City of Thorns

Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp

De: Ben Rawlence

Narrado por: Thomas Judd

Duración: 11 h y 12 m

Resumen del Editor

To the charity workers, Dadaab refugee camp is a humanitarian crisis; to the Kenyan government, it is a 'nursery for terrorists'; to the Western media, it is a dangerous no-go area; but to its half a million residents, it is their last resort.

Situated hundreds of miles from any other settlement, in the midst of the inhospitable desert of Northern Kenya where only thorn bushes grow, Dadaab is a city like no other. Its buildings are made from mud, sticks or plastic; its entire economy is grey; and its citizens survive on rations and luck.

Over the course of four years, Ben Rawlence became a firsthand witness to this strange and desperate limbo land, getting to know many of those who have come there seeking sanctuary. Among them are Guled, a former child soldier who lives for football; Nisho, who scrapes an existence by pushing a wheelbarrow and dreaming of riches; Tawane, the indomitable youth leader; and schoolgirl Kheyro, whose future hangs upon her education.

In City of Thorns, Rawlence interweaves the stories of nine individuals to show what life is like in the camp and to sketch the wider political forces that keep the refugees trapped there.

Lucid, vivid and illuminating, City of Thorns is an urgent human story with deep international repercussions, brought to life through the people who call Dadaab home.

©2016 Ben Rawlence (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

Reseñas de la Crítica

"By combining his own experience with interviews with residents of Dadaab, he makes the human rights crisis vivid and immediate for readers.... Compelling." (Publishers Weekly)

"Where once writers made myths, now increasingly it's the writer's job to unmake the myths created by modern media. City of Thorns is a clear-eyed account of people living in limbo and a testament both to human frailty and human resilience. By recounting the stories of a few Rawlence sheds light on all the stories of all in the refugees in all the camps that will never be told. As timely as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring - this book should be required reading." (Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love)

Amazing listen.

Engaging and gripping. The book gives task insight into life in a refugee camp. It's heart breaking but important to communicate to help the general public hold governments and relief organisations accountable.