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Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed
2 reviews
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Title: When Stars Are Scattered
Author: Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Genre: Graphic Memoir
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: April 14, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intimate • Heartbreaking • Compelling
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was looking for moving graphic novel with depth and after doing a little research I managed to compile a short list of options. List in hand I made a trip to my local library and surprisingly they had a copy of When Stars Are Scattered on the shelf, which made my choice easy.
This graphic novel is based on Omar Mohamed and his brother's time spent in a refugee camp in Kenya. It details the day-to-day life of a child refugee through direct dialogue and thought and stunning artwork. Intended for younger readers, this is an important read for readers of all ages. While this is one single story out of millions of stories, it is brought to light in a sensitive manner without shying away from the difficult truths.
Overall, When Stars Are Scattered opened my eyes to everyday life in refugee camps. Omar story is one of resiliency and hope, while I know this isn't always the case. It is also a reminder life isn't all bad even in the most harsh of circumstances. For instance, Omar found hope through friendship, education, and responsibility.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers of all ages
• social studies teachers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Be like a star. Shine your light. Shine your story. For stories will lead us home."
Author: Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Genre: Graphic Memoir
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: April 14, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intimate • Heartbreaking • Compelling
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was looking for moving graphic novel with depth and after doing a little research I managed to compile a short list of options. List in hand I made a trip to my local library and surprisingly they had a copy of When Stars Are Scattered on the shelf, which made my choice easy.
This graphic novel is based on Omar Mohamed and his brother's time spent in a refugee camp in Kenya. It details the day-to-day life of a child refugee through direct dialogue and thought and stunning artwork. Intended for younger readers, this is an important read for readers of all ages. While this is one single story out of millions of stories, it is brought to light in a sensitive manner without shying away from the difficult truths.
Overall, When Stars Are Scattered opened my eyes to everyday life in refugee camps. Omar story is one of resiliency and hope, while I know this isn't always the case. It is also a reminder life isn't all bad even in the most harsh of circumstances. For instance, Omar found hope through friendship, education, and responsibility.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers of all ages
• social studies teachers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Be like a star. Shine your light. Shine your story. For stories will lead us home."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexism, Xenophobia, War, Abandonment, Death, Bullying, Violence, Child death, Animal death, Chronic illness, and Suicide
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, Addiction, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol
linesiunderline's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
It is easy to understand why this audiobook is an award winner. The full cast recording, the attention to detail in the production, does so much to create an emotional and resonant listening experience.
It’s a short listen but such an intimate one. You are pulled right into the world of these brothers, into their daily lives in the refugee camp, coming to know their friends and community, and have a sense of their struggles and past traumas and dreams. It was compelling and difficult. Their story - and the stories of so many other refugees - needs to be heard. This is an important book and I am so impressed by how the authors brought this very challenging subject matter to life for younger readers in a way that is sensitive but unafraid of hard truths.
I haven’t even looked at the graphic novel but I can only imagine how the artwork would enhance the text. It was powerful just listening, so seeing images alongside the words must be something else entirely. I look forward to reading the book soon.
It’s a short listen but such an intimate one. You are pulled right into the world of these brothers, into their daily lives in the refugee camp, coming to know their friends and community, and have a sense of their struggles and past traumas and dreams. It was compelling and difficult. Their story - and the stories of so many other refugees - needs to be heard. This is an important book and I am so impressed by how the authors brought this very challenging subject matter to life for younger readers in a way that is sensitive but unafraid of hard truths.
I haven’t even looked at the graphic novel but I can only imagine how the artwork would enhance the text. It was powerful just listening, so seeing images alongside the words must be something else entirely. I look forward to reading the book soon.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, and Ableism
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