First published 2020
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya where they have spent most of their childhood. Food runs short regularly. Days stretch endlessly with little to fill them. Hassan cannot speak and needs medical attention Omar cannot provide. When Omar receives a chance to attend school, he faces an impossible choice. Education might offer them both a different future. But accepting means leaving Hassan alone each day, abandoning the only family he has left. Omar must decide between his own opportunities and his duty to protect his brother. This graphic novel follows their daily struggles in the camp, where Omar works to build something like a normal family life despite extraordinary hardship. The story captures both the pain of displacement and the small moments of connection that sustain hope. Based on the real experiences of Omar Mohamed, who shared his childhood story with author Victoria Jamieson.
Genres: family-life, historical-fiction, graphic-novels, biography-memoir, childrens, africa
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, sibling-relationship
Setting: Dadaab, Kenya
Period: 21st-century
264 pages · Paperback · Dial Books
Content warnings: child-abuse