Alem and his father are sitting on a plane on their way to the UK on a vacation, or at least that is what Alem thinks… After a few days in London, Alem´s father disappears overnight. Alem is alone in a whole new world with no friends, no money and no home. Follow Alem´s life as a refugee in the UK.
The story is very special and moving. Benjamin Zephaniah is such a good writer! As a reader you can feel the emotions in the book. When Alem is sad or mad Benjamin Zephaniah explains Alem´s feelings so well that you get touched.
The story takes place in early 2000 and was published in 2001. Everything in the book is very realistic; the characters, the nature and the story itself. Since Alem is from Africa his new life in the UK affects him a lot. Everything in the UK is different from Africa. Alem has to change and adjust in order to fit in. Because of this Alem changes as a person. In the beginning of the book Alem was shy but further into the book Alem gets more independent and his self-confidence is getting better.
Alem is a hard-working kid that puts education and family before everything. He is very serious and he is a thinker. Even if something really bad happens, Alem finds a way to collect himself and move on. Alem´s father is loving and caring. Together with Alem´s mother he decides to send his only son to another country in order to protect him from war and give him a brighter future. My own opinion is that Alem´s father is a very wise man and he knows exactly what is best for his son.
The main theme in this book is drama, but a new and modern type of drama. About refugees and about how hard the life in a new country is. I think that these kinds of books are written not just to entertain the reader but also to educate and inform the reader about a specific subject. The book is very interesting and at least I got more respect for refugees. Refugees move to other countries because they have had a hard life in their homelands so they should not get an even harder life in their new countries.
You can read this book in many ways. When I read it I really tried to understand all the thoughts and characters. If you just want to finish the book it is not fun at all. You will miss the core of the book. The "Refugee boy" is nothing like an ordinary action book, where you do not have to think so much. In action books all the excitment is given to you directly in the text and there is no deeper meaning. "Refugee boy" has a deeper meaning and you have to think and reflect on real life if you want the excitement.
Alem is a hard-working kid that puts education and family before everything. He is very serious and he is a thinker. Even if something really bad happens, Alem finds a way to collect himself and move on. Alem´s father is loving and caring. Together with Alem´s mother he decides to send his only son to another country in order to protect him from war and give him a brighter future. My own opinion is that Alem´s father is a very wise man and he knows exactly what is best for his son.
The main theme in this book is drama, but a new and modern type of drama. About refugees and about how hard the life in a new country is. I think that these kinds of books are written not just to entertain the reader but also to educate and inform the reader about a specific subject. The book is very interesting and at least I got more respect for refugees. Refugees move to other countries because they have had a hard life in their homelands so they should not get an even harder life in their new countries.
You can read this book in many ways. When I read it I really tried to understand all the thoughts and characters. If you just want to finish the book it is not fun at all. You will miss the core of the book. The "Refugee boy" is nothing like an ordinary action book, where you do not have to think so much. In action books all the excitment is given to you directly in the text and there is no deeper meaning. "Refugee boy" has a deeper meaning and you have to think and reflect on real life if you want the excitement.
“Love it”, are two words that describe what I think of the book. There are many reasons why I love this book but the two main reasons are the way Benjamin Zephaniah writes and all the unexpected things that happens in the book. Benjamin Zephaniah writes with such feeling that I almost think this is a self-biography. He also includes many details in the story. All the unexpected turns in the book keeps you interested and that is very good because without interest there is no reason to read at all. I loved the parts in the book when important decisions are made, for example when Alam has to go to court in order to get his asylum. Actually I loved the whole book so I have no “least favorite” parts of the book. Well, if I have to choose I would say that the end could have been better, because I want to know what happens to Alem.
"Refugee boy" is very different compared to other books by Benjamin Zephaniah, but I noticed that all his books are about kids. Anyway "Refugee boy" is a dramatic and well written novel. The book is not like anything you have read before, I can guarantee that and I recommend it for everyone.
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