[REVIEW] When Stars Are Scattered, by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson

(Buy this book here)

Take a look at that book cover for a moment. It’s cute, right? Two little button-nosed Black boys taking in the night sky without a care in the world, right?

Not quite. Omar and Hassan are Somalians living in a refugee camp in Kenya. Their parents are presumed dead and their guardian is an elderly refugee who’s lost her family as well. Hassan is developmentally disabled and requires a lot of care. Omar, though bright, struggles to go to school while feeling so deeply(and solely) responsible for what remains of his family. His main hope is that his UN application for asylum will be accepted–but that’s a long and stressful process with many unexpected pitfalls.

This cutely illustrated graphic novel is based on the real-life experiences of Mohammed, who arrived in Dadaab refugee camp when he was 4 and was resettled in Arizona when he was 19. It’s an honest portrayal of a refugee childhood and as you’d expect, life in a camp can be quite harsh.

It can also be quite beautiful, and that’s what makes this book such a work of art. Displacement and tragedy do not disrupt the human need for deep bonds of friendship, love, and community. Like any other kid, Omar has a best friend, crushes, and a school bully. He feuds with his brother and takes his growing pains out on his guardian Fatuma. He plays after school, studies for tests, and tests his boundaries. He’s a very normal, imperfect kid growing up as best as he can, which is what makes the specters of hunger, displacement, abandonment, injustice, and being at the endless mercy of politics and policy seem all the worse. Omar really could be any kid–but he isn’t. He’s a refugee, and that means that all of this normality is filtered through stifled circumstances. Given his lack of mobility and resources, the focus of his life is entirely on his relationships, and how they thrive and grow even in such terrible circumstances.

I started this book not really knowing what it was about. By the time I got to the ending– built around a poem by a very special woman that Mohamed was wise and loyal to include–I was in tears. The heart of Dadaab camp is beating on every page of this book, and it feels like an honor to have felt its rhythm.

Plenty of goat feed, more space for girls in school, and peace to When Stars Are Scattered.

INTERESTING UPDATE: I’ve never thought of graphic novels lending themselves particularly well to the audiobook format, but apparently, they do! For a review of how this book plays out in audio, check out fellow blogger Empish J Thomas’ review.

(Fellow readers and beautiful people – this is a book I recommend buying, not just borrowing. This has been a year of graphic novels for me, it seems–and this book is my second favorite of the year so far, right after Shubeik Lubeik. For more graphic novels by diverse writers and artists, check out the Great Graphic Novels booklist at the Equal Opportunity Bookshop. We have an affiliate relationship with Bookshop and will get a commission if you buy anything from a link on this page. Now, go read something good! Peace!)