National Network for Equitable Library Service

Winning the 2021 Moore Prize for writing that promotes the values consistent with the advancement of human rights and dignity, this book recounts the true stories of three refugees fleeing the civil war in South Sudan. Veronica, a teenager, finds solace in her first boyfriend and flees across the city when fighting breaks out. On the same night, Daniel, the son of a colonel, also makes his escape, but finds himself stranded beside the River Nile, alone and vulnerable. Lilian, a young mother, runs for her life holding the hand of her little boy, Harmony—until a bomb attack wrenches them apart and she is forced to trek on alone. After epic journeys of endurance, these three young people's lives cross in Bidi Bidi in Uganda, the world's largest refugee camp. There, they meet James, a counselor who helps them find light and hope in the darkest of places. In a gripping true-life narrative, Rosalind Russell tells their stories with uplifting empathy and tenderness.