****The Other Side of Truth
by Beverley Naidoo
Reviewed December 6, 2001.
HarperCollins Publishers, 2001. 252 pages. Available
at Sembach Library (JF NAI).
13-year-old Sade Solaja lives in Nigeria. Her father is
a journalist who dares to write the truth about the government.
One awful morning, her mother is shot and killed by bullets intended
for her father.
Her family decides to send Sade and her younger brother to England
for their protection, to the care of their uncle. Papa will follow
later. They go on a plane with a lady who pretends to be their
mother.
In England, their uncle has disappeared. The lady abandons
them. What will they do? Of course, Sade doesn’t trust the
police, who are corrupt in her own country. She doesn’t dare give
her true name, since she is afraid that will endanger her father’s chances
of getting out of Nigeria.
This is a powerful and moving book, based on actual situations
in Nigeria. This book won the 2000 Carnegie Award in England, and
the child-voted Smarties Silver Medal. This book broadens your
scope by putting you into the shoes of refugees. And it keeps you
on the edge of your seat.
Another book by Beverley Naidoo:
Out of Bounds
Copyright © 2005 Sondra Eklund.
All rights
reserved.
-top of page-
Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund