City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp - Softcover

Ben Rawlence

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846275873 ISBN 13: 9781846275876

Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd, 2016

Synopsis

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, in the midst of 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. 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.

About this title

Review

'A superb work that highlights the essential humanity of those faceless masses buffeted by events and desperately seeking salvation in one of the world's most troubled spots, [and offers an] outstanding glimpse into the shattered and insecure lives of those on the frontline of the global migration crisis... This is a highly readable book. It is also a damning indictment of the hypocrisy behind camps, which offer such pat solution to refugee crises for aid agencies and politicians... These are stories that need to be heard -- Ian Birrell, the Observer
'This gripping book about lives trapped between a rock and a hard place is a clear-minded, humanitarian insight into the desperation and resilience of the stateless' -- Saga Magazine
'A great read ... Stunning' -- Andrew Marr, BBC Start the Week
'Rawlence spent several years in Dadaab, Kenya, the world's biggest refugee camp - and this is his account of the lives of several of its inhabitants. For all Europe's panic about the recent wave of migrants, City of Thorns underlines how the vast majority of the world's 60 million displaced never leave hellholes like Dadaab.' --Patrick Kingsley author of The New Odyssey, Guardian

'Rawlence provides an intricate portrait of this sprawling settlement' -- Radio Times

'An absorbing book, full of heart... [a] thoughtful portrait' -- Katrina Manson, New Statesman

'[This] remarkable book comes as a timely reminder that the vast majority of the world's refugee population will never see European shores... Rawlence is brilliant on Dadaab's complex material life and what seems like a huge experiment in a mixed economy... [a] timely, disturbing and compelling book' -- Megan Vaughan, Guardian

'Rawlence can write with beauty [...] but the lyricism never distracts from the precision of his reporting... Rawlence's aim is to make distant lives matter, and in that he succeeds. [He] teases out a narrative that, like Dadaab, pulsates with life' --Tristan McConnell, The Times

'Gripping' -- the Economist
'The most absorbing book in recent memory about life in refugee camps' -- Wall Street Journal (Europe)

'This is a book that bristles with anger and despair, but is also full of compassion and dignity. Rawlence offers no solutions, no policy prescriptions. He simply lays out these people's lives and asks us to notice them - and to care' -- Robert Colvile, Daily Telegraph

'Rawlence vividly conveys the strain of living in the camp, always hungry, just waiting: [a] masterful account. Next time someone refers derisorily to a 'bunch of migrants', get them to read this book' --Christine Lamb, the Sunday Times

From the Back Cover

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. 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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1846275873
• ISBN 13: 9781846275876
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352