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Tasting the Sky Ibtisam Barakat 192 pages In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home.
Survivors: True Stories of the Holocaust Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun 208 pages These are the true-life accounts of nine Jewish boys and girls whose lives spiraled into danger and fear as the Holocaust overtook Europe. In a time of great horror, these children each found a way to make it through the nightmare of war. Some made daring escapes into the unknown, others disguised their true identities, and many witnessed unimaginable horrors. But what they all shared was the unshakable belief in-- and hope for-- survival. Their legacy of courage in the face of hatred will move you, captivate you, and, ultimately, inspire you.
Reaching Out Francisco Jimenez 208 pages It is always uplifting to read a story about an individual who manages to succeed in spite of an underprivileged background. Francisco Jiminez is such a person. He and his family came to California from Mexico hoping to start a new and better life. As in many such situations, Jiminez benefitted both from family support and the guidance of teachers, priests, other students, and neighbors who had faith in his ability and helped him break down the barriers so that he could achieve the education he needed. At one point, when he was almost finished college, Jiminez considering dropping out because his family desperately needed money, survival money. After agonizing over the problem, he decided to complete his education so that he would be in a better position to help his family.
The Bite of the Mango Mariatu Kamara 224 pages Relaying her experiences as a child in Sierra Leone during the 1990s, Kamara chillingly evokes the devastating effects of war. Mariatu is 11 when her tiny village is decimated by rebel soldiers, many of them children like her. Forced to watch as peaceful villagers are tortured and murdered, Mariatu is finally allowed to go free-but only after boy soldiers cut off her hands: "We want you to go to the president," they tell her, "and show him what we did to you. You won't be able to vote for him now." Mariatu's long walk to get medical aid marks the first stage of a harrowing journey to build a new life for herself and other wartime victims; she now lives in Canada and is a UNICEF representative. Written with journalist McClelland, her story is deeply personal yet devoid of self-pity. As it aims to correct misperceptions about Sierra Leone and to raise awareness of the needs of child victims of war, this book will unsettle readers-and then inspire them with the evidence of Mariatu's courage.
Escape from Saigon Andrea Warren 128 pages Over a million South Vietnamese children were orphaned by the Vietnam War. This affecting true account tells the story of Long, who, like more than 40,000 other orphans, is Amerasian -- a mixed-race child -- with little future in Vietnam. Escape from Saigon allows readers to experience Long's struggle to survive in war-torn Vietnam, his dramatic escape to America as part of "Operation Babylift" during the last chaotic days before the fall of Saigon, and his life in the United States as "Matt," part of a loving Ohio family. Finally, as a young doctor, he journeys back to Vietnam, ready to reconcile his Vietnamese past with his American present.
Survival Paul Dowswell 144 pages From shark attacks and blazing airships to exploding spacecraft and sinking submarines, these are real stories of people who have stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale. Find out what separates the living from the dead when catastrophe strikes.
Of Beetles and Angels Mawi Asgedom 176 pages So begins this unforgettable true story of a young boy's remarkable journey: from civil war in east Africa to a refugee camp in Sudan, to a childhood on welfare in an affluent American suburb, and eventually to a full-tuition scholarship at Harvard University. Following his father's advice to "treat all people -- even the most unsightly beetles -- as though they were angels sent from heaven," Mawi overcomes the challenges of racial prejudice, language barriers, and financial disadvantage to build a fulfilling, successful life for himself in his new home. Of Beetles and Angels is at once a compelling survival story and an inspiring model for anyone hoping to experience the American dream. |
April Choice Books: Survivor Biographies
Within Reach: My Everest Story Mark Pfetzer 222 pages In May, 1996 the media scrambled to document the gripping and inspirational story of sixteen-year-old Mark Pfetzer's expedition to Mount Everest. Not only was he the youngest climber to attempt the summit, but he bore witness to the tragedy documented in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, in which eight climbers perished in a sudden storm. Within Reach is Mark's extraordinary personal account of this experience, and of his triumphs over several other challenging peaks. In this suspenseful first-person narrative, Mark takes the reader past the ever-shifting Khumbu Icefall, over three-hundred-foot crevasses, and up into the high altitude "Death Zone" of Everest. By turns triumphant and tragic, this story will be an inspiration to climbers, athletes, and armchair enthusiasts young and old.
Red Scarf Girl Ji-Li Jiang 285 pages In 1966 Ji-li Jiang turned twelve. An outstanding student and leader, she had everything: brains, the admiration of her peers, and a bright future in China's Communist Party. But that year China's leader, Mao Ze-dong, launched the Cultural Revolution, and everything changed. Over the next few years Ji-li and her family were humiliated and scorned by former friends, neighbors, and co-workers. They lived in constant terror of arrest. Finally, with the detention of her father, Ji-li faced the most difficult choice of her life.
Warriors Don't Cry Melba Pattillo Beals 240 pages In 1957, Melba Pattillo turned sixteen. That was also the year she became a warrior on the front lines of a civil rights firestorm. Following the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, Melba was one of nine teenagers chosen to integrate Little Rock's Central High School. Throughout her harrowing ordeal, Melba was taunted by her schoolmates and their parents, threatened by a lynch mob's rope, attacked with lighted sticks of dynamite, and injured by acid sprayed in her eyes. But through it all, she acted with dignity and courage, and refused to back down. This is her remarkable story.
Small Steps Peg Kehret 181 pages In 1949, at the age of twelve, Peg Kehret (then Schulze) became the only child in Austin, Minnesota to contract polio. She details the intense fear and horror the disease evoked in her and others. Many doctors, nurses and therapists who rendered care were instrumental in her recovery, but she clearly depicts how devastating the lack of empathy from health care workers can be for seriously ill patients. Most of her seven months of hospitalization were spent at a rehabilitation hospital where she formed intense friendships with her roommates, friendships she likens to those formed in wartime foxholes and trenches. Her story never descends to self-pity, in fact, she credits her experience for giving her character strengths she might never have developed. Humor bubbles up in this endearing, human saga.
Diary of Ma Yan Ma Yan 176 pages In a drought-stricken corner of rural China, an education can be the difference between a life of crushing poverty and the chance for a better future. But money is scarce, and the low wages paid for backbreaking work aren't always enough to pay school fees. Ma Yan's heart-wrenching, honest diary chronicles her struggle to escape hardship and bring prosperity to her family through her persistent, sometimes desperate, attempts to continue her schooling.
Mandela Ann Kramer 64 pages Nelson Mandela comes to life in this portrait of a diplomatic man whose commitment to freedom gained him both the Nobel Peace Prize and Time's Man of the Year honor. The son of a Thembu chief in South Africa, Mandela began his life-long campaign against white colonial rule while a college student. Kramer's eloquent, yet approachable text describes the leader's dedication to nonviolence, his role in the African National Congress and his arrest in 1962 for sabotage and conspiracy. During his 27 years in prison, Mandela continued his fight for a democratic and free society, and ultimately was released and elected president of South Africa.
Surviving Hitler Andrea Warren 160 pages A boy's youth is the subject of Andrea Warren's Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps. At twelve, Jack Mendelbaum's successful father sent his family to the countryside to escape their Nazi-occupied Polish town. He told Jack, his eldest son, "I am counting on you to take care of our family." Jack did his best to support his family, taking on the tasks of grown men. Jack kept his promise until he faced the "worst moment" of his life when his actions separated him from his mother and brother forever. Alone at Blechhammer concentration camp, Jack's quick thinking and positive attitude helped him survive hunger, cold, sadistic guards, unbearable duties and the sorrows of those around him. He uses memories of boyhood competitions to beat "Hitler at his game." Above all, his primary strategy "was not to allow myself to hate. I knew I could be consumed by hate." Mandelbaum has followed this approach his entire life; he has taken "tolerance and forgiveness as the themes of my life," working with others to recognize and stop evil so that "there is hope for humanity." |
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