In June we celebrate Refugee Week (14-20 June 2021), Refugee Festival Scotland (14-20 June 2021) and World Refugee Day (20 June).
Here are 3 books I recommend everyone to read:
- Alpha by Bessora and Stephane Barroux, Graphic Novel
Alpha tells a story of a man, who flees his home country in search of his wife and child, who already left. As he tries to reach France to meet them, he encounters people traffickers, harsh conditions in refugee camps and people desperately trying to cross the sea in overcrowded and dangerous boats.
The journey that would take few hours on a plane, can take months or even years if you are a refugee. The illustrations are mostly black and grey, portraying the journey as never ending and hopeless.
You can watch Sarah Ardizzone (translator) and Bessora (author) talk about Alpha here.
- Boy, Everywhere by A.M. Dassu, Fiction
This book is about Sami, a 13 year old boy living in Damascus with his parents and sister. After the local mall is bombed, his family decides they can no longer stay in Syria. Together they embark on a long journey through countries and continents, hoping to reach and find a new home in England.
Boy, Everywhere was included in 2021 Read for Empathy collection.
You can watch A.M. Dassu speak about empathy in this video.
- Forced to Flee: Refugee Children Drawing on their Experiences, Non-fiction
Force to Flee is a collection of refugee children’s stories and drawings, focusing on children from Syria, South Sudan and Central America. The book describes a political situation in these places and explains why so many people try to flee them. It also includes a great list of additional resources for further reading.
None of these books are easy to read. They are heartbreaking, but powerful and important. You can find all these book in the Empathy display in the school library.
