Social Sciences
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City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp
Named a 2016 Best of Book of the Year by The Economist
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, deep within 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 first-hand witness to a 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. Rawlence combines intimate storytelling with broad socio-political investigative journalism, doing for Dadaab what Katherinee Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers did for the Mumbai slums. 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.
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, deep within 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 first-hand witness to a 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. Rawlence combines intimate storytelling with broad socio-political investigative journalism, doing for Dadaab what Katherinee Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers did for the Mumbai slums. 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.
Editorial Reviews
RUNNER-UP FOR THE Dayton Literary Peace Prize | FINALIST IN THE Los Angeles Times BOOK AWARDS| FINALIST for the Sacherbuch Preis. LONG LISTED FOR THE American Literary Association | The Los Angeles Times 10 MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS OF 2016
"[A] remarkable book…. Like Dadaab itself, the story has no conclusion. Iti is a portrait, beautifully and moving painted. And it is more than that. At a time when newspapers are filled with daily images of refugees arriving in boats on Europe's shores, when politicians and governments grapple with solutions to migration and erect ever larger walls and fences, it is an important reminder that a vast majority of the world's refugees never get as far as a boat or a border of the developed world."―The New York Times Book Review
"[An] ambitious, morally urgent new book."―The New York Times
"Magisterial….We see Dadaab through an accumulation of vivid impressions….[The book] moves like a thriller."―Los Angeles Times
"The most absorbing book in recent memory about life in refugee camps… Mr. Rawlence's major feat is stripping away the anonymity that so often is attached to the word "refugee" by delving deeply into the lives of nine people in the camp. By doing so, he transforms its denizens from faceless victims into three-dimensional human beings. Along the way, Dadaab emerges from the ever-present heat and dust to become much more than a refugee camp. It is a real, if very peculiar, city."―Howard French, The Wall Street Journal
"In light of the contemporary crisis, City of Thorns serves as a cautionary tale. Rawlence's portrait of nine Dadaab residents offers a stark counterpoint to the rhetoric that too often speaks for refugees....This is a vital book at a critical moment in global history."―Minneapolis Star Tribune
"City of Thorns…brilliantly details the intimate histories of residents of Dadaab, a massive, United Nations-maintained camp in Kenya for people stuck in legal limbo after escaping from sectarian violence in Somalia."―Chicago Tribune
"Rawlence...is more than able to move the reader, introducing us to some of the people in Dadaab in his exceptional first book."―Newsday
"Gripping."―The Economist
"City of Thorns is revelatory read. It is a lesson in politics, geography, economics, and humanity. Ben Rawlence's book will give readers the same insight into Dadaab that Katherine Boo gave readers into Mumbai with her book Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. This is an important book that will open your eyes and your heart."―Everyday eBook
"[Rawlence] has done a remarkable job, bringing home the reality behind those statistics by telling us what life is really like inside one of...
"[A] remarkable book…. Like Dadaab itself, the story has no conclusion. Iti is a portrait, beautifully and moving painted. And it is more than that. At a time when newspapers are filled with daily images of refugees arriving in boats on Europe's shores, when politicians and governments grapple with solutions to migration and erect ever larger walls and fences, it is an important reminder that a vast majority of the world's refugees never get as far as a boat or a border of the developed world."―The New York Times Book Review
"[An] ambitious, morally urgent new book."―The New York Times
"Magisterial….We see Dadaab through an accumulation of vivid impressions….[The book] moves like a thriller."―Los Angeles Times
"The most absorbing book in recent memory about life in refugee camps… Mr. Rawlence's major feat is stripping away the anonymity that so often is attached to the word "refugee" by delving deeply into the lives of nine people in the camp. By doing so, he transforms its denizens from faceless victims into three-dimensional human beings. Along the way, Dadaab emerges from the ever-present heat and dust to become much more than a refugee camp. It is a real, if very peculiar, city."―Howard French, The Wall Street Journal
"In light of the contemporary crisis, City of Thorns serves as a cautionary tale. Rawlence's portrait of nine Dadaab residents offers a stark counterpoint to the rhetoric that too often speaks for refugees....This is a vital book at a critical moment in global history."―Minneapolis Star Tribune
"City of Thorns…brilliantly details the intimate histories of residents of Dadaab, a massive, United Nations-maintained camp in Kenya for people stuck in legal limbo after escaping from sectarian violence in Somalia."―Chicago Tribune
"Rawlence...is more than able to move the reader, introducing us to some of the people in Dadaab in his exceptional first book."―Newsday
"Gripping."―The Economist
"City of Thorns is revelatory read. It is a lesson in politics, geography, economics, and humanity. Ben Rawlence's book will give readers the same insight into Dadaab that Katherine Boo gave readers into Mumbai with her book Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. This is an important book that will open your eyes and your heart."―Everyday eBook
"[Rawlence] has done a remarkable job, bringing home the reality behind those statistics by telling us what life is really like inside one of...
Readers Top Reviews
Lynda M WattsStarKDi
Ben Rawlence makes the life in the Dadaab camp and the characters of its occupants come alive with incredible descriptions and attention to detail. Reading in the comfort of ones home it is difficult to come to terms with the difficulties and complications of weather and politics that the inhabitants must endure. Although while reading it was tempting to give up, by the end, although feeling helpless to aid them, I was satisfied to have followed these resilient people through their stories and devoutly wish that politics, religion and weather will allow these people to return to their homes in peace. I judged three stars rather than four as the book is a very demanding read.
Jesse K
A presentation by Mr. Rawlence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival motivated our book club to select this book. It's an excellent work on the plight of Somalian migrants to Kenya in the biggest refugee camp in the world. It also illuminates the dilemma of immigrants and refugees worldwide It should be read by everyone who is concerned about this crisis of humanity which has been invisible to the western press. It must certainly be read by all European and African policymakers on immigration.
Clifton C. Hawkins
I will briefly add my praises to those of [almost] everyone else. We simply cannot understand the world we live in without an intimate and heartfelt acquaintance with the material covered in this book. There may be other ways of acquiring this understanding, but this is among the very best. We come to know and care about these people, their lives, and their interactions--a necessity, of course, if we are to understand ourselves. Absolutely superb.
wjb
I completed this book left with a feeling of profound sadness. This was an eye-opening account of what these people endure on a daily basis - war surrounding them, lack of food, privacy, the elements, and stuck right in the middle of the inevitable tug of war regarding politics. This should be required reading. Just this week my church sponsored a family of 13, I believe, who had been living in a refugee camp for 19 years. They now have housing thanks to members of the congregation who answered the call for assistance. The culture shock will be something they will all have to come to terms with, but I can only imagine their joy.
Tony G.
Excellent, interesting, and easy to read. I'm a teacher in a school with many Somali refugee students and while taking Somali classes through community ed. the teacher (who was from Dadaab camp) recommended it. I think the book and Rawlence's experiences with the people in the book help most of us who have minimal knowledge of the situation gain some perspective on the refugee experience and the many challenges we never think about. It's hard to imagine growing up and living in an area the geographical size of New Orleans with 400,000+ others and no building permits near war torn areas where no one wants you, not the Kenyan government or the largely controlled territories of Al-Shabaab. Google image Dadaab to get an idea of what the camps look like. If you want to gain some perspective on the situation in Somalia and refugee experiences in general, this is a must read!
