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Cold White Sun

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A stranger-than-fiction story based on the real-life experiences of a young boy who was smuggled out of Ethiopia amid political unrest to start a new life from nothing in Calgary, Alberta.

Tesfaye lives behind the safe walls of his family's compound in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His father is an important man, Tesfaye goes to one of the best schools in the city, his mother and older sisters keep him fed and cared for. He and his beloved brother, Ishi, can spend their time playing soccer, racing chickens and spying on the guests — as long as they stay away from the sharp horns of the family's goat and avoid their father's fiery temper.

When rebel forces take over the capital, life becomes more complicated. Tesfaye's father's cousin takes him to live in the former imperial palace, and Tesfaye becomes the most favored son. His father takes him along when he gives political speeches and distributes leaflets. It is all very exciting, even if Tesfaye doesn't pay attention to what the leaflets actually say.

And then suddenly his father is arrested, and Tesfaye's own life is in peril. His mother sends him into hiding in her father's village, until even that is too dangerous. Tesfaye is put in the care of a human smuggler and embarks on an uncertain, confusing and terrifying journey through Kenya, Europe and finally to Canada, where he is put on a Greyhound bus with ten dollars and instructions to stay on the bus until someone tells him to get off. You are safe now, says the smuggler. You are in Canada. This country will protect you.

And so begins his new life in North America, sheltered for a while by fellow expats, threatened by the authorities, shunted from a group home to foster care. But through it all he is plagued by confusion and grief, wondering whether he will ever know what has happened to the family he left behind.

Key Text Features
author's note
map
historical context

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

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  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from February 1, 2019
      Based on interviews with a man who started life as the son of a powerful Addis Ababa businessman, this novel traces the story of one refugee in Canada."Tesfaye" (names were changed to protect relatives back in Ethiopia) spent his early years caring only about doing well in school to please his father, playing with his brothers, and trying to eat before his sisters shooed him away. Born around the time of the Great Famine, Tesfaye recalls the early 1990s, when he had to be inside before dark because the world was dangerous after nightfall. When rebel soldiers forced their way into the family compound, Tesfaye found his life changed irrevocably. Later, after his father was arrested for anti-government activities and Tesfaye's name was added to a wanted list for helping him distribute pamphlets, he began a long, taxing journey first to Kenya and, eventually, to Canada. Holler (Lacey and the African Grandmothers, 2009, etc.) transforms his story into an emotionally gripping work of fiction. The details of his difficult and harrowing life will wrap readers up in Tesfaye's emotions--his joys, fears, and anxieties--showing them the world through his senses. The care taken with this narrative is apparent on every page; readers cannot help but feel for Tesfaye and others like him who must sacrifice so much for survival and safety.A profound, heartbreaking narrative filled with loss, confusion, displacement, and longing. (map, author's note, information about Ethiopia) (Fiction. 14-adult)

      COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2019
      The son of a well-connected businessman, Tesfaye leads a life of privilege in 1990s Ethiopia. After his father is arrested, however, a terrified Tesfaye endures a harrowing journey (via human trafficker) to Canada. Tesfaye now faces new dangers alone. Based on a true story, Holler's tale provides a timely refugee narrative driven by its protagonist's intense emotional experience. Tesfaye's eye-opening perspective allows readers to follow him through terror and survival.

      (Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • The Horn Book

      September 1, 2019
      The son of a well-connected businessman, Tesfaye is accustomed to a life of privilege in 1990s Ethiopia. He eats well (no small thing in the years after the Great Famine) and attends an excellent school; his biggest worries are keeping his grades up and pleasing his father. Danger hovers close, however, and as tensions with rebel forces rise, Tesfaye's world is violently upended. His father is arrested, and Tesfaye himself is wanted by the authorities. Eventually, a terrified Tesfaye endures a harrowing journey (via human trafficker) to Kenya, through Europe, and ultimately to Canada. But a new country is no guarantee of safety, and Tesfaye must now face new dangers without the support of his family. Based on a true story and thoughtfully disguised to protect the real Tesfaye (and his family still in Ethiopia), Holler's tale provides a timely refugee narrative driven by its protagonist's intense emotional experience. Holler has taken great care to focus on Tesfaye's humanity throughout a story that could so easily be overtaken by its political upheaval, physical peril, and culture shock; readers will be compelled by Tesfaye's eye-opening perspective as they follow him through terror and survival. anastasia m. collins

      (Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:620
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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