Refugee Boy

by Benjamin Zephaniah, Lynette Goddard (Editor), Lemn Sissay (Adapted by)

Overview

Walk in the shoes of Alem and you will learn what it's like to be a boy without a country. Alem's father is Ethiopian and his mother Eritrean, and as long as these two countries are at war, Alem's family is not welcome in either place. So Alem's father does what at first seems unthinkable - he leaves Alem in England, alone, in the hope that he will find safety as a refugee. Though the Refugee Council in London takes Alem's case, through the legal processing, finding a foster family, and entering school, it is Alem's courageous and caring character that wins him the friends, the respect, and ultimately, the legal permission to stay in England and start his own, new life.

Author Biography: Benjamin Zephaniah is a British performance poet of Jamaican descent and travels on literary world tours for the British Council. Benjamin cannot remember a time he was not creating poetry. He believes that working with human rights groups, animal rights groups and other political organizations means that he will never lack subject matter. He currently lives in England.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350171947
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	12/16/2021
Series:	Student Editions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	104
File size:	386 KB

About the Author

Benjamin Zephaniah is a British performance poet of Jamaican descent and travels on literary world tours for the British Council. Benjamin cannot remember a time he was not creating poetry. He believes that working with human rights groups, animal rights groups and other political organizations means that he will never lack subject matter. He currently lives in England.

Table of Contents

CHRONOLOGY
CONTEXT&THEMES

Cultural and Theatrical Contexts
Themes
Dramatic Devices
Performance History
Trends in Scholarly and Popular Debate

ADDITIONAL READING
REFUGEE BOY
NOTES

Editorial Reviews

"Look at me, look at all the things that I am capable of, and think of all the things you could call me-a student, a lover of literature, a budding architect, a friend, a symbol of hope even, but what am I called? A refugee." This is the fate of the refugee. Not only does he flee desperate circumstances, he is ever a stranger in a strange land, ever an outsider with a single identity: refugee. Alem Kelo's father is Ethiopian, his mother Eritrean, and war is being waged between the two countries. Since his parents' lives are in danger, Alem is brought to England. Alem thinks he is on a brief pleasure trip, but when his father leaves him there without saying goodbye, he is overnight a refugee in a land of refugees: Asians, Africans, Romanians, Kosovars, and Chileans. After a brief stint in a hotel and an awful time in a children's home, Alem is lucky to be placed in a foster home with the Fitzgeralds. There he thrives, goes to school, and gradually becomes active in the refugee movement. Though he faces difficult times in England too, the Fitzgeralds provide a safe place. Sometimes the prose is awkward and overwritten, but the story is compelling. And, somehow, even with so much tragedy in a young boy's life, it doesn't get bogged down. Alem is a survivor. He says, "Circumstances beyond my control brought me here, and all that I can do now is pick myself up and try my best to make something out of what is left of my life. If good can come from bad, I'll make it." Alem is a refugee who transcends his identity as such; he becomes a hero, even a role model and readers will care about him. (Fiction. 10+)

Kirkus Reviews

Stunning. Alem is drawn so winningly . . . in his moving tale.” —The Horn Book

“The story is compelling. [Alem] becomes a hero, even a role model and readers will care about him.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher