Hidden is a brave debut novel, tackling the complex issues of immigration and human-rights laws, through the eyes of teenage Alix. A literary, coming-of-age novel dealing with prejudice, judgement, courage, preconceptions and the difficulty of sorting right from wrong. Challenging, charming, compelling. Fourteen year old Alix lives at the bottom of Hayling Island near the beach. It is a quiet backwater, far removed from world events such as war, terror and refugees. Alix has never even given a thought to asylum seekers, she has enough problems of her own: Dad has a new life that doesn't include her, Grandpa is dead and Mum is helpless and needy. Then one day on the beach Alix and Samir pull a drowning man out of the incoming tide: Mohammed, an illegal immigrant and a student. Mohammed has been tortured by rebels in Iraq for helping the allied forces and has spent all his money to escape. Alone, helpless, and desperate not to be deported, Mohammed's destiny lies in Alix's hands. However, hiding an injured immigrant is fraught with difficulties. Faced with the biggest moral dilemma of her life, what will Alix do, and who can she trust?
Hidden
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Review
Halahmy's debut novel for young adults is written with clarity and immediacy....with a tear-inducing ending in which a community is taught to stand up for tolerance, this is a book to counter bigotry. --Nicolette Jones, The Times
Miriam Halahmy never puts a foot wrong in this gripping story focusing on an agonisingly difficult contemporary problem. Tautly written throughout, her fine novel deserves the widest audience.. --Nick Tucker, reviewer and broadcaster.
Miriam Halahmy never puts a foot wrong in this gripping story focusing on an agonisingly difficult contemporary problem. Tautly written throughout, her fine novel deserves the widest audience.. --Nick Tucker, reviewer and broadcaster.
About the Author
Miriam Halahmy has been a Londoner all her life but her parents lived on Hayling Island for twenty-five years and she's been visiting the Island regularly since the 1970's. She has published novels, short stories and poetry for adults and young people. Her stories and poems have been included in anthologies, read on the radio and performed on stage. Hidden is her first novel for young adults. Miriam has been married into an Iraqi family for over thirty years and their stories provided some of the inspiration for this book. She has worked with refugees and asylum seekers for many years in schools as well as leading workshops for English PEN and the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture. She has written and education resource on child asylum seekers. Miriam is and active participant in promoting peace and dialogue across divided communities. She believes in standing up to any injustice, however small..
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Liz Bankes
Format:Paperback
This book is brilliant. It hooks you in with the sarcastic and utterly believable voice of Alix, and then keeps you gripped throughout with a fast-paced story about prejudice, choices and being a teenager.
Alix and her friend Samir find an illegal immigrant drowning off the coast of Hayling Island, where they live. They have to decide what to do with him, knowing that if they take him to the police he will most likely be deported back to Iraq, where he has been tortured by rebels.
The best thing about the book is Alix's narration - I really believed that she was a fourteen year old girl and liked her dry humour. I also liked how she was unthinkingly prejudiced about Samir - when she first goes to his house she wonders if anyone will be making bombs - but not in a malicious way. I thought this was a realistic portrayal of the different levels of racism in society, and it made for quite uncomfortable reading as it makes you recognise your own prejudices.
Would definitely recommend this book - it challenges the way you think and confronts attitudes about asylum seekers, but most importantly it is a good story with believable, and some very likeable, characters. Looking forward to the next two in the cycle!
Alix and her friend Samir find an illegal immigrant drowning off the coast of Hayling Island, where they live. They have to decide what to do with him, knowing that if they take him to the police he will most likely be deported back to Iraq, where he has been tortured by rebels.
The best thing about the book is Alix's narration - I really believed that she was a fourteen year old girl and liked her dry humour. I also liked how she was unthinkingly prejudiced about Samir - when she first goes to his house she wonders if anyone will be making bombs - but not in a malicious way. I thought this was a realistic portrayal of the different levels of racism in society, and it made for quite uncomfortable reading as it makes you recognise your own prejudices.
Would definitely recommend this book - it challenges the way you think and confronts attitudes about asylum seekers, but most importantly it is a good story with believable, and some very likeable, characters. Looking forward to the next two in the cycle!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By David Hyams
Format:Paperback
You would think with the subject matter of illegal immigration and teenage prejudice Hidden would be a difficult read. Far from it! From the first page to the last this is an immensely enjoyable read, and not just for teenagers. Miriam Halahmy should be congratulated on taking on a not often debated subject and making it accessible for the teenage market. Every school should have copies in their library and get the pupils to read and debate.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read Hidden on the recommendation of a friend after reading The Other Hand. Hidden was a fantastic read, and was an interesting subject to be tackled for a teen audience. Alix was a believable character and read well as a teenager caught up in a unique situation. It was refreshing to see immigration tackled from a different viewpoint, in comparisson to how it is often portrayed in the media (which is also raised in the book). I hope other teenagers have the opportunity to read this as it challenges a lot of sterotypical opinions.
Looking forward to Miriam's next book in the trilogy. Would absolutely recommend!
Looking forward to Miriam's next book in the trilogy. Would absolutely recommend!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting subject.
When I ordered this book I did not realise it was a teenagers book. However I enjoyed the fast moving pace of the story and I thought the subject of illegal immigrants very... Read more
Published 4 months ago by R.H.C.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good stuff
Hidden is about Alix and friends who find a illegal immigrant washed up on Hayling. It deals with the prejudice against refugees and racial bullying well. Read more
Published 4 months ago by anony-mouse
5.0 out of 5 stars
A shining star of a protagonist in a fantastic novel
Halahmy presents us with a really naïve but equally unbiased view of Mohammed, who could easily be prejudiced against. Read more
Published 11 months ago by bethanchloe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Writing with light and shade as reality bites in Hayling Island
Hidden brings the reality of world events to Hayling Island through the strong and clear voice of 14 year old Alix Miller. Read more
Published 14 months ago by TomDHarris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read
Just like We Can Be Heroes, Hidden was a novel all about racism and how to deal with it as it is no doubt a big issue in society. Read more
Published 15 months ago by GloriousBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
HIDDEN
This novel looks seriously at the relationship between teenagers and their parents and addresses the trials of new arrivals to the UK, in particular those of asylum seekers who... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jan van Utrecht
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provoking YA novel about immigration and asylum seekers
Alix and her mum live in a small cottage on Hayling Island. Things have been tough since Alix's dad left to be with another woman and they get harder still when her mum breaks her... Read more
Published 18 months ago by I Read, Therefore I Blog
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent YA read about overcoming prejudices
Hayling Island sits off the coast or Portsmouth on the south coast of England. Fourteen year old Alix is walking her dog along the beach one cold spring morning when she witnesses... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Curiosity Killed The Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cracking book!
A great read and one which really makes you think about how we feel about immigrants and immigration and racial prejudice. Read more
Published 18 months ago by P Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars
A clever book!
'Hidden' is one of those clever books which both entertains and educates. Important messages about prejudice and judging people are neatly woven into this fast-paced, exciting... Read more
Published 23 months ago by S. R. Barrow
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