At Thanksgiving when we're especially mindful of our many blessings, it was so impactful to read When Stars Are Scattered, the middle-grade graphic memoir by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson.
The title and cover hint at the deeply emotional content. It shares the experiences of Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan growing up as Somali refugees in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Their father is dead, they got separated from their mother in the chaos of escaping Somalia, Hassan is nonverbal and has unexplained seizures, and Omar is less than 10 years old.
For years and years and years, they lived in a tent, sleeping on the ground with only thin mats separating them from dirt floors. They were hungry nearly all the time because there's never enough food. As is powerfully told in words and images, each day was the same as the one before, full of boredom, frustration, and waiting in line for water and meager camp-provided rations.
Then everything changed when a United Nations employee encourages Omar to begin attending the camp school and allow others to care for Hassan while he does. Despite language barriers and his late start, Omar discovers he loves school and excelled, even in the overcrowded classroom. This section of the story also addresses the traditional views of arranged marriages for young girls which ends their formal education.
Omar's education, as well as support and encouragement from a UN social worker, eventually brought significant improvements to his and Hassan's lives. The memoir ends on a very hopeful note with more information shared in notes from both authors.
While life vastly improved for Omar and Hassan, millions of children and adults continue to live in these conditions today, such a sobering thought.
This title has won or was nominated for 20+ awards, including the National Book Award, and it's deserving of all the accolades. While it was written with readers ages 9 to 12 years in mind, its story of heartbreak, hope, and resiliency is relevant to readers of all ages.
The title and cover hint at the deeply emotional content. It shares the experiences of Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan growing up as Somali refugees in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Their father is dead, they got separated from their mother in the chaos of escaping Somalia, Hassan is nonverbal and has unexplained seizures, and Omar is less than 10 years old.
For years and years and years, they lived in a tent, sleeping on the ground with only thin mats separating them from dirt floors. They were hungry nearly all the time because there's never enough food. As is powerfully told in words and images, each day was the same as the one before, full of boredom, frustration, and waiting in line for water and meager camp-provided rations.
Then everything changed when a United Nations employee encourages Omar to begin attending the camp school and allow others to care for Hassan while he does. Despite language barriers and his late start, Omar discovers he loves school and excelled, even in the overcrowded classroom. This section of the story also addresses the traditional views of arranged marriages for young girls which ends their formal education.
Omar's education, as well as support and encouragement from a UN social worker, eventually brought significant improvements to his and Hassan's lives. The memoir ends on a very hopeful note with more information shared in notes from both authors.
While life vastly improved for Omar and Hassan, millions of children and adults continue to live in these conditions today, such a sobering thought.
This title has won or was nominated for 20+ awards, including the National Book Award, and it's deserving of all the accolades. While it was written with readers ages 9 to 12 years in mind, its story of heartbreak, hope, and resiliency is relevant to readers of all ages.
https://muslimmediareview.blogspot.com/2021/05/review-when-stars-are-scattered-by.html
