Can you imagine a life where, every day, you're fighting to survive? To Tareq, a teenage boy living in the war-torn country of Syria, this is reality. Tareq, his father, and his little sister Susan are trying to escape Syria after their home was destroyed. The family embarks on their journey out of Syria, first stopping in Raqqa to stay with a relative and prepare for the long journey ahead. Along with Musa, Tareq’s cousin, the family makes their way out of Syria and into Turkey. Tareq and Musa go farther into Turkey to find work, leaving Susan and her father behind. After Tareq realizes Turkey isn't a welcoming home, he reluctantly uses the money he has earned to smuggle himself and Susan into Greece. Tareq and Susan must cross the Aegean Sea, packed into an inflatable dinghy with many other frightened refugees. They are trying to get to Lesvos, Greece, an island just off the coast of Turkey. When Tareq and Susan finally arrive in Greece, they are helped out of their boats by volunteers. One volunteer, Alexa, a college student from America, builds a lasting bond with Tareq and Susan, whose real journey has just begun. I had never realized the struggles refugees had to go through until I read A Land of Permanent Goodbyes. It made me realize the struggles to leave one's own home country and go to a new unknown place, to the refugees it will never be their true home. This book also opened my eyes to the stigma around refugees and how some countries and people don't empathize with them and just want them out of their country. What surprised me was how cruel and cold the smuggling business was. Many of the smugglers were charging thousands of dollars for the refugees to be squeezed into a tiny dinghy that might not even make it to its destination. Reading this book made me realize how lucky we are to live in a country where we don’t have to worry about war and bombings like other countries. I also saw how conflicts could tear apart families. It was eye-opening to me to see Tareq struggle with the pain of the deaths of his family members while still staying strong for his little sister Susan. This book also highlighted how people would take advantage of the refugees, especially children and girls. It also showed me the effect volunteering and donating to organizations can have a drastic effect on the lives of those being helped. Hard times like the one seen in this book can bring out the best of people but it will also bring out the worst of them too. -Garrett S.
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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November 2022
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