{"product_id":"the-lightless-sky-a-twelveyearold-refugees-harrowing-escape-from-afghanistan-and-his-extraordinary-journey-across-half-the-world-isbn-9780062443878","title":"The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Harrowing Escape from Afghanistan and His Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World","description":"\u003cp\u003eA gripping, inspiring, and eye-opening memoir of fortitude and survival—of a twelve-year-old boy’s traumatic flight from Afghanistan to the West—that puts a face to one of the most shocking and devastating humanitarian crises of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2006, after his father was killed, Gulwali Passarlay was caught between the Taliban who wanted to recruit him, and the Americans who wanted to use him. To protect her son, Gulwali’s mother sent him away. The search for safety would lead the twelve-year-old across eight countries, from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan through Iran and Europe to Britain. Over the course of twelve harrowing months, Gulwali endured imprisonment, hunger, cruelty, brutality, loneliness, and terror—and nearly drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually granted asylum in England, Gulwali was sent to a good school, learned English, won a place at a top university, and was chosen to help carry the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Games.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Lightless Sky\u003c\/em\u003e, Gulwali recalls his remarkable experience and offers a firsthand look at one of the most pressing issues of our time: the modern refugee crisis—the worst displacement of millions of men, women, and children in generations. Few, like Gulwali, make it to a country that offers the chance of freedom and opportunity. A celebration of courage and determination, \u003cem\u003eThe Lightless Sky\u003c\/em\u003e is a poignant account of an exceptional human being who is today an ardent advocate of democracy—and a reminder of our responsibilities to those caught in terrifying and often deadly circumstances beyond their control.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eAfter Gulwali Passarlay’s father and grandfather were killed by U.S. troops for allegedly cooperating with the Taliban, he fled Afghanistan with his brother in the middle of the night with only a hastily packed rucksack and little more than two hundred dollars in his pocket. He was twelve years old, and this is his story. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold in unflinching and unforgettable detail, \u003cem\u003eThe Lightless Sky\u003c\/em\u003e is at once an utterly absorbing personal history and the defining story of the modern refugee experience, a stunning testament to the power of the human spirit; the triumph of faith, courage, and determination; and the undeniable universal right to life, liberty, and security of person.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrafficked by an international cartel of smugglers through Pakistan’s treacherous Waziristan and Peshawar regions and the desolate outposts of Iran, Gulwali eventually reached Izmir, Turkey, then on to Bulgaria, where he disembarked for Greece on a dangerously overcrowded boat that spent two days being battered and nearly capsizing before Gulwali and the more than one hundred other refugees onboard finally touched ground—soaked, starving, and exhausted. From Athens, Gulwali trekked through Italy, Belgium, Germany, and finally France, where he was stranded for a month in the Jungle, a notorious makeshift refugee camp outside the port city of Calais, while waiting to cross the Channel for England, his final destination. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first book to tell the modern refugee crisis from a firsthand perspective, \u003cem\u003eThe Lightless Sky\u003c\/em\u003e is an unforgettable chronicle of Gulwali’s yearlong odyssey from Afghanistan to England, during which he traveled more than twelve thousand miles, escaped internment in Turkey and Bulgaria, negotiated passage with shadowy agents in the smuggling trade, and struggled to settle mentally and emotionally in England long after his physical journey came to an end. By sharing his story, Gulwali brings to life the plight of the sixty million refugees and internally displaced people around the world who continue to risk their lives in pursuit of freedom, equality, and a better life, despite innumerable and unimaginable hardships and endless humiliations, because, as the poet Warsan Shire reminds us, “no one leaves home unless home chases you.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A heart-rending read that illuminates the plight of unaccompanied minors forced to leave their homes and loved ones. It is beautifully written in simple, accessible prose. Rarely does Passarlay display self-pity and his fierce intelligence is apparent throughout. He also sheds light on the nefarious world of the smugglers who treat their human cargo with so little compassion....A testament to the courage of all those fleeing conflict in search of safety.”—\u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A powerful account of a yearlong journey….[a] life that was almost snuffed out so prematurely is now bursting with promise.”—\u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e (London)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Be brave. This is for your own good.” And then my mother said something that froze my heart. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“However bad it gets, don’t come back.”\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A powerful account of a year-long journey …. [a] life that was almost snuffed out so prematurely is now bursting with promise.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Lightless Sky is a remarkably vivid memoir [that] leaves you fearing for Gulwali’s safety and admiring his utterly tenacious resolve against overwhelming odds; but at the same time it is also a fearsome reminder of the experiences being endured by numberless, anonymous migrants.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Herald (Scotland)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Lightless Sky\u003c\/i\u003e is a heart-rending read that illuminates the plight of unaccompanied minors forced to leave their homes and loved ones. [Passarlay’s] powerful account is a testament to the courage of all those fleeing conflict in search of safety.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Independent (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A tale of gracious triumph over all sorts of adversity as the author describes his life as a refugee and his arduous journey from Afghanistan to England when he was only 12. This is a harrowing but necessary must-read about an exceptional young man, adding context to so much of what we read in the papers.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStylist (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A tale of gracious triumph over all sorts of adversity as the author describes his life as a refugee and his arduous journey... This is a harrowing but necessary must-read about an exceptional young man, adding context to so much of what we read in the papers.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStylist (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“At once deeply upsetting and entirely inspiring, this is the story of a young boy who faced tremendous misfortune and danger on his journey from Afghanistan to Britain…  this young man’s journey demands to be read, and his story and achievements celebrated.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWorld Travel Guide\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A tale of fortitude and friendship told through a child’s eyes, Gulwali’s story casts much needed light on the difficult decisions refugees are forced to take about who to trust and how to stay alive against a backdrop of political indifference.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Refugee Council (UK)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A remarkably vivid memoir . . . a fearsome reminder of the experiences being endured, even as you read this, by numberless, anonymous migrants. Not for nothing has it all been described as Europe’s biggest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Herald (Scotland)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888855118053,"sku":"NP9780062443878","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062443878.jpg?v=1730229962","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-lightless-sky-a-twelveyearold-refugees-harrowing-escape-from-afghanistan-and-his-extraordinary-journey-across-half-the-world-isbn-9780062443878","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}