Review: Count Me In

Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After witnessing her grandfather and friend be attacked by an angry racist man, Karina becomes an "accidental activist" by sharing pictures from the scene of the crime, her grandfather's recovery, as well as a picture of him and her grandmother not long after they immigrated to the United States. She begins tagging her posts with #CountMeIn. When asked by a reporter what her hashtag means, she shares that she will no longer be silent; she can be counted on to speak up against hate and intolerance. While Karina's parents and grandfather are at first upset that she is choosing to share so much of their private life with the world, she helps them understand that social media is her "drum," and she wants "the drums to be loud, so that everyone will hear our outrage."

Bajaj's novel shows both positive and negative aspects of social media in today's society. Karina feels encouraged and supported by the outpouring of positive comments that her photos receive, but the few negative comments from haters really get to her. While she is happy when her first #CountMeIn post goes viral, she quickly realizes that the media is relentless, and they will not leave her family alone until they agree to give an interview about the attack. At one point, Karina posts a photo with the caption "what is an American?" This question will hopefully spark important conversations amongst teachers, students, and parents. I am a white woman whose ancestors immigrated from England, Scotland, and various other European countries in the late 1600s. Why should I be considered more American than a second or third generation American? I assume that my ancestors came to the colonies looking for a better life; more recent immigrants likely have similar stories. During today's sermon at my church, the pastor asked us to look at our lives and evaluate our righteousness resume. We all have some aspect of our life that gives us validation. For some people, it might be work righteousness, and others might feel righteous in their parenting. It has become very apparent that there are those who are righteous in their race or in their generations of heritage. We really all just need to get ourselves; this book reminds us of the importance to look for what we have in common instead of what makes us different.

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