kool books here's the list of books. we've tried to split them up by theme, but they're all worth a look. refugees  |   women's rights  |   political prisoners  |   children's rights  |   children & war  |   go back to skools refugees non-fiction: Asylum: Voices Behind the Razor Wire by Heather Tyler stories of asylum seekers, including experiences in their own countries that made them feel they had to leave, dangerous journeys to Australia & treatment they received in detention centres. Do They Hear You When You Cry? By Fauziya Kassindja & Layli Miller Bashir Fauziya fled Togo (W.Africa) at seventeen to escape FGM and forced marriage. She sought asylum in USA, but spent a couple of years in Detention centres and prisons. Laila Miller Bashir, a young law student, took her case and fought for her freedom. fiction: Walk in My Shoes by Alwyn Evans - experience of Afgan refugees in Australia (detention centres, TPV's etc) - a story derived from composite true experiences & told by a fictitious sixteen-year-old girl No More Borders for Josef by Diana Chase Orphaned in the Balkans conflict, thirteen-year-old Josef becomes a refugee. Only the Heart by Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem - a harrowing story of Vietnamese boat people, told through multiple voices - Many of the incidents are based on Chiem's experiences as a refugee. Different Voices by Warren Flynn Kim (12) lives in Western Australia with an aunt and uncle. Her parents and older sister were lost on the boat trip to Australia. She vividly remembers her refugee experience. Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis (the sequel to Parvana) Parvana (a young girl) walks across the war-ravaged land of Afghanistan in search of her family. Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah - the story of a teenage boy escaping war between Ethiopia And Eritrea and facing detention as a refugee in U.K. top women's rights non-fiction: Desert Flower, Desert Dawn, Desert Children & A Letter to My Mother (all autobiographical) by Waris Dirie Waris is an internationally famous model and UN spokesperson on women's rights in Africa. She is a victim of FGM. The Veiled Kingdom by Carmen Bin Laden - gives insights into life in Saudi society & in particular life for women & life in the Bin Laden family Princess, Daughters of Arabia, & Desert Royal (biography) by Jean Sasson Princess Sultana and her daughters, princesses of the royal house of Saudi Arabia, all live in "a gilded cage" in a male dominated society. I, Safiya by Safiya Hussaini Tungar Tudu with Raffaele Masto Safiya was sentenced to death by stoning in N.Nigeria for adultery. An international campaign saved her life. -gives insight into Sharia Law & life for women in a fundamentalist Islamic culture My Forbidden Face by Latifa -life for women in Afghanistan under the Taliban Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali -the powerful and moving memoir of the woman described as "the new millennium Salman Rushdie" Raised in a strict Muslim family in Somalia, Hirsi Ali later escaped a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands where she fought for the rights of Muslim women and the reform of Islam. Today she lives in USA with 24 hour security, but death threats have not silenced her. fiction: From a Crooked Rib by Nuruddin Farah Set in Somalia in the late 1960's, this novel tells the story of a young woman who flees a forced marriage and fights to maintain her identity in a world where women are "sold like cattle". top political prisoners: non-fiction: La Prisonniere: Twenty Years in a Desert Gaol by Malika Oufkir & Michele Fitoussi When Malika was nineteen her father was executed after a failed plot to assassinate the King of Morocco. Malika, her mother and her five younger brothers and sisters (the youngest of whom was only three) were thrown into a prison in the desert and locked away for fifteen years. The story of their escape is a testament to their courage and resilience, but their recapture results in years of house arrest. An unforgettable story. top children's rights: non-fiction The Little Hero: One boy's Fight for Freedom: Iqbal Masih's Story by Andrew Crofts Iqbal Masih spent six years as a child slave in a Pakistani carpet factory. He escaped and campaigned for the abolition of child slavery in Pakistan until he was gunned down at age thirteen. Slave: The True Story of a Girl's Lost Childhood and Her Fight for Survival by Mende Nazer & Damien Lewis A shocking true story of slavery in our time. Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve when she was sold into slavery. She was subjected to appalling abuse, but regained her freedom seven years later. Sold by Zana Muhsen & Andrew Crofts Zana is a Birmingham(UK) girl who, along with her younger sister, Nadia, was sold by her father as a child bride when she was 15. A Promise to Nadia (the sequel to Sold) tells of the fight to save Zana's sister, Nadia. Shame by Jasvinder Sanghera At fifteen Jasvinder ran away from an arranged marriage and was disowned by her family and community ( an Indian/Pakistani community in Northern England). Today she campaigns in UK for Asian women escaping domestic violence and forced marriage. fiction: Parvana by Deborah Ellis -the story of a young girl living in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Parvana disguises harself as a boy to make a living for her family, as women and girls are forbidden to leave the house alone. Throwaway Daughter by Ting-xing Ye Grace Dong-mei Parker is a happy Canadian teenager until she sees the Tiananmen Square massacre on television and begins to explore her Chinese ancestry. She discovers she was one of thousands of Chinese infant girls abandoned in China since the introduction of the "one child" policy. Her story is told by voices from the past and present, from Canada and China. top children and war: non-fiction The Diary of Anne Frank Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who wrote her diary while she was in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands during World War II. Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo -a child's view of war. Zlata has been described as "the Anne Frank of Sarajevo". fiction Fran's War by Sally Trench Sally Trench led about 30 relief convoys to Bosnia 1992-96. She wrote this novel from first hand experience. She lived alongside children and toddlers in caves and bombed-out cellars. Fran's War tells the story of the war through the eyes of a twelve-year-old girl. No Name Bird by Josef Vondra - tells the story of a small boy, Jose, in the lead up to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. AK by Peter Dickenson -a story of a 12 year old child soldier who has known nothing but war. His one possession is his AK-47 automatic rifle. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne -a fable for children set in the time of the holocaust. Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell Sofia's childhood is over when she steps on a landmine in war-torn Mozambique, but she finds courage to build a new life. A moving and unforgettable story. top and if you know of any other books that you'd like to share, then let us know! click here to return to the skools page © amnesty international   site and hosting by ITA