What a remarkable boy, who took the journey described in this book! Even though In the Sea There Are Crocodiles is classified as fiction, it is based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari's long escape from Afghanistan to Italy. Enaiat's mother takes her ten-year-old son across the border into Pakistan, and leaves him there alone, believing so strongly that her son must get away from the Taliban and their culture.
Enaiat perseveres and survives horrific situations to get to Turin, Italy, where the book ends, as Enaiat graduates from high school and prepares for college. The adventures are narrated in Enaiat's own voice, making them believable and even sometimes funny. If I hadn't known that this book was factual, I probably would not have believed this boy could overcome these obstacles and survive on his own.
In spite of the awful things Enaiat lives through, the book is positive and even hopeful. Many of the people Enaiat encounters are helpful and kind, and the main character himself is resourceful and resilient.
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles is a small book, easy to hold and quick to read. It would be good to use with adolescents, showing what other young people in the world must overcome to survive. But, it's a good book for adults, too, and I appreciated the first-person picture of what life was like for this young Afghan refugee.
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