Amina lives on the edges of Mogadishu. Her family's house has been damaged in Somalia's long civil war, but they continue to live there, reluctant to leave their home. Amina's world is shattered when government forces come to arrest her father because his art has been officially censored, deemed too political. Then rebel forces kidnap Amina's brother, forcing him to become a soldier in Somalia's brutal ongoing war.Although her mother and grandmother are still with her, Amina feels vulnerable and abandoned. Secretly, she begins to create her own artwork in the streets and the derelict buildings to give herself a sense of hope and to let out the burden of her heart. Her artwork explodes into Mogadishu's underground world, providing a voice for people all over the city who hope for a better, more secure future.'This touching story brings home vividly the dangers of creating art that seeks to be true - and all the more so during a vicious civil war, interwoven with religious extremism. Thankfully, Amina's teenage curiosity and courage also signal hope.' - Beverley Naidoo, author of Carnegie Medal Winner The Other Side of Truth

 

This book was recognised by the Outstanding International Books Award. It was recognised by the United States Board on Books for Young People.

This is volume 2 in Through my Eyes .

There are 192 pages in this book. This book was published 2014 by Murdoch Books .

Rosanne Hawke lives in rural South Australia. Many of her 20 books have been shortlisted or notable in Australian awards, and Taj and the Great Camel Trek was the winner of a 2012 Adelaide Festival award. For ten years Rosanne was an aidworker and teacher in Pakistan and the Middle East. She is a Carclew, Asialink, Varuna, and May Gibbs Fellow, and a Bard of Cornwall. Rosanne enjoys writing adventures and mysteries about history, culture, relationships, music and cats. She lectures in Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide. Lyn White has been a primary school teacher-librarian and EAL teacher for more than twenty years. She completed postgraduate studies in Editing and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and is passionate about engaging students with quality texts and teachers with quality resources. She is a part-time teacher at Blackburn English Language School and a pre-service supervisor with Deakin University. J. L. Powers is an author, scholar, book reviewer and publsiher. Powers holds master's degrees in African History from State University of New York-Albany and Stanford University, won a Fulbright-Hayes to study Zulu in South Africa, and served as a visiting scholar in Stanford's African Studies Department in 2008 and 2009. She lives in San Francisco's Bay Area and teaches writing at Skyline Community College.