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A review by katnortonwriter
Hakim's Odyssey: Book 3: From Macedonia to France by Fabien Toulmé
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
The first book in this series didn’t hit me as hard, but now I can see why the author broke it up this way. In the first book, we see what Hakim’s life was like in Syria, and how things dramatically things changed for him.
At the beginning, the author asked why someone would put themselves through so much risk and hardship. Throughout the interviews, he answers that question by familiarizing himself with one person’s story. Readers with no concept of migrant or refugee life may be better grasp one specific, detailed story than wrap their heads around the concept of millions of displaced people as a whole.
For me, seeing Hakim’s story broken down this way made it seem both more shocking and more mundane. Shocking, because there were so many steps and setbacks and obstacles to be overcome over literal YEARS of seeking safety. Mundane, because these enormous decisions were influenced by weather, coincidence, financial limitations, access to diapers, etc… Everyday concerns compounded on top of Hakim’s attempts to find safety. And, as this book acknowledges, this is only one story out of millions.
Lastly, I found the depiction of the people Hakim encountered along the way to be thought-provoking, specifically in terms of how other people helped. (Or didn’t.) While the author never explicitly states a call to action, seeing all the different ways people contributed to Hakim’s progress suggested several avenues of involvement. From a stranger who offered him the financial support for the trip to the volunteers who provided information and aid to an old man who gave him a pack of diapers just because, there are so many instances of people making large and small efforts to make his journey successful.
All this to say that I think this is a great series not only for providing information, but also for building empathy. I hate the language around “humanizing” human stories, but so many people are using hate and fear of immigrants and refugees to push dangerous rhetoric that a book like this could counter. There’s a woman in here, quoted from an interview, talking about how she doesn’t know or care why migrants are in “her city,” but they’re stinky and she wants them gone. Meanwhile, they’re risking their lives to seek a better future, after having lost everything. So yeah, readings stories like this will hopefully build empathy, which can only be a good thing.
Appropriate for late middle grade and up.
At the beginning, the author asked why someone would put themselves through so much risk and hardship. Throughout the interviews, he answers that question by familiarizing himself with one person’s story. Readers with no concept of migrant or refugee life may be better grasp one specific, detailed story than wrap their heads around the concept of millions of displaced people as a whole.
For me, seeing Hakim’s story broken down this way made it seem both more shocking and more mundane. Shocking, because there were so many steps and setbacks and obstacles to be overcome over literal YEARS of seeking safety. Mundane, because these enormous decisions were influenced by weather, coincidence, financial limitations, access to diapers, etc… Everyday concerns compounded on top of Hakim’s attempts to find safety. And, as this book acknowledges, this is only one story out of millions.
Lastly, I found the depiction of the people Hakim encountered along the way to be thought-provoking, specifically in terms of how other people helped. (Or didn’t.) While the author never explicitly states a call to action, seeing all the different ways people contributed to Hakim’s progress suggested several avenues of involvement. From a stranger who offered him the financial support for the trip to the volunteers who provided information and aid to an old man who gave him a pack of diapers just because, there are so many instances of people making large and small efforts to make his journey successful.
All this to say that I think this is a great series not only for providing information, but also for building empathy. I hate the language around “humanizing” human stories, but so many people are using hate and fear of immigrants and refugees to push dangerous rhetoric that a book like this could counter. There’s a woman in here, quoted from an interview, talking about how she doesn’t know or care why migrants are in “her city,” but they’re stinky and she wants them gone. Meanwhile, they’re risking their lives to seek a better future, after having lost everything. So yeah, readings stories like this will hopefully build empathy, which can only be a good thing.
Appropriate for late middle grade and up.