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Refugee Boy
 
 
Refugee Boy (Paperback)
by Benjamin Zephaniah (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 13 customer reviews (13 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Product details

Product Description
Synopsis
Alem is on holiday with his father for a few days in London. He has never been out of Ethiopia before and is very excited. They have a great few days togther until one morning when Alem wakes up in the bed and breakfast they are staying at to find the unthinkable. His father has left him. It is only when the owner of the bed and breakfast hands him a letter that Alem is given an explanation. Alem's father admits that because of the political problems in Ethiopia both he and Alem's mother felt Alem would be safer in London - even though it is breaking their hearts to do this. Alem is now on his own, in the hands of the social services and the Refugee Council. He lives from letter to letter, waiting to hear from his father, and in particular about his mother, who has now gone missing...A powerful, gripping new novel from the popular Benjamin Zephaniah

From the Author
It’s a hard life being labelled ‘political’. It seems that because I’m constantly ranting about the ills of the world I’m expected to have all the answers, but I don’t, and I’ve never claimed to, besides I’m not a politician. What interests me is people. When I hear politicians saying that we are being ‘flooded’ by refugees, I always remind myself that each ‘refugee’ is a person, a person who for some reason has left everything they know and love to find safety in a strange, and sometimes hostile country. I wrote ‘Refugee Boy’ because I realised that every day I was meeting refugees, and each one of them had a unique, and usually terrifying story to tell. I have seen refugee camps in Gaza, Montenegro and other places around the world but when I met Million and Dereje Hailemariam, two teenagers who were being denied asylum in Britain, I knew that I had to write a story that would illustrate the suffering and the struggles that many asylum seekers have to endure. Million and Dereje’s parents feared for the lives of their boys, they did not want them to grow up in an environment where they would witness war on a daily basis. I have also met children whose parents were executed in front of them, or who themselves had been kidnapped and tortured. For ‘Refugee Boy’ I borrowed from the many stories that I have heard and created a story that I believe many refugees would recognise. I would like to know that anyone who reads the book would think before they accuse refugees of looking for a free ride. We all want to live in peace, we all want the best for our families. The Celts, the Angles, the Saxons, the Jamaicans are all refugees of one sort or another. What kind of a refugee are you? And what are you scared of?

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Customer Reviews
13 Reviews
5 star: 61%  (8)
4 star: 15%  (2)
3 star: 7%  (1)
2 star: 7%  (1)
1 star: 7%  (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A topical story that could change atitudes., 25 Sep 2001
By A Customer
A heart rending story that shows how strong children can be. Although this is similar to Face which looked at a teenagers ability to cope with change, it is much more challenging about topical issues. My low ability class of 14yr old boys have begged me to buy this book after my description of reading it in one sitting and ending up in tears. It covers the problems of family break ups, bereavements and friendships. A rollercoaster ride.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT!!!!!, 11 Feb 2002
By purkissam@aol.com (North Yorkshire England) - See all my reviews
WOW!!! Meet Alem. His Mother is Eritrean, His father Ethiopian, and with both countries at war, Alem and his Family are neither safe or wanted in either country. Then his father does something which at first seems horrid, but really shows love towards his son. Follow Alem as a Refugee. Be careful. This book is sizzling hot with love compassion tears and in the end joy.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING BOOK!, 8 Aug 2006
By Ewan "Ewan" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
I dont read many books but i choose this because i thought it was going to b a good read, i was right. I couldn't put this book down. It is very touching to read. As the main character and myself were rufly the same age i found it easy to understand him but i would encourage any person of any age to read this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your money
As I was reading this book I got the impression it was written for children, but it would have been an insult to even a young child. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mrs. Ruth Dorrington

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Touching
I'm no expert on the English language but I agree with the teachers views about the quality of literature, there are better books out there. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Matthew Edwards

1.0 out of 5 stars Wooden - no other author could have got this published.
The story of Alem and his asylum seeking in the UK is topical and the issues that his sudden arrival here raises, of bullying and responsibility, are not uninteresting - which is... Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2005 by zenosparadise

4.0 out of 5 stars Could have been better
This book gives you an insight into the lives of children seeking asylum.

I feel the book is aimed more at the younger audience and have only given it 4 stars as it would have... Read more

Published on 5 April 2005 by Ms. A. Mustapha