Alem Kelo is Ethiopian and Eritrean, and because of his dual identity, it's not safe for him to live in either country. He and his father go on a holiday to London, to get away from it all. One morning in London, Alem wakes up and discovers his father has gone and left him there on his own, in hopes of protecting him from the violence of the war. This is only the beginning of Alem's journey. What follows is a combination of terrible and joyful.There's a lot of detail about what it's like to be a refugee, and why and how refugees arrive in the UK. There's also some coverage of the legal process, and the circuitous and challenging routes refugees have to take in order to even have their cases heard. The book features a charming spot of youth activism, so I can see it not only as a good place to begin discussing issues like immigration and asylum, but also broader types of political action, and how each person interacts with politics.The story is told in unadorned prose that took a little while to get used to. It has the flavour of a story being told orally, maybe to an audience.This book is just lovely. I was surprised by how moved I was by it, and how I enjoyed it. Because of the simple prose and the ridiculously perfect main character (a thoroughly lovely guy who bad things just keep happening to), I thought it would be too simple for me. But of course, it's not; very bad things happen to the best people all the time, don't they.Reading age: Probably 14+, although it could also work with 13-year-olds, too, or a few 12-year-olds. Parents/librarians/etc. should be aware that there's some difficult content (view spoiler)[especially as Alem's mother dies in Ethiopia (the scene of her death isn't in the book, but at some point it's mentioned that she was "hacked to death"). We don't see much of Alem's mother, though. Alem's father – a lovely character who features more heavily in the book – is shot during the final 15 pages of the book (something of a shock). None of it is handled gratuitously, but younger or more sensitive readers might find it disturbing. (hide spoiler)]
This book exposed me to life as a refugee and how our society have failed to acknowledge and respect refugees as humans. We all have forgotten that a refugee is a person, who for some reason has left everything they know and love to find safety in a strange and sometimes hostile country. The Story of Alem is a very sad one as he never truly belonged anywhere because he was of mixed parentage (an Eritrean mother and an Ethiopian father). In Ethiopia, Alem and his family were victimized because his mother does not belong as she came from Eritrea. Infact, Alem's father was told by his co-workers that he must leave his wife because she is Eritrean and therefore "the enemy". In Eritrea the family experienced the same discrimination, as their family was attacked by police and they were told to "Leave Eritrea or Die" And so begin the life of Poor Alem as a refugee as his father took him to London, England, under the pretext of a holiday to celebrate his fourteenth birthday but leaves him at the hotel alone in a country with no one to care for him and take care of him. When i finished these book, i came to admire and respect the author as he succeeded in portraying refugees as not just statistics but real, brave, living-breathing people. i realized that refugees everywhere are struggling and suffering and the least we could do as human is to help them and give them support like Alem and his father got when they were threatened with deportation. This book delivers a "universal" message that appeals far beyond those who may relate to Alem or refugees. I encourage everyone to read this book, I enjoyed every bit of it including the poem at the end of the book.
What do You think about Refugee Boy (2001)?
I read this book for work purposes as I work in literacy with teenagers. I have heard such good things about this book so it has surprised me that of all the YA books I have read over the last year this was my least favourite. I found the writing style weak and as though it was written for children much younger than its intended audience. I also found it difficult to really engage with the characters, mostly due to the way it was written. In my opinion it would be a book for very weak readers and is hard to appreciate as an adult reading a YA book.
—Helen F
Alem Kelo is caught between two worlds. His mother is Eritrean, his father is Ethiopian and the two countries are at war. For Alem, who is neither one nationality nor the other, life is difficult. To escape the constant persecution they face, Alem and his father seek refuge in Britain but getting to Britain is only the beginning of the story.This book was quite touching. Alem is such a wonderful protagonist: He's sensitive and so earnest you just want to hug him. He faces alot of tragedy throughout the book but he never loses his humanity.Though the issue of refugees is a political one, Zephaniah doesn't demonize anyone in the book.The writing style is clear and straightforward and the author has a gift for understatement. Occasionally I wished for more insight into the character's emotions but overall I thought this was a great read.
—Michalyn
When I picked up this book I thought it was about the struggle of an African boy and his family trying to flee a war zone, on the run from armed troops who want to kill them, and telling if and how they survived but that is not what the book is about. After a brief introduction to their troubles fleeing between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the boy is brought to Britain and left there alone as a refugee to keep him safe. The story then goes into all the racism and abuse in the childrens home he is put into while his case is decided. This was NOT the story I thought I'd be buying so I instantly stopped reading it, feeling the back cover of the book totally misled me! I didn't want to read another depressing story about bullying and misery in care homes. I had been hoping for a story about the war zone itself. Disappointing.
—chucklesthescot
