Review of A Long Way Home
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[i][Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Long Way Home" by Hallim Jahwid.][/i] [rbc=4]id405490-125[/rbc]Five-year-old Hallim Jahwid did not understand the meaning of war when the Soviet Union invaded Kabul in 1979. Just like any other parent would do in such circumstances, his father took his family from Kabul (where they lived) to a farm that he owned in Jaghori for safety reasons. Sadly, he died shortly after settling in Jaghori, leaving his wife and children in war-torn Afghanistan. As if by bad luck, the war extended to their new home in Jaghori, and they found themselves looking for ways to survive.
A Long Way Home by Hallim Jahwid is a memoir in which he recounts his journey from Kabul to the only country that welcomed him with open hands. It is a short read. I read it in one sitting.
The author’s transition from childhood to adulthood was nothing like what children in peaceful countries experience. I believe that is the reason why he chose “Childhood Disrupted” as the title of the first chapter of the book. Due to his photographic memory, he remembered everything that happened during his childhood and later in his life. For instance, he witnessed how the Imam in Jaghori took most of their belongings after his father's death, leaving his mother with an old sewing machine as her only possession. He also witnessed the murder of schoolteachers in broad daylight, an aspect that made him cry. He emotionally recounts how he began doing menial jobs at the age of ten to support his family. No child, in any part of the world, should go through these things.
The most touching thing was how Jahwid traversed seas, oceans, and continents looking for a place he could call home: A place that could give him the identity that the war in his country of birth denied him. I was shocked that the United Nations, with its many refugee camps across the world, did not offer him the much-needed support. His resilience enabled him to survive the hardships as he moved from one border to the other, one city to the other, and one jungle to the other in search of a place he could call home. He said, “When I traveled through Europe for the first time, I was shocked at how invisible the borders were. You couldn’t tell as you passed from one country to another… It made me understand that borders are unnatural, that we make them ourselves and there is freedom in letting them go.”
The book is sprinkled with drawings and photos that enabled me to have a clear understanding of the things that the author went through during his journey. He has also included a map that marks the places that he went to in search of a home. I am sure that every reader will appreciate these features.
The book was professionally edited. It is error-free. Jahwid is a survivor of the war in Afghanistan. If you love reading memoirs, especially of people who went against all odds to make something beautiful out of their lives, this is the book for you. I also believe that this book is good for all readers irrespective of age and background because it is an eye-opener to the things that society should avoid for people to co-exist peacefully. Since there is nothing I did not like about the book, I settled for 4 out of 4 stars as my rating. ****** [i]A Long Way Home [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=405490]on Bookshelves[/url] | on Amazon | on Smashwords
A Long Way Home by Hallim Jahwid is a memoir in which he recounts his journey from Kabul to the only country that welcomed him with open hands. It is a short read. I read it in one sitting.
The author’s transition from childhood to adulthood was nothing like what children in peaceful countries experience. I believe that is the reason why he chose “Childhood Disrupted” as the title of the first chapter of the book. Due to his photographic memory, he remembered everything that happened during his childhood and later in his life. For instance, he witnessed how the Imam in Jaghori took most of their belongings after his father's death, leaving his mother with an old sewing machine as her only possession. He also witnessed the murder of schoolteachers in broad daylight, an aspect that made him cry. He emotionally recounts how he began doing menial jobs at the age of ten to support his family. No child, in any part of the world, should go through these things.
The most touching thing was how Jahwid traversed seas, oceans, and continents looking for a place he could call home: A place that could give him the identity that the war in his country of birth denied him. I was shocked that the United Nations, with its many refugee camps across the world, did not offer him the much-needed support. His resilience enabled him to survive the hardships as he moved from one border to the other, one city to the other, and one jungle to the other in search of a place he could call home. He said, “When I traveled through Europe for the first time, I was shocked at how invisible the borders were. You couldn’t tell as you passed from one country to another… It made me understand that borders are unnatural, that we make them ourselves and there is freedom in letting them go.”
The book is sprinkled with drawings and photos that enabled me to have a clear understanding of the things that the author went through during his journey. He has also included a map that marks the places that he went to in search of a home. I am sure that every reader will appreciate these features.
The book was professionally edited. It is error-free. Jahwid is a survivor of the war in Afghanistan. If you love reading memoirs, especially of people who went against all odds to make something beautiful out of their lives, this is the book for you. I also believe that this book is good for all readers irrespective of age and background because it is an eye-opener to the things that society should avoid for people to co-exist peacefully. Since there is nothing I did not like about the book, I settled for 4 out of 4 stars as my rating. ****** [i]A Long Way Home [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=405490]on Bookshelves[/url] | on Amazon | on Smashwords
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