Gulwali Passarlay

This is the story of an ordinary twelve year old Afghan boy, forced to become extraordinary when his family pays traffickers to get him out of the country and into Europe. It's the story of a child forced within weeks to become an adult confronted with situations nobody should ever have to deal with. It should be required reading for anyone who's ever complained that such people should get back where they came from, that they are here for the benefits they can extract from their host country. This is a powerful, harrowing book by a boy - now a man - who has survived, and is now making the most of every opportunity that he can to change the situation of refugees and our perception of them.… (mehr)

This is a powerful, gripping written account of a 12 year old boy's journey across the world. I was both stirred and moved. You gain a real insight into the complex web of people smuggling, and the way that refugees need to constantly discern who is lying and who is telling the truth. The maturity, wisdom and leadership qualities of Gulwali Passarlay shine through the pages despite his age, and the horrific injustices of the system. I wanted to cry when Gulwali, having traveled backwards and forwards across Europe in a year, facing hunger, cold and abuse, is confronted with a cynical system in the UK which doubts his age, and leaves him hanging, depressed and suicidal for a few years.… (mehr)

The boy who fled Afghanistan and endured a terrifying journey in the hands of people smugglers is now a young man intent on changing the world. His story is a deeply harrowing and incredibly inspiring tale of our times.

'To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?'

Gulwali Passarlay was sent away from Afghanistan at the age of twelve, after his father was killed in a gun battle with the US Army. Smuggled into Iran, Gulwali began a twelvemonth odyssey across Europe, spending time in prisons, suffering hunger, making a terrifying journey across the Mediterranean in a tiny boat, and enduring a desolate month in the camp at Calais. Somehow he survived, and made it to Britain, no longer an innocent child but still a young boy alone. In Britain he was fostered, sent to a good school, won a place at a top university, and was chosen to carry the Olympic torch in 2012.

Gulwali wants to tell his story - to bring to life the plight of the thousands of men, women and children who are making this perilous journey every day. One boy's experience is the central story of our times. This memoir celebrates the triumph of courage and determination over adversity.… (mehr)

In 2006, after his father was killed, Gulwali Passarlay was caught between the Taliban who wanted to recruit him, and the Americans who wanted to use him. To protect her son, Gulwali's mother sent him away. The search for safety would lead the twelve-year-old across eight countries, from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan through Iran and Europe to Britain. Over the course of twelve harrowing months, Gulwali endured imprisonment, hunger, cruelty, brutality, loneliness, and terror and nearly drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea before being granted asylum in England. In The Lightless Sky, Gulwali recalls his experience and offers a firsthand look at pressing issues of the modern refugee crisis.… (mehr)