Dear Pakistan by Rosanne Hawke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Name: Dear Pakistan
By: Rosanne Hawke
Rating: 5 Stars

This YA story is a touching story of learning to accept change wilthout losing yourself. This is an interesting cross-cultural story that is made more interesting by the fact that Jaime has lived her most of her life in Pakastan despite being Australian by birth. This book covers the culture shock that began in the airport and continued at home, school and everywhere else. Most people she encounters expect her to act and dress like an white australian girl and can not understand why she follows Hindi and Muslim dress codes. For example, she is forced to remove her nose piercing because they are not allowed on white non-Muslim students at her school. The only thing she can see is there are no rules on behavior, speech, dress or anything else she considers important in Australia. This book does a fantastic job at presenting culture shock.Though Jaime is the focus of the book we get to see each family member and how the culture shock affects them. What make this harder for them is that others can't understand why they are having trouble. After all they are Australian. When Jaime make friends with a Pakistani girl she sees in a park she thinks that she finally has found someone who she can understand and who will understand her.
Dear Pakistan is her diary heading as she tries to understand this culture. She tells the diary all the things she can't say to her parents. It is also her way of keeping Pakistan alive. This book is excellent for any young adult who is going toa different culture or who already has. It is also a great book for those who are meeting those from other cultures so they can see what a culture looks like through another's eyes. Having spent a year living in another culture I can honestly say this is a very true depiction of culture shock including the shock of returning to the culture you came from. This would be a fantastic book for anyone planning to go as an exchange student to read,as well as students moving rural to city, small town to college town. The changes each of us face may not be as extreme and this book depicts but culture shock affects every person at one point.
It is well written and edited. I chose to review a copy I received from Netgalley.

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