zaterdag 28 april 2012

50 Books Challenge 2012 - # 18: In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda

Title: In the Sea There are Crocodiles
Author: Fabio Geda
Story: When ten-year-old Enaiatollah Akbari’s small village in Afghanistan falls prey to Taliban rule in early 2000, his mother shepherds the boy across the border into Pakistan but has to leave him there all alone to fend for himself. Thus begins Enaiat’s remarkable and often punish­ing five-year ordeal, which takes him through Iran, Turkey, and Greece before he seeks political asylum in Italy at the age of fifteen. Along the way, Enaiat endures the crippling physical and emotional agony of dangerous border crossings, trekking across bitterly cold mountain pathways for days on end or being stuffed into the false bottom of a truck. But not every­one is as resourceful, resilient, or lucky as Enaiat, and there are many heart-wrenching casualties along the way. .
Start: april 25th 2012
End: april 28th 2012
Comment: I didn't plan on reading this book in the month of april. It caught my eye after I saw the book I actually wanted to read wasn't available. I'm so glad that I got to read this novel. We follow the story of a young Afghan boy who is left at the border of Pakistan one night by his mother and tell of his journey around and through various European countries as he tries to find somewhere where he can settle and live without persecution and having to work and live in horrific conditions. Every chapter captures one of the countries he travelled through during his journey. You really hear Enaiatollah's voice, it's told from his point of view. Sometimes there's even a short dialogue between Enaiatollah and writer Fabio Geda. I think it might bother some readers, as it breaks up the story a bit. I think this is a good book for older kids, from the age of twelve to eighteen. It would be an eye opener for them as it was for me. "In the Sea There are Crocodiles" is a small book with a big story, which was both chilling and heartwarming.
Rating: 4,5/ 5

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