From There to Here: Sixteen Tales of Immigration to Britain
Various (16) authors
In February 2007, Penguin publishers asked people from any background to send their true personal accounts of immigration to Britain.
Six judges - including Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty and the novelist Kate Mosse - selected the best, most illuminating and most powerful entries, which were published in 'From There to Here'.
One of those voices is Jade Amoli-Jackson, a volunteer at the Refugee Council, whose moving account of her journey will stay with you for a long time.
Publisher: Penguin (2007)
Country: Various
Critical acclaim
"Jade Amoli-Jackson's 'My Painful Journey'...packs a potent punch...Ina sense, her story is about the redemptive qualities of writing" - Time Out London's Book of the week
Go to our Amazon to buy the book online
Alek: Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel
Alek Wek
The celebrity autobiography of one of the world’s leading supermodels. Wek was born in war-torn Sudan and witnessed violence from a young age. The book charts her journey from Sudan to London, where she was spotted by a modelling agent at a local market and whisked off to the US to begin a highly successful fashion career. Wek is a top model, astute businesswoman and refugee activist: her story is a truly inspirational read.
Publisher: Virago Press Ltd (2007)
Country: Sudan
Go to Waterstones to buy the book online
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Ishmael Beah
An autobiographical account of life as a child soldier in war-torn Sierra Leone. Beah documents how he fled his community after seeing his family massacred and his village razed. At thirteen years old he was coerced into joining the government army. Army leaders forcibly gave the young soldiers cocaine and cannabis, indoctrinated them with ideas of revenge, and then forced them to commit atrocious crimes. Now 25, Beah lives in New York. A true story of redemption and hope.
Publisher: Fourth Estate Ltd (2008)
Country: Sierra Leone
Critical acclaim for 'A Long Way Gone'
“An astonishing confession” – The Observer
Go to Waterstones to buy the book online
Child Soldier
China Keitetsi
The powerful true story of Keitetsi, a child soldier who joined the Ugandan National Resistance Army at just eight years old. Her story details the abuse she suffered at the hands of her officers and how she finally escaped to Europe to start a new life. Now 27, she lives in Denmark and is an international campaigner on child soldiers.
Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd (2004)
Country: Uganda
Critical acclaim for 'Child Soldier'
“A haunting memoir” – Daily Telegraph
Go to Amazon to buy the book online
Slave
Mende Nazer and Damien Lewis
The memoir of a girl kidnapped at the age of 12 and sold into slavery. Transferred to London to serve a member of the Sudanese diplomacy, Nazar managed to escape, and sought asylum in Britain. The book compares her peaceful childhood in the Nuba mountains with the seven brutal years she spent in slavery.
Publisher: Public Affairs (2004)
Countries: Sudan and Britain
Go to Amazon to buy the book online
a
