Child Of Dandelions

By Author: Arsenalo
Total Articles: 116
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The year is 1972, and Sabine is a 15-year-old Indian girl living an ordinary life in Uganda. However, on August 6, President Amin has a dream where God tells him to expel all Indians and Pakistanis from his country, and his order changes Sabine's life forever. Child of Dandelions is a chronicle of the 90-day order for expulsion, and Shenaaz Nanji tells the story of Sabine and her family as they attempt to grapple with the escalating violence and uncertainty of Uganda during this time.

Initially, Sabine and her father are reticent to leave. They are natural born citizens, not transplants, and have built a life in Uganda. Sabine's father is a wealthy businessman who could lose his house and business, and he dismisses his wife's pleas for escape. Sabine, too, is rooted to her country and spends her Replica Tag Heuer days with her best friend, Zena, an African girl. Together they shop, play in the park, and roam the countryside, but their friendship begins to change once Amin's orders are in place. They are no longer supposed to be around one another, and Zena accuses ...
... Sabine of being a "child of dandelions," a weed on the landscape of Uganda. To make matters worse for Sabine, her favorite uncle is missing and possibly dead, so she secretly hires a pair of private investigators to find him.

Eventually, the political upheaval becomes too dangerous and both of Sabine's parents evacuate Uganda, leaving Sabine behind to care for her mentally handicapped brother. In an atmosphere of terror, she must navigate the bureaucratic ma/es of government agencies and fend off abusive soldiers to secure the necessary paperwork to leave Uganda. On the 89th day of evacuation—one day before the deadline—Sabine and her brother leave the country and become refugees.

Child of Dandelions is an important account of a period in world history with which American students aren't likely to be familiar. While the plot is a little slow at the beginning and the writing is a bit clumsy at times, the story ultimately explodes into a tense and insightful chronicle that reveals the complexity of both the political reality of Uganda at the time and Sabine's own humanity. Never sentimental Omega Replica Watches or preachy, this book allows readers to examine the reasons behind the prejudice of the Ugandan government and question the complete innocence of the victims. Teenagers will be able to relate to Sabine's strong-willed character, and through her, to recog-ni/e that the roots of prejudice are often growing just beneath the unexamined consciousness of even the most well-meaning individual.