Get It Now The Other Side Of Truth Scripted By Beverley Naidoo Released Through EPub

This is the book that broke my yearlong hiatus from reading, Super simple language, good message, this was a really hard read, don't get me wrong, i really liked it, and the message behind is powerful and important, but it was really difficult for me get through the first half, where the children are mistreated over and over again.


i didn't know a lot about the political situation in nigeria back then, and this book really opened my eyes and let me learn a lot more about it.
i'm also really glad that there's a happy ending, both in this novel, and in reallife Nigeria, where democracy was restored, It's been a long time since I read a middle grade novel that didn't make me want to tear my hair out because it's so plotless, or there's no character development.
As an education student, I feel like I need to make a list of the good ones that I can use as future readalouds in a classroom, and wellwritten middle grade novels are increasingly hard to find.


I was a little wary about starting sitelinkThe Other Side of Truth after reading the novel I read just before this, as I knew this too was a young middle grade cultural novel.
I am happy to say I was proven wrong,

The story follows twelve year old Sade Shaday and her ten year old brother Femi as they find themselves Nigerian refugees in London, not knowing where their family is.
In a lot of middle grade novels with similar themes, I find myself thinking authors don't usually know how to write characters who act the ages they're supposed to be, and instead write characters to be much older.
This was not the case at all for Sade,

I recently tried looking at Harry Potter as an eleven year old kid making all the decisions he made at that age.
Because of that, it was easy to read sitelinkThe Other Side of Truth in the same way, The things they decided to hide or keep secret based on what they knew of Nigeria, as well as based on what people told them, were all very real issues that kids face in a lot of different aspects.
I especially liked the school scenes, because it's rare that I read good, solid, interpersonal school scenes that take place in the narrative of a refugee student.
I thought the scenes with the bullies were especially well done, and even more so in the way Sade constantly analyzes them after the fact.
I can definitely relate to that behavior,

In a lot of ways, this novel reminded me of sitelinkHome is Beyond the Mountains, another middle grade refugee novel I appreciated a lot more than I expected to when I first read it in fifth grade.
I think stories like these are very valuable to teach kids about the world around them, as well as to represent all students in books.
I am always on the lookout for good diverse books to use in a future classroom, and this is definitely among those books, Sade lives in Nigeria with her mother a nurse, her father a journalist, and her younger brother, Femi, Her father writes articles for the last remaining newspaper in Nigeria that dares to publish the truth about Nigeria's brutal military government,

When their mother is killed by government gunmen, their father hires a woman to pose as their mother and smuggle them into London, where they will stay with an uncle.
Their father plans to join them as soon as he can get a fake passport,

Sade and Femi make it to London, but are left alone when their uncle does not meet them at the airport, After some scary experiences while wandering around a strange new city, they are taken in by a government agency that works with refugees, Not wanting to put their father in danger back in Nigeria, they lie about their last name and hometown, When their father makes it to London, he is imprisoned for entering the country with a fake passport,

This is a beautifully written novel and the descriptions and metaphors are stunning, The only part of the story that didn't work for me was the fact that Sade, so brave and true to herself when it comes to bringing her father's story to light, does the opposite when faced with bullies at school.
Perhaps it was more realistic the way Naidoo wrote it, but I really wanted to see Sade stand up to her personal bullies just like her dad.


This is a compelling and moving novel, A mustread.

'The Other Side of Truth' is a harrowing account of how the lives of Sade and her brother, Femi, are turned upside down.
The story it set during the Autumn ofin the aftermath of Ken SaroWiwa's execution in Nigeria for alleged political crimes, Sade's father, a controversial journalist for the Newspaper 'Speak' is determined to unveil the oppressive military regime in Nigeria, In an attempted assassination on his life, his wife is shot in the chest and it is made known that the culprits will return and the family must flee Nigeria.
Sade and Femi are sent ahead to London with a shady woman, Mrs Bankole, On arrival in London, the children are abandoned by the Nigerian woman and have to find their own means of living, Walking through the concrete jungle of London the siblings are met with a series of unfortunate events, They are soon swept into care and have to deal with the despair of not knowing if their father is even alive whilst attending a school system which is completely foreign to them and applying for political asylum.


The text deals well with real issues of fear, loss, political trouble, asylum and racism in a heartwarming manner, Naidoo's novel speaks out on many levels, but above all she highlights the very notion that if "you keep quiet about the truth, injustice always wins".
The novel is a clever blend of fact and fiction which is sure to pull at the heart strings,

I particularly enjoyed how the author drew parallels between bullying in British schools and political repression in opressed countries, As our schools become a melting pot of multiculturalism it is important for the younger generations to become acquainted with the wider world and the issues that come with it.


I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages, since it is both fascinating, gripping and educational, Naidoo's story fits in perfectly with Refugee week which falls in June, it can be used as the basis for in class discussion and research.
It can be used in History lessons to discuss political leaders like Nelson Mandela and SaroWiwa himself, as well as Geography lessons for locating countries in Africa.


"Sade is slipping her English book into her schoolbag when Mama screams, Two sharp cracks splinter the air, She hears her father's fierce cry, rising, falling,
'No! No!'
The revving of a car engine and skidding of tires smother his voice,
Papa is kneeling in the driveway, Mama partly curled up against him, One bare leg stretches out in front of her, His strong hands grip her, trying to halt the growing scarlet monster, But it has already spread down her bright white nurse's uniform, It stains the earth around them,
A few seconds, that is all, Later, it will always seem much longer, "

Hmm. Can you say, intense opening

My class this semester is focusing on young adult literature that deals with hardship, death, trauma, etc we're reading at least four Holocaust books and weren't exactly eased into this with The Other Side of Truth.
It's narrated byyearold Sade, who lives in Nigeria with her parents and younger brother, Her father is a journalist, one of the few who's willing to speak out against the corrupt government, and because of this two gunmen visit the family's home one morning.
They try to shoot Sade's father, but hit and kill her mother instead, Dad decides it's high time to get the fuck outta Dodge, so he arranges for the kids to be smuggled out of the country and into London, where they'll stay with their uncle until their dad can join then.

Unfortunately, Sade and her brother Femi arrive in London, are left alone, and find out that their uncle is missing, Eventually they are placed in foster care and sent to school, This all has a happy ending, but things are pretty

intense and depressing until then,

The writing is good it should be, judging by how many awards this book has won even if it gets repetitive after awhile.
Sade has a habit of giving adults nicknames, like "Police Business Woman," "Video Man," and "Cool Gaze," which got old after the second time, and later on Naidoo is pretty determined to make us see that Sade's struggles against two bullies at her school are a parallel to the corrupt government in her home country but these are all minor complaints.
For the most part, it was a very sad but welldone story, Probably not for kids under, though, what with all the shooting and stuff,

Read for: Social Justice in Young Adult Literature Personal Response
I read The Other Side of Truth, I liked that the book was about a poor country with a corrupt government, I also liked how the author gave me a point of view of the refugees, I also liked how the author was so realistic with his descriptions and about the children and the situation they were in, It made me sad knowing that there are so many refugees that go to different countries just like Sade and Femi just to be safe.


Plot
Sade and Femi lived in Nigeria, which had a corrupt government, After their mother was killed, Sades father and uncle agreed that it was not safe for the children to stay in Nigeria, Sades father was a journalist and he published an article about the government, This angered a lot of people which lead to the death of Sades mother, Sade and Femi later fled with Mrs, Bankole to England, where they hope to find refuge, When they arrived in England, Mrs, Bankole abandoned the children and left, Without any money and nowhere to go, Sade and Femi decided to go to the college were their uncle Dele worked, They found no sign of their uncle and went to find refuge in a video store, but are mistaken for thiefs and the owner called the police.
The police took them to a foster home and the children were later fostered by Mrs, Graham and then by a Jamaican family, The children went to different schools and later became reticent to one another, The children later found out that their father was caught trying to enter England illegally and was being held, They later release him from jail and Sade had hopes that one day they would travel back safely to Nigeria,

Characterization
Sade was the main character in the story, Sade changes at the way she looked at life and her country, With her mother dead, she became mature and knew what she had to do to survive and be safe, When she traveled to England, she saw England as a whole new world,

Sade and Femi were the protagonists all throughout the book, The children had to leave their own country for their safety, The Nigerian government was the antagonists, At the beginning of the book they killed Sades mother and threatened their family,

Setting
The setting was a huge part of the plot, Sade and Femi were born in Nigeria to a bad government, who later killed their mother, Sade and Femi later travel to London, England were they met new people, The setting was very important for the plot because it explained why Sade and Femi had to leave Nigeria and travel to a more secure country.
This story took place in the present,

Recommendation
I recommend this book high school students because it is a book that has to be read by mature readers.
Younger readers would not be able to comprehend the actual reality of this book, This book is an interesting book that can be read by any boy or girl who likes a good fictional book,


Sade and Femi find themselves caught in the centre of a political assassination when their mother is shot outside of their home by masked attackers.
Their father, an outspoken, Nigerian journalist, must get them out of the country before they become targets too and chooses to send them off to their uncle in London, promising to join them as soon as it is safe.
Yet their journey is fraught with danger, abuse and mistrust and soon Sade and Femi find themselves alone in a foreign city,

Perhaps based upon the story of Ken SaroWiwa, who was executed infor speaking out against the military regime at the time, The Other Side of Truth is an extremely wellwoven narrative around a family's refuge and escape from political oppression.
Told from the viewpoint of twelveyearold Sade, Naidoo, whisks us across to a familiar land to the reader yet unfamiliar to brother and sister: a wellconsidered and powerful device in this circumstance.
With no knowledge whether their father is alive or not, we the children are passed from pillar to post within the care system whilst the story of their father slowly builds up towards a powerful climax that highlights the corruption with in their home country.


A novel for KSreaders and above which sheds light upon political oppression in other countries and introduces its readers to that need for justice and freedom.


This book was about life in Nigeria during a time of struggle, Two children lose their parents at a young age and are forced to grow up rapidly, They have to fend for themselves, I think that by reading this book, I have become more greatful for what I have, I now see how important family is as well as safety in a country/ government is influencial, I just really liked this book a lot for some reason Okay, so this novel was not at all like I expected perhaps I should have read the flap more carefully but it was still really good.
Its a surprisingly complicated and engaging story about a girl named Sade and her brother Femi who live in Nigeria but have to leave suddenly after their mother is killed by the government.
Their father is a controversial journalist who is not afraid to speak the truth and, therefore, is not wellliked by the government, They meant to shoot him but killed mama accidentally and dad is worried theyll go over the kids next so they have to flee.
Dad arranges for them to be smuggled to London, where his brother lives,

Anyway, yes, this is technically a young adult novel but I struggled to view it that way while I was reading, The issues are actually really complex and you have to have a decent grasp on Nigerian history and politics as well as colonization and the relationship that England and Nigeria have in this novel.
Its not talked about explicitly but unless you are aware of certain things, I dont think the novel would make a lot of sense.


I thought the story felt very realistic overall and Beverly Naidoo was able to convey how the characters felt quite well, I thought it was interesting that a lot of the story comprised of the students experiences at school, This part of the novel felt very YA to me but at the same time its important for us to realize that immigrants refugees in particular face a lot of challenges when they arrive in a new country.
They have to get used to the customs, often the language although Sade already spoke English in this novel, and they have to deal with peer pressure and fitting in.


Other parts, though, all of the dealings with Mama Appiah, Auntie Gracie, their father in prison, the immigration lawyer, and others all felt way too mature for some younger readers.
I did feel like the ending was a bit too optimistic for my liking again, very YA but I was glad it turned out the way it did.


I really liked that African proverbs were mixed into much of the story, I think proverbs are wonderful, especially for young adults who need to sort of infer their deeper meaning,

I would have liked for there to be a greater focus on Nigerian culture in this book and I realize now that I cant use it for the purpose that I had intended African culturethemed book clubs but I still think this is a great book that Im sure Ill recommend to some people.
Im just not sure yet who, .