When ten-year-old Enaiatollah Akbari’s small village in Afghanistan falls prey to Taliban rule in early 2000, his mother shepherds the boy ac...
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Feb 12, 2012
Patrizia
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Un libro da leggere assolutamente perchè con la leggerezza di una storia per bambini (grandicelli) ci narra il dramma di chi deve abbandonare il proprio paese, attraversare il mare e giungere sino qui per avere una vita migliore (e quindi immaginatevi cosa lascia). Io ho anche versato qualche lacrimuccia leggendolo, soprattutto quando il protagonista (un bambino di 10 anni) si ritrova da solo senza la madre!
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Sep 28, 2011
Dhe
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ho preso in prestito questo libro dalla biblioteca appena arrivato. il motivo è semplice: avevo assistito alla presentazione del libro un paio di anni fa, al salone del libro di torino, più per caso che per altro, ed ero rimasta molto colpita dal ragazzo da cui nasce la storia, un ragazzo molto giovane ma molto determinato che invece che essere in balia dell'intervistatrice aveva il controllo (cosa piuttosto rara). l'episodio che più mi aveva fatto sorridere e che mi aveva spinta a rimanere ad a
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Feb 17, 2012
Anne
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Fabio Geda is an Italian novelist who writes for several Italian magazines and newspapers. He also works with children in difficulties. In The Sea There Are Crocodiles, published in the UK by Harvill Secker is his first book to be translated into English.
This is the fictionalised account of a true story. The recreation of the story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young Afghan boy who was abandoned by his Mother when they were seeking safety outside Afghanistan. Fabio Geda met Enai whilst i More...
This is the fictionalised account of a true story. The recreation of the story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a young Afghan boy who was abandoned by his Mother when they were seeking safety outside Afghanistan. Fabio Geda met Enai whilst i More...
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Feb 11, 2012
LauraW
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This impressive account is simply, but compellingly told. I enjoyed reading it, although it does detail many difficult and horrible events.
On greater reflection, I was thinking about the difference of what happens to young boys in danger of the Taliban to what happens to young girls. A girl could not have made it all the way to Italy. It would be more likely for a young girl to have been subject to some sort of gender-based compulsory service, either through marriage at a young age More...
On greater reflection, I was thinking about the difference of what happens to young boys in danger of the Taliban to what happens to young girls. A girl could not have made it all the way to Italy. It would be more likely for a young girl to have been subject to some sort of gender-based compulsory service, either through marriage at a young age More...
Dec 12, 2011
Caroline
rated it:
You are not going to be surprised if I say that I adored this book, right?
I know, I know what you're going to say, I *always* love the translated books and I keep telling you how much you *need* to read them, so much that I'm turning into the boy who cried wolf and you don't believe me anymore.
But guess what? This one, you really do need to read it! No really!
This story is a real eye opener. Not only do you see life through the eyes of someone from a foreign culture and count More...
I know, I know what you're going to say, I *always* love the translated books and I keep telling you how much you *need* to read them, so much that I'm turning into the boy who cried wolf and you don't believe me anymore.
But guess what? This one, you really do need to read it! No really!
This story is a real eye opener. Not only do you see life through the eyes of someone from a foreign culture and count More...
Nov 20, 2011
Beverly
rated it: 
• The book had a conversational style and the narrator is charming and not necessarily dwelling on all that is wrong with the world that set him on this journey but always emphasized the positive and the kindness of others that helped him
• I would say this is more YA than adult and would make for a great HS book discussion
• I could not imagine being on my own at 10 yrs old and crossing borders and figure out how to survive in this world
• The narrator feels that his mother gave him More...
• I would say this is more YA than adult and would make for a great HS book discussion
• I could not imagine being on my own at 10 yrs old and crossing borders and figure out how to survive in this world
• The narrator feels that his mother gave him More...
Nov 03, 2011
Book Him Danno
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! When Enaitollah Akbari was about ten years old, his mother takes him from Afghanistan over the border to Pakistan away from the Taliban. It is there where he wakes one morning to find his mother gone and he is alone. He has to make his own way and figure out what to do with his life. It is the story of his journey through many countries, finding jobs, being deported and making friends, seeking the help of strangers and showing us what it is like to be an
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Aug 08, 2011
Betty-Anne
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In 2000, when Enaiatollah Akbari was ten years old, his mother took him from their home in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, over the border into Pakistan, and ultimately left him there. This seeming act of abandonment was in fact a desperate attempt to hopefully save the life of her second child. His mother felt he had become too big to hide from the Taliban who targeted families in their area, mostly for being Hazara.
Enaiat had to learn to fend for himself over the next five years, tr More...
Enaiat had to learn to fend for himself over the next five years, tr More...
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Aug 04, 2011
Freida
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Enaiat was born and lived in Afghanistan until his mother smuggled him out sometime around his tenth birthday and left him in Pakistan. From that day on he was responsible for his own life. How he survived, the jobs that he took as a Shia Muslim immigrant to be able to survive and how he manage to make it all the way to Italy and convince them to give him asylum as a political refugee is the story.
Enaiat’s father was forced to drive a truck for the Sunni bringing back merchandise b More...
Enaiat’s father was forced to drive a truck for the Sunni bringing back merchandise b More...
Jul 01, 2011
Cheryl
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Fabio Geda bases his novel, IN THE SEA THERE ARE CROCODILES, on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari, a ten year old boy left by his mother in Pakistan after the Taliban takes over their village in Afghanistan.
What follows is a five year odyssey from home to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally Turin, Italy. Enaiat does not witness the Wonders of the East, but rather the bitter cold of the mountains scaled to provide safe passage, sewage from the gutters of Pakistan, and the fea More...
What follows is a five year odyssey from home to Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally Turin, Italy. Enaiat does not witness the Wonders of the East, but rather the bitter cold of the mountains scaled to provide safe passage, sewage from the gutters of Pakistan, and the fea More...
Jun 28, 2011
Clover (Fluttering Butterflies)
rated it:
Oh, this book. It really had me in tears. What comes across the most for me as I was reading it is of the resilience of the human spirit and also hope in times of quite tragic events. It is quite the slim book, but I was gripped all the way through it and Enaiatollah and Fabio Geda really had a grip on my heart from the very first page.
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda is the fictionalised true story of a 10 year old boy from Afghanistan. His mother takes him over the borde More...
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda is the fictionalised true story of a 10 year old boy from Afghanistan. His mother takes him over the borde More...
Oct 17, 2011
Tracey
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This is the novelization of a true story of a boy whose mother smuggled him out of Afghanistan when he was 10 to keep him safe from the Taliban. But then she went back, so it is the story of him, age 10-18, fending for himself, making his way in the world, and making his way from country to country until he eventually settles in Italy. Written in the first person, as if he is telling the reader his life story, it is remarkably matter-of-fact and non-sensationalistic. It is narrated as if this
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Aug 11, 2011
Amy
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In the Sea there are Crocodiles is an inspiring book and keeps you wanting more in Enaiatollah's story.
In a way it was just like Parvana (by Deborah Ellis), and was very touching. It gives you a big idea on what life is like over in that part of Asia.
I am a Year 7 student and found it very informative and knowledgeable.
Enaiatollah Akbari is a 10-year-old boy living in Afghanistan. His father was forced to drive a lorry full of merchandise for the Taliban, and was attacked b More...
In a way it was just like Parvana (by Deborah Ellis), and was very touching. It gives you a big idea on what life is like over in that part of Asia.
I am a Year 7 student and found it very informative and knowledgeable.
Enaiatollah Akbari is a 10-year-old boy living in Afghanistan. His father was forced to drive a lorry full of merchandise for the Taliban, and was attacked b More...
Jul 18, 2011
Susan
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(creative nonfiction?, 3.5/5 stars)
Before his mother abandons him in Pakistan after taking him there to avoid the Taliban in Afghanistan, she gives Enaiatollah Akbari three rules:
1. Never use drugs
2. Never use weapons
3. Don't cheat or steal
That doesn't give a ten-year old (more or less) boy much of a start to find his own way in the world. This book, “based on the true story,” is short, simple, and reads like fiction. Don't expect a big high-le More...
Before his mother abandons him in Pakistan after taking him there to avoid the Taliban in Afghanistan, she gives Enaiatollah Akbari three rules:
1. Never use drugs
2. Never use weapons
3. Don't cheat or steal
That doesn't give a ten-year old (more or less) boy much of a start to find his own way in the world. This book, “based on the true story,” is short, simple, and reads like fiction. Don't expect a big high-le More...
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Dec 27, 2011
Karima
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A somewhat fictionalized oral account of 10-year old Enaiatollah Akbari's escape from his home in Afghanistan to Italy, where he remains. (He is now 21, maybe. No birth records). In the five-year period that this book covers, young Enaiat travels from Afghanistan to Iran (and back to Afghanistan due to repatriation) Iran again, Turkey, Greece and finally, Italy, where he was given political asylum at the age of 15. . He tells his story to Fabio Geda, an Italian novelist who works with children
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Jul 08, 2011
This is an amazing account of one young Afghani's life, a life in which childhood is eliminated well before its time. During the Taliban terror, Enaiatollah Akberi's mother removes him to Pakistan for his own safety, abruptly leaving him there so as to return to her village and her two other children. She knew her 10 year old son well enough to know that despite his youth, he would be able to survive. As with Dave Eggars' treatment of the life of Valentin Achak Deng in What is the What, Febio Ge
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Sep 24, 2011
Nathan
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In the Sea There Are Crocodiles is a wonderful odyssey as seen through the naiveté of a young boy. A true story enriched through a fictional account, Fabio Geda, as captured the child's viewpoint of being left to chance in a dangerous world. The narrative is told in a loose interview style led by the author as he interrupts the first person account of our narrator and guide, Enaiatollah, in order to almost drive home the point that this is more than just a fictional story. While the off beat
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Jul 02, 2011
Yvonne
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What a remarkable story told by a remarkable young man! In the Sea There are Crocodiles is joining my mental list of all-time favorite books! It is the true story as told by Enaiatollah Akbari to author Fabio Geda, although it must be classified as fiction because parts of it had to be reconstructed (it must have been difficult for a 10 year old with no watch or map to remember geographical/time-sensitive details). The story recounts Enaiatollah's 5 year journey to find a home after his mother s
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Sep 06, 2011
Jeff
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In the Sea there are Crocodiles is a fast and engaging tale that takes the reader from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, and finally to Italy through the eyes of a refugee. Enaiatollah Akbari was 10 when his mother took him from his native Nava in Afghanistan to Pakistan. Shortly before, the Taliban took over the region and murdered the headmaster of his school. She takes him and makes him promise three things, never use drugs, never use weapons, and never cheat or steal. The next day
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Feb 18, 2012
Rachel
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I just discovered that the edition that I read is an uncorrected proof. I'm not sure if that means that there were changes in the final corrected edition or what.
That being said, I did like the book. I didn't love it, but it was worth a quick read. Some of the passages were difficult to read due to a complete lack of punctuation. Not sure if this was the way the corrected edition read or if it was just my edition.
The story was interesting and thought provoking. To re More...
That being said, I did like the book. I didn't love it, but it was worth a quick read. Some of the passages were difficult to read due to a complete lack of punctuation. Not sure if this was the way the corrected edition read or if it was just my edition.
The story was interesting and thought provoking. To re More...
Jan 01, 2012
Scarlett
rated it:
Heart-wrenchingly genuine story of a 10 year old Hazara boy's journey from a war-struck grief-laden Afghanistan to Italy, via many countries and deportations.
However, everything in this book is what we already know through a zillion NYTimes or Times articles - the living conditions in Afghanistan, the different routes people take to get away from Afghanistan, the situation of immigrants in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Greece.
The book follows a very narrative tone, with the boy , now a More...
However, everything in this book is what we already know through a zillion NYTimes or Times articles - the living conditions in Afghanistan, the different routes people take to get away from Afghanistan, the situation of immigrants in Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Greece.
The book follows a very narrative tone, with the boy , now a More...
Oct 01, 2011
Chris
rated it:
When approaching a story, an author has to make many choices. Sometimes, there is a choice to be made with two clear options; no matter which the author chooses, doubt is sure to snare the reader: wouldn't it have been better if...?
Such a problem may be facing Fabio Geda's In the Sea There Are Crocodiles. In the Sea... is “based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari.” Akbari, who is most often referred to in the novel as Enaiat, was taken across the border of his home in Afghani More...
Such a problem may be facing Fabio Geda's In the Sea There Are Crocodiles. In the Sea... is “based on the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari.” Akbari, who is most often referred to in the novel as Enaiat, was taken across the border of his home in Afghani More...
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Sep 06, 2011
Kari
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When the small Afghanistan village of Nava is taken over by the Taliban, 10 yr. old Enaiatollah Akbari's mother fears that it is no longer safe for her son to live there. She sneaks him into Pakistan and leaves him there hoping he will find his way to a better, safer life. In this book, Enaiatollah tells the true story of his life during that time - how he mangages to survive on the streets as an illegal immigrant and how he travels to several other countries before finally, many years later, fi
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Sep 04, 2011
Meg - A Bookish Affair
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Imagine leaving your family at a very young age and continuously being on the move for five whole years. This would make an amazing book by itself but what makes In the Sea There Are Crocodiles even more amazing is that it is based in fact. This book is considered a fiction because of the liberty taken with some of the detail that Enaiatollah did not remember exactly. Enaiatollah (what a hard name to spell; I'll call him E) faces these challenges with the strength and wisdom of someone more than
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May 26, 2011
Stuart
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In the Sea There Are Crocodiles is a short (maybe about 40,000 words) fictionalized oral history of a remarkable journey by a Afghani boy trying to escape the Taliban and find a new life for himself. The raw story is embellished with novelistic touches by the author, an Italian writer. Heartwarming and eye opening, the novel with its sketchy, visual-filled treatment reads like a screenplay. You get a portrait of just how resilient, intelligent and aware a little 10 year old boy can be.
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Aug 22, 2011
Amy
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A brave kid. His family is Hazara, a group persecuted within Afghanistan. When he's 10, his mother smuggles him to Pakistan. She gives him 3 pieces of advice for his life and then leaves in the middle of the night to go back to his brother and sister. So his life begins of working and moving to the next place to work. Mostly he works construction jobs in Iran. Then there's a month-long hike over the mountains into Turkey, then four boys who can't swim trying to row a dinghy to Greece, and
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Jan 01, 2012
Renee
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The last book I've read this year, very well may be my favorite for 2011. This book is a true story based on the life of Enaiatoliah Akbar, who at the age of about ten years old (birth certificates are not used in Afghanistan)is abandoned by his mother and is forced to live on the streets. Knowing he has no future in Afghanistan and will be hunted and killed due to his religious beliefs, he begins a journey to leave his country for a better life.
This book follows Enaiatoliah through A More...
This book follows Enaiatoliah through A More...
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Aug 08, 2011
Barb
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I was moved by Enaiatollah Akbari's story, I'm glad that Fabio Geda has recorded it for the sake of history but I wish that Geda had expanded on the details a little more or that I had read this with a companion book on Afghanistan so that I would have had a greater understanding of what daily life was like for Akbari there.
I thought this was a moving story but lacked the details that would have made it a richer reading experience for me. I think it would be an excellent book for t More...
I thought this was a moving story but lacked the details that would have made it a richer reading experience for me. I think it would be an excellent book for t More...
Nov 04, 2011
Kkraemer
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This is a great book. It's written by Geda, who captures the words of a 21 year old Afgani Enaiatollah Akbari as he tells the story of being abandoned at age 10 in Pakistan and making his way through 4 other countries before finally going to Italy, where he was given political asylum at the age of 17 (or so...Akbari doesn't really know, exactly, how old he is).
This kid's story is amazing: He found work, friends, food (most of the time), traffickers, danger, and met all with courage More...
This kid's story is amazing: He found work, friends, food (most of the time), traffickers, danger, and met all with courage More...
Sep 10, 2011
Mary (BookHounds)
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Born in Afghanistan and smuggled out by his mother, he left in Pakistan at age ten to fend for himself, Enaiat manages to make his way to Italy and obtains status as a political refugee. This should be a sad and serious tale, but the story telling comes alive and provides a humorous and winning look on life. Yes, his harsh life is harrowing, but as a young boy, Enaiat finds that he can survive and even thrive through the hardship. I was cheering for him the whole time! The author did a More...
