The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
TASK HELP: Winter Challenge 2023
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20.8 - Nickels & Dimes - Aimee G's Task: Seeking Sanctuary
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ApprovedOption 1:
Dear Child (Germany)
Option 2:
Wandering Souls
Mornings in Jenin
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes
Solito
We Are Displaced
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Beyond That, the Sea
Threads: From the Refugee Crisis
Not approved
Marie (UK) wrote: "please could i have this approved for RefugeeWandering Souls"
Approved, sounds like a really interesting read
The UN have some reading lists of refugee books that might be useful for Option 2, but Goodreads is being a pain and won't let me link them. A google search for "UN Read for Refugees" should find them; there is a fiction list and a non-fiction list.
Apple wrote: "Mornings in Jenin is set in a refugee camp, so would work for option 2, correct?"Yes that works
Dee wrote: "double checking on A Land of Permanent Goodbyes"Definitely for option 2, possibly for option 1 depending on how much of it is set in Syria or Turkey.
Amy wrote: "How is The Sandcastle Girls? I can't tell how much is set in Syria, but i think it meets option 2."Option 2 required the main character to be a refugee, so it really depends if the book is dual POV - in which case Armen and Elizabeth could both be seen as MCs and therefore it would fit the task - or if it's mostly about Elizabeth, in which case it doesn't work. It's hard to tell from the GR description. If Armen is only "seen" through his letters, then it wouldn't count for Option 2, sorry.
Just checking that a memoir by a refugee would work for Option 2?
Meg wrote: "Just checking that a memoir by a refugee would work for Option 2?"Absolutely! I'm actually thinking of reading The Lightless Sky: My Journey to Safety as a Child Refugee for this task :)
Just confirming SolitoThe main description just says his dangerous trip from El Salvador but this a memoir & the bio on GR says war was the issue.
Javier Zamora was born in El Salvador in 1990. His father fled the country when he was one, and his mother when he was about to turn five. Both parents' migrations were caused by the U.S.-funded Salvadoran Civil War. When he was nine Javier migrated through Guatemala, Mexico, and the Sonoran Desert
I've had this book on my TBR list for a while now and think it would work for both options: They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Oh good suggestions here! I'm thinking one of the following for this task:Wandering Souls
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Robin P wrote: "Just confirming SolitoThe main description just says his dangerous trip from El Salvador but this a memoir & the bio on GR says war was the issue.
Javier Zamora was born in El Sal..."
That works!
KSMary wrote: "I've had this book on my TBR list for a while now and think it would work for both options: They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan"I've also had this on my TBR for a while, it does look interesting.
It definitely works for Option 2, possibly Option 1 if more than 75% is set in Sudan which looks probable from the description. (The task says South Sudan but this book was published in 2005, before South Sudan separated from Sudan.)
Evening. I wondered if this would work for Option 2: We Are Displaced, Malala Yousafzai
It's a collection of remembrances, so it doesn't exactly have "characters", but it is about refugees and asylum seekers:
Thanks.
Trish wrote: "Evening. I wondered if this would work for Option 2: We Are Displaced, Malala Yousafzai
It's a collection of remembrances, so it doesn't exactly have "characters", but it is abou..."
The MC can be a fictional or real character so that's fine; each story being about a different refugee is also fine so long as they are all refugees (e.g. I wouldn't allow a short story collection if the stories didn't all have a refugee MC). Hope that makes sense.
It does. Thanks. I'll see how it reads and whether it fits that definition.
I'm hoping that Threads: From the Refugee Crisis will work - it's graphic novel journalism from the refugee camp in Calais, so not a single main character, but a mosaic of many refugees.
Dear Child by Romy HausmannThe setting is not evident on the book's main page.
From this website, which I used to find books set in Germany:
https://crimereads.com/romy-hausmanns...
The beginning of the 3rd paragraph notes the setting.
"A large part of my thriller is set in the Bavarian Forest near the Czech border,"
Does this work as a reference for the setting?
Cat wrote: "I'm hoping that Threads: From the Refugee Crisis will work - it's graphic novel journalism from the refugee camp in Calais, so not a single main character, but a mosaic of many refu..."Yes this works, similarly to Trish's example.
In my new role, I've actually met people who lived in the Calais jungle for a while, it really brings a lot of the news stories to life.
Kristen wrote: "Does Beyond That, the Sea work for Option 2?"Yes this works. From the description, it's clear that Bea is sent to America to escape the war so that would meet the definition of a refugee (although the UN definition didn't come into being until 1951, actually as a direct result of refugee from WW2).
Susan A wrote: "Dear Child by Romy HausmannThe setting is not evident on the book's main page.
From this website, which I used to find books set in Germany:
https://crimereads...."
Looks good to me, but I'm sure the mods would appreciate it if you could include the reference in your claim post :)
It seems from the description that Salt Houses fits option 2, but I've learned in this challenge it is better to be safe and get it approved. Can you please confirm it will work? Thank you in advance!!
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Salt Houses (other topics)The Postcard (other topics)
Salt to the Sea (other topics)
Dear Child (other topics)
Dear Child (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Romy Hausmann (other topics)Romy Hausmann (other topics)
Halfway through last season, I embarked on a rather dramatic career change from an office job I'd been in for seven years to a new role working with refugees and asylum seekers, helping them to settle into the UK and become independent.
My city is a designated "city of sanctuary", meaning we host people who have been granted refugee status by the UK Home Office or the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). We also have several temporary accommodation sites for asylum seekers who are waiting to find out if they will be granted refugee status.
Books with an MPG of Manga/Graphic Novels etc. are allowed for this task.
For this task, themed around refugees, please choose one of the following options.
Required: state the option.
Option 1: According to the UNHCR, the top five "source countries" (countries that refugees have fled) are Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, South Sudan and Myanmar. The top five host countries are Turkey, Iran, Colombia, Germany and Pakistan.
Read a book that is at least 75% set in one of these countries.
Required: state the country the book is set in. If the setting is not obvious from the GR metadata or description, provide a reference.
Option 2: Read a book where the main character is a refugee or asylum seeker.
The definition of a refugee is "someone forced to leave their country to escape war or persecution", so an economic migrant wouldn't count for this task. An asylum seeker is a person who has applied for refugee status and is waiting for a decision to be made.
Required: If it is not obvious from the GR description, please provide a reference to show the main character is a refugee / asylum seeker.