The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World

After his father and grandfather were killed by U.S. troops for allegedly cooperating with the Taliban, Gulwali Passarlay fled Afghanistan with his brother in the middle of the night, with only a hastily packed rucksack and little more than 200 dollars in his pocket. He was twelve years old and this is his story.

The first book to tell the modern refugee crisis from a firsthand perspective, The Lightless Sky is an unforgettable chronicle of Gulwali's yearlong odyssey from Afghanistan to England, during which he traveled more than 12,000 miles, escaped internment in Turkey and Bulgaria, and negotiated passage with shadowy agents in the smuggling trade. Told in unflinching and memorable detail, The Lightless Sky is at once an utterly absorbing personal history and a stunning testament to the power of the human spirit; the triumph of faith, courage, and determination; and the undeniable universal right to life, liberty, and security of person.