Nine lives in the world's largest refugee camp
As we move into fall, the Opportunity Book Club is turning to a nonfiction book that will open our eyes to the plight of refugees in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. This month, join us this month as we read the incredible stories in City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence.
“Situated hundreds of miles from any other settlement, deep within the inhospitable desert of northern Kenya where only thorn bushes grow, Dadaab is a city like no other,” Amazon’s book description reads. “Its buildings are made from mud, sticks, or plastic. Its entire economy is gray. And its citizens survive on rations and luck.”
It was in this context that researcher and writer Ben Rawlence spent four years getting to know nine people—including a former child soldier, a youth leader, a student, and a man who earns his living pushing a wheelbarrow—whose stories make up this powerful book.
City of Thorns was named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist and Foreign Affairs and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The Associated Press simply said, “Read this one.”
So we are doing just that, and we hope you will too.
Opportunity International responds to the unique needs of refugees by building innovative programs that serve those who have resettled in new cities or who are living in refugee settlements. Learn more about the services and training we provide to refugees now.