The New Odyssey

The New Odyssey

Adult nonfiction
"In the darkness far out to sea, Hashem al-Souki can't see his
neighbors but he can hear them scream. It's partly his fault. There
are two African women--perhaps from Somalia, but now is not the time
to ask--and Hashem is spreadeagled on top of them. His limbs dig into
theirs. They want him to move, fast, and so does he. But he can't--
several people are sprawled on top of him, and there's possibly
another layer above them. Dozens are crammed into this wooden
dinghy. If anyone tries to shift, a smuggler kicks them back into
place. They don't wamt the crammed boat to overbalance, teeter, and
then possibly sink."
Hashem and his fellow travellers are stowed in a boat under
conditions most of us wouldn't subject our domestic cats and dogs to.
Actually they come close to the plight of the pig and cow victims of
factory farming and for good reason. Those dealing with them are
seeing potential profit rather than sentient beings. Anyway the best
case scenario is that they will reach Italy in five or six days.
There is, however, no guarantee they will live to see the next morning.
Many people wonder why in the world anyone would undertake such
a perilous journey. Every stage of it is fraught with danger.
Crossings of deserts and huge bodies of water are most obviously huge
risks. But arrest, torture, and lengthy waits in places not fit for
human habitation are highly probable elements of the experience. And
people go into it with their eyes open.
Patrick Kingsley's The New Odyssey: The Story of the Twenty-
First-Century Refugee Crisis gives a comprehensive look at the
circumstances that lead everyday people to such extraordinary
measures. Kingsley is the immigation correspondant for the Guardian.
Travelling through seventeen countries (including a lot of places most
of us wouldn't set foot in), he has talked to migrants, their
families, smugglers, officials, rescuers...basically all those parties
with skin in the game...to craft a gripping and authoritative book.
Interwoven with the larger picture narrative is the story of one
refugee, Hashem, devoted husband and father of three boys. His own
odyssey started in war torn Syria when he was imprisoned and held
captive for months. (Other prisoners were brutally murdered). On his
release he learned two of his wife's brothers were shot. His house
was destroyed. He decided to take the perilous sea journey himself
rather than risk his family drowning. In Sweden his family would have
adequate food and shelter and freedom from the fear of living in a war
zone.
"At that point, the hard but correct decision was to save
ourselves and our children by leaving the country. My children had
already lost their home and their education. Had we stayed, they
would have by default been raised on weapons and war. The only option
was to leave."
[Reviewer's note: if this was your life and your family would
you have taken this drastic action? I surely would have. The big
difference between refugees and nonrefugees is circumstances, not
morals].
The New Odyssey is a needed reminder that the refugees are
people seeking escape from modern day hells on earth, not the casual
opportunists or players seeking to sabotage our way of life so many in
government would have us see them as. It's a must read for all
sentient humans with caring hearts who hunger and thirst for justice.
On a personal note, I hope you had a grand New Years Eve. I surely
did. There was a family party in the afternoon featuring the
traditional Yankee swap and indoor cloth snowball fight. Katie and
Jacob came from Portland; Amber and Brian from Orono. It was lots of
fun. I had an invite to a night party but no guarantee of a ride
home. So I partied at home with Eugene and Joey cat. I started 2018
by reading the Bangor Daily News with my op ed on white privilege in
the best spot on that page--the one with the cartoon. A year that
starts off like that should be incredible!
The three goals (resolutions is too intimidating) I made are her the
house organized for when I'm in grad school, start sending my book
manuscripts to publishers, and start saving cats and dogs through Joy
To Maine. So far I've made a good start on the first. As the year
goes on you'll see my progress on all three.
A great big shout out goes out to those brave immigrants and refugees
risking so much to get a decent life for themselves and their
families. Our country needs them as much as they need us.
jules hathaway


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