Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees

by Deborah Ellis

Overview

USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List

In this book, Deborah Ellis turns her attention to the most tragic victims of the Iraq war -- Iraqi children. She interviews young people, mostly refugees living in Jordan, but also a few who are trying to build new lives in North America. Some families have left Iraq with money; others are penniless and ill or disabled. Most of the children have parents who are working illegally or not at all, and the fear of deportation is a constant threat.

Ellis provides an historical overview and brief explanations of context, but other than that allows the children to speak for themselves, with minimal editorial comment or interference. Their stories are frank, harrowing and sometimes show surprising resilience, as the children try to survive the consequences of a war in which they played no part. A glossary, map and suggestions for further information are included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554980086
Publisher:	Groundwood Books Ltd
Publication date:	03/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,000,151
Lexile:	820L (what's this?)
File size:	545 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General’s Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

In her previous volume, Off to War: Voices of Soldiers' Children (2008), Ellis interviewed Canadian and American children whose parents were off at war in Iraq or Afghanistan. Here, she has interviewed Iraqi children whose lives have been shattered by war. Depending on the estimates, 90,000 to 1.2 million Iraqi civilians have died as a result of the Second Gulf War, and almost five million have become refugees. Many of the children in this volume are older than those in the previous work and have seen the war firsthand, so they have much to say about their experiences. Most are now in Jordan, so this report is a bit limited by not including those who stayed behind, but the voices are poignant, insightful, angry and hopeful. Their stories are given a solid context by a fine introduction that provides a brief history of the war, a two-page map and prefaces to each person's story. Photographs of the interviewees and a glossary round out an important chronicle of war and the world's most vulnerable-the children. (Internet resources) (Nonfiction. 10 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Long-listed for the OLA Silver Birch Nonfiction Award, 2010

A USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2010

"An important, current title that will have lasting significance." — Booklist, starred review

"…The voices are poignant, insightful, angry and hopeful…An important chronicle of war and the world's most vulnerable." — Kirkus, starred review

"Eye-opening…unforgettable and though-provoking&hellip" — Quill & Quire

From the Publisher