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The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (view source)
Revision as of 09:40, 26 August 2020
, 09:40, 26 August 2020no edit summary
|pages=240
|publisher=Orion
|date=July 2016
|isbn=1510101543
And through all of this, runs a thread of storytelling. Subhi's mother had rich stories to tell before depression claimed her and Subhi misses them. He has heard his father's stories secondhand. Eli has a special story about a whale. Jimmie has the stories of her family, painstakingly transcribed by her mother. And Subhi himself has the stories he invents to explain a life of possibilities and imaginings that exist for him despite his detention in the camp. Stories are more than important: they are vital. We need them. And Subhi, at only ten years old, is the wisest person in ''The Bone Sparrow'' because he understands this in every fibre of his being.
Fraillon has written an important - and angry - afterword. Do read it. ''The Bone Sparrow'' may well be set in Australia but Australia isn't the only country guilty of dehumanising refugees. As she says, conditions in some refugee camps in Europe have been described as diabolical. Here in the UK, the Yarls Wood detention centre has had some awful accusations levelled at the way it treats the women and children inside and there are frequent demonstrations outside it. People are not numbers. Refugees are not criminals. Think about the plight of the Rohinga Rohingya and all others like them.
But don't think of ''The Bone Sparrow'' as an unhappy read. Think of it as a powerful polemic, yes, but also think of it as a story of the redeeming power of friendship and the vital nature of storytelling. This is a story that will inspire you to do better, not to give up in defeat.
Recommended.
Other fabulous stories on the topic of refugees in other parts of the world include [[Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah ]], [[Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird ]] and [[After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross ]]. You might also appreciate [[Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis]].
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