"It never fails to shock me how people take peace for granted." ーMalala Yousafzai
Reads the first page of this book's prologue, and it already stung my heart. Being born from the Philippines, my life has been quite peaceful. Yes, we were poor and sometimes we don't have anything to eat, but I've had a quiet and happy childhood. We would only cry when we got our knees scraped from playing too much outside. Laughter was never short in our home and it was always a joy to remember the moments when our parents would come home from work, embrace us and offer us sweets and candies. Growing up, I thought it was the same for all the other kids around the world. But now I know that the reality outside is far too different from books and fairytales, and this book just gave me a glimpse of that.
First of all, I would like to thank Malala for giving us this book and for enlightening us all on what the life of a Refugee is like. For those who are not familiar with Malala, she is a Pakistani Activist that advocates for Female Education. She is also, as of writing, the youngest to become a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, receiving that award last 2014 when she was still 17. Yes, yes, what an amazing feat, however, the award did not just land on her hands in a silver plate. Her life as a refugee and as one of the main target of Taliban for speaking out on the ban on children's education in her country, Pakistan, almost cost her her life.
We are Displaced is a book that narrates her experiences, her struggles, and her realizations from the terrorist domination that happened to their country and how that affected communities, especially young women like her. Each chapter also features, as what the book cover says, stories from refugee girls all around the world who, like her, tried to escape the horrors that took over their home countries.
Written from Experience
Have you tried crying over a movie before? Reading this book felt exactly like that. I couldn't turn the next page without my tears flowing down my cheeks. Each word from the book breaks you, not only because it was written very well, but because it was written from experience. It hurts to know that people, particularly children, would experience terror, hunger, and abuse as a collateral damage from the power struggle of greedy men. It hurts to know that they needed to leave their home, not because they want to but because they no longer have a home to live in to. This book just hurts to the core because you know that these terrors and trauma are real. They happened to real people, to real girls, to real children. That, I cannot seem to accept without my heart breaking.
Rate: ★★★★★
I encourage you all to read this book so that you all get to know the silent horrors that are happening to countries like Pakistan. I invite you all to walk on the shoes of those young girls who needed to leave their homes and bury their culture so that they can escape the terrors alive.
Reading this book made me realize that I am so privileged to be born on this side of the world, to be born in a peaceful community. Because kids in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many more might be eating bomb explosions and gun threats for breakfast in the morning. This book has enlightened me in so many ways and for that I am thankful. May we all never take our peace for granted.
Yours sincerely,
