We Are Displaced

I had We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai on my to-read list for awhile and finally got to it on a recent flight. The book description says, "After her father was murdered, Maria escaped in the middle of the night with her mother.
Zaynab was out of school for two years as she fled war before landing in America. Her sister, Sabreen, survived a harrowing journey to Italy. Ajida escaped horrific violence, but then found herself battling the elements to keep her family safe. Malala's experiences visiting refugee camps caused her to reconsider her own displacement -- first as an Internally Displaced Person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world except to the home she loved. In We Are Displaced, Malala not only explores her own story, but she also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her journeys -- girls who have lost their community, relatives, and often the only world they've ever known."

This was a great read. I was inspired by the many different girls whose stories were shared and all that they have gone through to find safety and peace. The book begins with a quote that says, "No one leave home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well." And then Malala explained her purpose in writing the book--that too many people don't understand that refugees are ordinary people who just found themselves in a situation where they had no choice but to leave home. I think the book did that beautifully--helping us see these girls as normal, everyday people who faced the unthinkable.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)