Zarina how to wash their clothes, how to iron Abajan's handkerchiefs, the kurtas and shalwars, and how to sweep the floor with the jharoo. Geeta is no longer allowed to come visit because she is Hindu and Zarina is Muslim and when she sees Zarina, she throws stones at her. 

In Poona there are riots with people being hurt and dying. Zarina and her brothers are no longer allowed to attend school. Her father decides that they will leave in two weeks for Pakistan, a decision that greatly upsets Zarina, especially when she learns that Khushboo will not be going with them. Khushboo explains to Zarina that she cannot come because she is Hindu and she has to stay with her family who are in Poona.

But when a mob arrives at Zarina's home looking for Muslims to kill, Zarina's father decides the must leave that night. It will be a treacherous, chaotic trip that leads to many changes for Zarina and her family.

Discussion

Although Zarina Divided is a work of historical fiction, it is loosely based on the experiences of the author's maternal grandmother, Zarina. As with the Zarina in the novel, Reem Faruqi's grandmother lived in Poona, India in a house with a large garden. Zarina's father (the author's great-grandfather Ahmed E. H. Jaffer) was a politician, elected to the Central Legislative Assembly in 1934. He was a member of the All India Muslim League that came to press for a separate Muslim country, Pakistan. 

As with the character in the novel, Zarina left India for the new country of Pakistan via a ship, the Shirala. And she did attend boarding school, St. Denys, but only after everyone in the family gave their approval by signing the petition her father drew up. The lone exception was her mother (the author's great-grandmother). And like Zarina in the novel, she thrived at the boarding school.

Zarina Divided manages to portray some of the reality of the Partition of India in 1947 from a Muslim point of view. Zarina's family are Muslim and when the Partition happens they are caught in India, now a country for Hindus only. This means they must travel to what was once western India, to the new state called Pakistan. Likewise, those Hindus living in Pakistan must leave their homes and move east into India. This mass migration according to the Author's Note at the back, "was one of the bloodiest upheavals in human history and was the largest mass migration of the twentieth century. Over the course of a year, an estimated fifteen million people crossed borders that were drawn up in a rush by the British Empire."

The mass migration was rife with violence and bloodshed, nd Zarina's family experienced some of that. Their trip out of Poona, India to Karachi, Pakistan is harrowing for Zarina and her family from the very beginning. The train station is chaotic, the trains packed both within and on top with people. They lose the youngest boy, Adil but Abajan is able to find him and bring him back to the train. Zarina's family barely escape being murdered on the train when a mob looking for Muslims board the train. They are hidden in a bathroom by the station manager. The trip on the Shirala is also challenging but in a different way: sea sickness, and crowded conditions with distressed children and women. 

While the author indicates that there was much killing and violence, she also highlights acts of mercy by Hindus and Muslims. For example, when a Hindu mob comes to their home in Poona, looking to kill Zarina's family, Mahesh, their Hindu watchman saves them by hiding them in the bathroom and telling the mob the family has moved. Adil who became separated from the family at the train station is also saved in what could have been a devastating situation. Abajan tells the family upon his return with Adil, 

"I saw him crying, he says.

A Hindu woman was holding him up,

asking people who he belonged to.

If it wasn't for her,

we wouldn't have found him..."

In Karachi, it is Zarina's family's turn to protect someone from harm. The house they have been allotted belongs to Rupi, a Sikh woman who is not happy with this arrangement. However, when a Muslim mob arrives, Zarina's parents hide the lady in the bathroom and turn away the mob. Rupi is grateful but nevertheless decides to leave her home. Abajan gives her the address of their old house in Poona, recognizing the injustice that's been done to her and hoping in some small way to address that.

Zarina and her family seem more fortunate than many people were during the partition. Zarina is eventually sent to a private school. This request is not without intense inner conflict for Zarina, She is Zarina divided: she desires to be a good daughter but she also wants a good education. All her family members sign the petition to allow her to attend a private school, except Zarina's mother. This creates tension between mother and daughter. Zarina feels that she has hurt her mother by leaving for school. However, both her older brother Wahab and Khushboo explain that she has done nothing wrong but that her mother is not well. Eventually Zarina and her mother reconcile with her mother telling Zarina how proud she is of her determination to learn and get an education. 

Life at the private school, St. Denys, also provides challenges for Zarina and opportunities for personal growth too. The school has a small group of students made up of Muslims and those British who have stayed behind after the Partition. Zarina befriends a British girl, Daphne Drinkwater. However one of the Muslim students, Sidra, is openly prejudiced towards the British girls. She tells Zarina that she needs to "stick to your kind of people", that is people who are brown or Muslim. Sidra talks only to the classmates who are like her, while treating the white students as though they are enemies. Finally, Zarina confronts Sidra,

"You're not better than anyone else.

You need to give people a chance

whether they look like you

or not,

whether they act like you

or not.

We are all the same kind of people,

HUMAN"

Although Zarina's words are harsh, she is happy that she didn't physically push Sidra as she might have done when she lived in Poona. Zarina remembers her bad temper and is trying to overcome it. So when she sees the sadness in Sidra, walking alone a few days later, Zarina wants to be kind. She loops Sidra arm-in-arm with herself and Daphne and notices the small smile on Sidra's face. 

Zarina also begins to assert herself when it comes to the practice of her faith. She makes the decision to fast for Ramadan. When she and her Muslim friends decide to eat Sehri and are caught, Zarina explains to the matron why this is important to them and allowances are made.

The novel ends on a happy note, with Zarina returning home for the winter holidays, reuniting with her family but also her best friend, Jahana who is interested in the attending the private school. While the novel does offer some information on the effects of the partition of India into two countries it is also about a young girl's journey towards womanhood and independence. Zarina Divided does offer readers a map of Zarina's journey from Poona to Karachi to Muree.

Book Details:

Zarina Divided by Reem Faruqi
New York: Harper Collins Children's Books     2025

325 pp.

The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

Okwaho and his best friend Tawis live in a small village called Kanata, which is nestled in the hills near Long Creek.  Their little community made up of only fourteen families, a total of fifty people, had left the big village of Onondaga five months earlier. The decision to leave had been the idea of the women who are the heads of the families. They were tired of constant war and waters to live in peace. The leader, the great war chief of Onondaga was Atatarho, also called the Entangled One, whose thoughts were only of making war.

Okwaho's father, Holds the Door Open, and Tawis's uncle, Burnt Hair told Atatarho of their decision to leave. He was angry but allowed them to leave. When their families left, no one came to wish them a safe journey. Except for a young woman, Clouds Forming, who Okwaho and Tawis's best friend. Although the three friends were inseparable, she belonged to Atatarho's Bear Clan and so her family had to stay.

On this warm autumn day, Okwaho and Tawis went to the small stream where they knew there were big trout. They were careful, listening and watching before approaching the open meadow near the stream. While they were watching the stream, they both saw a large brook trout, big enough to provide for both of their families.

To catch the fish, Okwaho slips into the stream and captures the trout with his hands. But while underwater, Okwaho hears the thud of feet on the bank and a shout. Hidden by the tree roots on the bank, Okwaho hears the voices of three men who have captured Tawis and are questioning him. Tawis tells them he is alone but they do not believe him. The warriors also tellTawis that they plan to attack his small village with a large war party and they will then capture his friend.

Okwaho's presence is revealed when a root snaps. Tawis yells for Okwaho to run and he flees with two of the men in pursuit. He quickly realizes that these men are Standing Stone (Oneida) warriors. This does not surprise him because a Standing Stone Village had been raided by Atatarho recently. Okwaho's community knew of it, although none had been involved. Warriors from Onondaga involved in the raid had visited his community and bragged about killing two Oneida warriors as well as the capture of women and boys.

Okwaho escapes and returns to Kanata. Waiting at the entrance into the village stockade were Tawis's uncle, Burnt Hair and Okwaho's father, Holds the Door Open, and his mother, Wolf Woman. Okwaho relates what happened and Wolf Woman sends four men in pursuit of the Oneida men and Tawis. Meanwhile, Okwaho tells Tawis's mother, Bird Flying what happened and how her son saved him from capture.

As the days pass, Okwaho struggles to cope with the loss of his best friend, and his growing anger. Although he tries to distract himself by keeping busy his thoughts are in turmoil. The arrival of a stranger, called Carries, brings a message and more importantly hope to Okwaho and his people.

Discussion

The Peacemaker is a vivid and engaging retelling of the story of the peacemaker that is so important to the culture of the People of the Longhouse. This novel was written by author Joseph Bruchac, who has claimed to be of Abenaki heritage. 

The novel tells the story of how peace came to five Indigenous nations, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Seneca and the Mohawk, who resided in the area around the Great Lakes. These five nations were always at war with one another, and there was not only much bloodshed, but torture and kidnapping of women and children. This constant state of war had a profound effect on the peoples of these nations and made the Creator sad. So he sent a man called the Peacemaker to unite these nations in peace. 

Born on the northern shores of Lake Ontario, the Peacemaker was raised by his mother and grandmother and received a message of peace from the Creator in a dream. He began to tell this message, travelling in what appeared to be a stone canoe, starting in the east with the Mohawks. The Mohawks were wary of his message of peace, and they tested him by forcing him over Cohoes Falls. He survived the test and they accepted his message. 

The Peacemaker, while telling the story of how the five nations came to form a peaceful alliance, also focuses on how the constant state of war affected the First Nations people. This is best shown through the young Onondaga narrator, Okwaho who loses his best friend, Tawis in a raid. With the loss of his friend, Okwaho finds himself dreaming of vengeance. Okwaho is a boy who loves to make songs and so he tries to put these thoughts from his head with songs. When he seeks answers from his mother Wolf Woman she tells him how this time of constant warring has come to be. "The minds of our leaders have become twisted. They no longer think first of giving thanks, first of peace. They no longer turn to the clan mothers for guidance. Instead, they think only of power, of making war and striking back at those who strike us. And the Entangled One, Atatarho, is the worst of all." Okwaho tells his mother that "The One Who Grasps the Sky" needs to send another messenger. 

As the days Okwaho finds himself growing angrier and angrier. "Anger at himself as well as at those who took his best friend from him. And as the anger grew, the fact of Atatarho came into his mind. A man so filled with anger that it twisted his body. Was that how he would eventually look?" Okwaho's struggles have not gone unnoticed by Burnt Hair who he feels that "...now Okwaho walks about as if a dark cloud has come to rest around him..."

Okwaho finds himself feeling that no where is safe anymore. He also finds that "...the anger twisting inside made him impatient." especially towards the younger children in his village. Okwaho feels he "..will never be happy again," 

However things begin to change for Okwaho and his people with the arrival of a stranger named Carries, who comes with an important message of peace. Carries tells the village about the arrival five months earlier of a man dressed in white buckskin in a white birchbark canoe to his village which is about a four day walk. The man told them that his name is Skennerahowi, the Peacemaker and that he has come from the creator with a message of peace. Carries explains that even though this man was Wendat they could understand him. Skennerahowi proceeded to tell the village the story of his birth.

When Okwaho hears this story,  he felt "...something deep inside himself, something other than anger. What was it? Hope. That was it. That was what he felt, for the first time in a long time, hope like a small bird just beginning to flutter its wings." Carries also explains how the people of the Flint Stone village near the River of Rapids came to accept Skennerahowi's message of peace. He tells them that his own Flint Stone people as well as the Great Stone People and the Swampy Land People have all come to accept the message of peace and that he will come to this village too.

However, the message of peace that Carries brings, does not diminish the loss that Okwaho feels. "Even if a new dawn of peace did come, it would be too late for those who had been killed or taken away as captives. His uncle, At the Edge of the Sky, would still be dead. His best friend would remain far away, being taught to forget his old life, his former friends, even his name."

Carries sympathizes with Okwaho, telling him that the loss of his twin brother in war led him to take revenge by killing. But revenge did not make him feel better nor resolve his pain. He continues to tell Okwaho more stories about the arrival and message of Skennerahowi. When Skennerahowi first meets Carries and his fellow warriors, Caller and Beaver Tails, he tells them, "First though, let me put out your fire. A fire that is left burning and not properly put out is like anger or revenge. It may end up destroying everything." He is telling Okwaho that the fire of revenge can destroy everything. He goes on to tell the story of the frog and shake, who locked in mortal combat, ate one another. Okwaho realizes the story is not just about the effects of war but also for him. "He had been holding on to the frog. If he did not let go, that anger would eat him. He would either be destroyed or become as twisted as Atatarho." He knows that he has to let go of his anger. "To no longer look back and regret the past, but to look forward." Okwaho wants to follow the Peacemaker's way. Eventually Okwaho learns from the Peacemaker that his friend Tawis is safe and this helps him to aid the Peacemaker in his mission.

The Peacemaker also portrays the power stories have in the lives of Indigenous peoples. Okwaho in particular is enthralled by Carries stories. They bring him hope, quell his anger, and serve as a way to teach about the Creator and the right way to live.

The Peacemaker is an appealing retelling of the formation of the Great League that is marred by the questionable claims of Abenaki heritage by the author. While this claim might be unsubstantiated, the novel is well written and does offer readers a valid version of the peacemaker story. It's also evident that the author has done considerable research through the years, listening to Haudenosaunee elders. It's important to bring these stories to readers. However, artists, whether they be writers, musicians or others should endeavour to be truthful about claims of Indigenous heritage, as false claims diminish the power of these stories.

Book Details:

The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

New York: Dial Books For Young Readers   2021
154 pp.

Beyond Amelia by Heather Stemp

Beyond Amelia is the third book in the Ginny Ross Series. It is August 1940 and Ginny finds herself alone at Purdue University Airport. Her best friends Jamie and Jack, boyfriend Matt, have enlisted and are at Lowry Field in Colorado. Her friend Mabel has a job as the assistant manager of food services at Langley Air Base in Virginia. They all hope to end up in the same base.

Ginny is feeling left behind. Like her friends, she too wants to help stop Hitler from invading Britain. But the US Army Air Corps doesn't accept female pilots. Cap Aretz, her flying instructor, tells Ginny he has a job for her, dusting crops.

At the home of Professor and Mrs. Abernathy, where Ginny rents out their spare bedroom, she tells them about Cap's offer. It will help because her family back in Newfoundland is struggling. Her father only has part time work in Toronto and can't send money home, so her mother and younger brother Billy are just getting by. Ginny receives a short letter from Matt that offers few details about his posting.

The next day Ginny and another pilot, Frank Bracken dust crops at two nearby farms. They continue this work throughout August, earning more flying hours. In late August, Cap informs Frank about  the Clayton Knight Committee's search for experienced pilots to fly bombers to Britain. The pilots need to be instrument rated with three hundred hours of logged flying. The pay is substantial: five hundred dollars for an aircraft captain, four hundred dollars for copilots and three hundred for radio operators. While both Frank and Ginny have the requirements, Cap tells her it's "Men only."

Undeterred by this, Ginny formulates a plan. She approaches Mrs. Abernathy telling her she wants to look like a boy so she can fly for the military. At first Clara Abernathy refuses to agree and becomes upset, telling Ginny it's too dangerous, that she could crash or be caught. When her husband, Charles returns home and learns of Ginny's plan, initially he too is shocked. Ginny explains how her plan might succeed: she looks like her brother Billy and that with a haircut and some of the Professor's old clothing it could work. She would also need to change her name to Jimmy Ross which would require the Abernathy's to readdress her letters, so that her family didn't know what she was doing. She would also need to open a bank account so she could send money to her family. 

The next morning the Abernathy's agree to help Ginny. And they also decide to hide this plan from their housekeeper, Mildred, who likes to talk!  Cap also decides to help Ginny. And in a stroke of luck, Frank Bracken's wife refuses to allow him to go to Canada to fly bombers. Over the following three weeks, Clara alters her husband's suit and clothing to fit Ginny. Cap teachers her how to walk like a man and how to defend herself. With her new identity and a plan in place, Ginny, now Jimmy Ross, sets out for Montreal, Canada and the adventure of a lifetime.

Discussion

Heather Stemp uses the real life event of the RAF Ferry Operation initiated by Britain in 1940, to bring Hudson bombers to the country in the fight against Nazi Germany. The novel covers the period from November 1940 to February 1941. 

As Ginny Ross does in Beyond Amelia, there are many records of women disguising themselves as men to participate in war as soldiers. It's possible that up to one thousand women fought as soldiers in the American Civil War. Others fought in the Revolutionary War or the American-Mexican war.  

In the novel, Ginny disguised at Jimmy meets Jacqueline (Jackie) Cochran who discovers her secret. Jackie Cochran was a real female pilot and friend of Amelia Earhart. She was a well known pilot who had won several airplane races and had set several speed records. Jackie was considered the best woman pilot in the United States by 1938. Jackie was the first woman to fly a bomber, the American built Lockheed Hudson V, across the Atlantic Ocean. Jackie reached out to Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939 to propose that the Army Air Force create a women's pilot division. These women pilots could take on the non-military flights, freeing up men for combat flights. Eventually the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squad was created in 1942 headed by Nancy Harkness Love. It should be noted that the only country in which women flew combat missions was the Soviet Union. They became known as the "Night Witches".

Ginny is motivated to disguise herself as a male pilot by her desire to both help Britain fight Hitler and also support her struggling family during the end of the Depression. She also keenly feels the injustice of having the same qualifications of pilots like Frank Bracken, yet being disqualified because she's a woman. However, what seems to be a workable plan soon reveals to Ginny that the risks she's taking are enormous and could have serious consequences.

Most of the tension in the novel centers around one the risk of Jimmy's true identity being discovered. It is one of the men, Wright who senses that there is something different about "Jimmy" and he becomes obsessed with finding out what that something is. This sets up a sort of "cat and mouse" game between Wright and Jimmy, as Wright moves from making sarcastic remarks to watching Jimmy's every move. Ginny's cover is almost blown when Matt Baker shows up at Newfoundland Airport. He warns her that it's only a matter of time before she's discovered. "I saw danger in flying the North Atlantic in the winter, but I didn't see danger in the men around me. Was I being naïve?" 

Stemp builds the backstory as to why Wright is focused on Jimmy. It's evident that he resents Jimmy was made co-pilot when he's only eighteen years old. After one too many drinks, Wright reveals that he is struggling with resentment and jealousy over his overachieving younger brother who is at West Point. To compensate, he's lied to his parents about being a pilot in the ferry service. 

When the Hudson she's crewing crashes at the Newfoundland Airport, Jimmy reveals his true identity to Joan Parsons and her mother. This leads to a set up with Joan becoming Jimmy's girlfriend, but even that doesn't stall Wright. Eventually the situation between Jimmy and Wright escalates to the point that he grabs Jimmy and tries to put his hand down his shirt. 

Ginny eventually comes to realize the true nature of the danger she's in after Tex, a pilot she respects refuses to accept that women can do the job too. She realizes that it's the attitude of men that will need to change before women can take their place in the world of aviation.  "As we walked, a new understanding crept into my mind. I was in danger from the men around me. Wright's attack was a shock, and my first realization that Matt was right. Tex had just shocked me again with his opinion of female pilots. He'd been Jimmy's friend and mentor, but if he knew his co-pilot was a girl, how would he react? At this point, I didn't know."

While Jimmy's identity is eventually discovered, the people who know keep the secret, preserving Jimmy/Ginny from any serious consequences, although one wonders how the situation with income tax would have been worked out!

Beyond Amelia is well-written and engaging. Stemp has created the possibility of a fourth novel with Ginny flying for the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squad in the United States. Although the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) did form a Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force, it did not allow women to work as pilots, as in the United Kingdom or in the United States. The author has included a short note at the back detailing some information about the ferrying operation and there are several black and white photographs of Amelia Earhart and Jackie Cochran, a Hudson bomber, and the Newfoundland Airport as it existed during this era.

Book Details:

Beyond Amelia by Heather Stemp

Halifax: Nimbus Publishing Limited   2024
249 pp.