Give Me Shelter

ed. Tony Bradman

Francis Lincoln

1845075226

Feb 2007

Composed of eleven individual stories extending from the reaches of the Democratic Republic of Congo to a more familiar London, ‘Give Me Shelter’ provides admirable insight into the lives and struggles of those seeking asylum.
There are stories here outlining the reasons and motivations behind asylum; war, political unrest and instability, the promulgation of racist and prejudiced doctrines. Experiences of those seeking asylum is explored, displacement, cultural, religious and language barriers that impede integration, societal expectations of wholesale assimilation and familial fragmentation. These are juxtaposed against the opinions of nationals, this occurs most startlingly in Gaye Hicyilmaz’ ‘A nice quiet girl’, based on her own feelings and experiences as a child.
Gradual movement towards understanding and towards compassion are the threads that unify each of these stories. Each of the authors contributing to the collection has written a brief introduction that gives context and colour to the stories allowing children to live vicariously the lives of peers whose childhoods have been disturbed and disrupted by adult conflicts in the world which they inhabit.
The Frances Lincoln list represents a veritable treasure trove of world views, belief systems and personalities. The crowning success of this in recent years has been their new fiction list and “Give Me Shelter” is the undisputed jewel within this crown. At a time when media reportage upon issues of asylum remains both polarised and parochial, the threads of humanity woven throughout a book like form the base of particularly strong moral bonds and the fabric of civilisation. Here is a book that should be made univesally available as a declaration of care and compassion in every bookshop, library, school and home across the land.