Customer Reviews

Other Side of Truth

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Books that tell of cultures and events far from my
own experience are valuable to me. They open my
mind and heart to the ideas and experiences beyond
me. This is a book I enjoyed for that reason. I
am not very knowledgeable about African history.

Shadeh and her brother are home when their mother
is fatally shot. Her father, fearing further
attacks against the family sends them off illegally
to be with his brother in England. When their uncle
fails to meet them and the children are abandoned,
Shadeh feels she must hide some of the truth to
protect her father. Through a series of emotionally
draining experiences the family's story is told. In
the end, it reminds us that there is a reason sometimes
for people in desparate situations to not tell the
truth, but even then, it is the truth, from all sides,
that is the goal.

I recently read the book The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo. The book is about two children that are smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother was murdered.

Their father is a journalist for a periodical that talks about the political corruption in Nigeria. Sade and Femi's father is the most honest writer of the staff. When he openly writes about how bad of a government the Nigerian one is, the government tries to kill him. But, instead of killing him they kill his wife. Later that day arrangements are made for Sade and Femi to be smuggled to their uncle in London.

When their plans fall through they are discovered by the police, but Sade and Femi make the decision to lie and not talk about who they really are. They are given to temporary parents. Their dad later joins them in London but is immediately sent to jail because of not going through the right immigration steps. The end of the story portrays true family love and is exceptionally amazing.

I really enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons. The first of which is that the author does a great job explaining a very confusing plot. The second reason I liked this book was because this sort of plot has always really interested me. I would especially recommend this book for anyone that enjoys realistic fiction; this book is at the very top of the line in that category. This book was one of the best books I read all summer and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even people that might not have enjoyed this sort of book in the past.

This book has haunted me since I read it. It tells the story of two immensely likable young children forced out of their country and into a totally foreign culture. It managed to educate me about Nigeria and its political turmoil, while also cluing me into some of the problems faced by those seeking asylum, such as being imprisoned like criminals and often being sent home to face torture or death. Yet, despite the heavy material, Naidoo has a light touch that transforms the book into an adventure with the highest stakes, riveting you to the pages until the end.

The Other Side of Truth, one of the best books ever made is by Beverly Naidoo, an outstanding author. She has won many awards for her books including the Carnegie Award, Silver Smarties Award, IRA Teacher's Choice Award, and the ALA Best Book for Young Children. This book has a suspenseful plot and exiting characters.
In the book, there are some mournful events that happen, let me tell you their story. Two kids, Sade and Femi live in Nigeria with their mom and dad. Their dad, a journalist, writes an article that gets him in trouble and ends up killing their mom. Sade and Femi fly to London illegally in hopes for a new, safe life with their dad who will soon be with them in London. They get sent to London with an unknown lady who later in the book ditches them at the airport before they can find their uncle in which they were going to stay with. Sade and Femi find their uncle's work, when someone tells them the police are looking for him. They are stranded with nothing but what they can carry until the police find them. They get put into a refugee program where they live with a stranger until their dad comes to London. They start getting letters from their dad when later on they figure out he's sick. There is a pleasing ending that I'm sure will satisfy you.
The Other Side of Truth has great character development. Sade, one of the main characters, is a creative girl that has an imaginative mind. She makes up names for people she knows by their personality. In the book two of the names she makes up are Miss Policebusinness and Hawk Lady. I'm sure you'll get a laugh out of the names she thinks of. Another character that was well developed was Femi. Femi, also one of the main characters, is a stubborn child that won't take any orders from anyone except his dad. In the book he won't get fingerprinted so he can be a legal member of London until the police tell him he'll be put in jail. Both characters are unique in their own ways.
Another thing the author did that I happened to enjoy was that she used remarkable word choice. For instants, one sentence is Uncle Tunde no longer hid his "agitation." Also there is a sentence that says their aunt pressed them against her and "murmured" a prayer. Lastly, one sentence from the book is, Grandma "presided" over the same house. These words, I thought were all very descriptive, it was cool the way the author did it.
This book was a unique book I'm sure you'll appreciate. It has many different elements to it that make you want to keep reading. Even though it's sad it makes it a good book to read. Other Side of Truth was suspenseful and action packed, a real page turner. It is a delight to read for silently or out loud. I recommend this book to anyone. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars in over all. The Other Side of Truth is an awesome book.

A shape rose up from the deeper shaddows of the alley.
"Clear off! This place is mine!" the man growled like an old lion defending his den. His arm swept out toward Femi and Sade's bag and snatched it.
The children had no chance of retrieving their bag. They fled.

This is an exciting quote from Beverly Naidoo's THE OTHER SIDE OF TRUTH.

Without anyplace to go, or anyone to ask for help, the two Nigerian children are faced with a difficult situation. When their mother is shot because their father wrote the truth about the country's government, their family fears for their safety and ships them off to London to live with their Uncle Dele. But Femi and Sade's troubles begin when Uncle Dele is nowhere to be found. They are now homeless and desperate.

Eventually, Social Services takes them in, and puts them in a foster home. But Femi and Sade's troubles ane far from over. In the next months, they encounter racist bullies at school, cruel security personnel, and people who, little by little try to pry the truth out of them. All the while, Sade struggles with her emotions, and Femi is in a world of his own. But the real drama starts when Father tries to rescue them and ends up in prison, and Uncle Dele still can't be located. The children don't know what will become of them. They wish their lives were as they used to be, and that none of this had ever happened.

THE OTHER SIDE OF TRUTH is beautifully written with well developed characters. It illustrates the fate of many Africans far better than any history book coould. It's fast-paced and exciting. I'd recommend this book to anyone, although girls could definately relate better to the main character than boys.

Beverly Naidoo has done a great job in this story of educating the reader about the conflict in Nigeria. This story is about two Nigerian children, Sade and her younger brother Femi, who are sent to London to escape danger in their home in Nigeria. Their mother was shot and killed after their father, a journalist, writes a story about the country's generals that strikes a nerve with someone. In a desperate measure to protect them, their father sends them to London illegally to live with their uncle. Upon arriving in London, their uncle is nowhere to be found. The children are all alone in a strange and sometimes dangerous city. This story follows these children through living in their new world: from nearly being deported, to living with foster parents, and to struggling in a hostile school environment.

This is a great story that I enjoyed, although I personally thought the story was predictable at some points, for example when the kids are reunited with their father. However, I still recommend it, particularly if you are wanting to learn about Nigeria.
The author mentions some pretty important things about Nigeria, like the murder of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Saro-Wiwa was an Ogoni activist who protested the treatment of his people by the goverment and the Royal Dutch/Shell oil company. Saro-Wiwa and eight other activist were hanged in 1995.

The Other Side of Truth, an astonishingly powerful novel by Beverly Naidoo, illustrates a passionate, yet harrowing story of two Nigerian children (Sade and Femi) striving to overcome their struggle for justice and freedom of speech as they are left abandoned by their beloved ones in England. The novel unwraps describing the gruesome murder of their mother, a memory that is forever remembered in the thoughts/dreams of these children. Such remembered words of wisdom are used to motivate these children as they experience their fascinating adventure about courage, family and the power of truth. I really appreciate Naidoo's incorporation of the multiple themes demonstrated in this novel such as injustice, freedom of speech and the complextities of political asylum. Additionally, I am really delighted to understand how Naidoo wrapped detail upon detail around the bare skin of the novel to portray how Sade and Femi found inspiration from their surroundings in England and used their creative minds to reunite with their father who was confined from expressing his journalistic views about the corrupted governmental society.
Naidoo kept me interested, making me ponder about the end of this novel. First, I figured that Sade's mother's death would only lead to an unsuccessful life for Sade and Femi, but realized that only through this did these children have the opportunity to come face to face with the realities of life. Overall, The Other Side of Truth expresses the actualities of the lifestyle in Nigeria and how the struggles these children face empower them to express their own freedom of speech in order to survive. So, I recommend this book to all individuals from grades 5-12 who desire reading novels that entail the life struggles of children and their journey to express their freedom of truth during difficult time periods.

The Other Side of Truth is a fantastic adventure story by Beverly Naidoo about courage, family and the power of truth, I read during my summer vacation. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction. It truly is a novel relating to human rights issues around refugees, democracy and freedom of speech.
This book tells a story about two Nigerian children, whose father is a journalist who writes critical articles about the corrupt Nigerian government. The government is trying to kill him, but only found their mother and kill her. The father decides to smuggle Femi and Sadi to London with false passports, to stay with an uncle. It is really suspenseful when the children travel with a false passport to London. They are scared because they have to memorize their passport names and they did not match the description on the passport. They are not able to find their uncle, and they start exploring London by themselves. They get picked up by police, because they thought they were steeling from a store. Since the police cannot find any relatives they social services gets notified and they are placed in a foster home. Femi and Sadi start going to school. After a few weeks the children find out through social services that their father has also arrived in London and is in jail. The author made Sade a true hero, when she met the TV anchor and was able to portray her father's story on TV causing him to get released from prison. In the end the family reunites and the story shows what true family love is.
The author Beverly Naidoo has received numerous awards for this book including the Carnegie Medal in 2000. She was affected by human rights issues herself, when she married another South African exile, even though apartheid laws forbade the marriage between black and white. She moved to England, and returned only after Nelson Mandela became the first democratic South African president. Now she writes about children in other parts of the world who struggle against injustice and other difficulties.

Many people have read adventure stories, but none of them will ever amount to this one. The Other Side of Truth is an amazing story that shows true determination and courage. Not surprisingly, it has won numerous awards such as the 2000 Carnegie award, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and ALA Booklist. Beverley Naidoo wrote this incredible story in the year 2000, and I think she did a fabulous job! She also wrote three more African tales. They are: Chain of Fire, No Turning Back, and Out of Bounds.
In the Other Side of Truth, you will be stunned with the thrilling plot. Young Sade and Femi Solaja live with the rest of their family in an African home. Their father writes the truth about situations that happened in his country in a local newspaper. Because many people do not agree with his articles, his wife is deliberately murdered at their home. For protection, Sade and Femi are sent off with fake passports and a fake mother to London. There, they are supposed to meet their Uncle Dele and wait for their father to call. When the kids get to London, they are intentionally abandoned by their guardian and left trying to find their missing Uncle. But another problem strikes! Uncle Dele hasn't been spotted by anyone for months! Fostered from home to home, the kids firmly try to survive school and other challenges that face them. When they find that their father secretly escaped to London, Sade is desperate to find a way to keep him there and become a family again.
One reason I appreciated The Other Side of Truth was because of the author's incredible word choice. She carefully chose descriptive words and phrases that keep the story packed with clear visual images. "Truth Keeps the Hand Cleaner than Soap" is just one of Beverley Naidoo's astonishingly clever lines. This one in particular certainly makes you realize what she's the message is trying to say. The thought of "the air beginning to stiffen" even makes me tense up! It's such a strong grouping of words. In the beginning of the story when Mama is being murdered, the phrase, "growing scarlet monster" is a superb way to describe the blood trickling slowly down the woman's leg. Sade's idea of jail is remarkable. The cold metal bars and unsociable service send a chill down your spine. You can really see what she's thinking about just by reading the vocabulary. The magnificent word choice in this novel was one reason I valued it.
I was truly amused and impressed by how the author could take characters in the story and make their actions and dialogue come to life. For example, minor characters in the story all had unique names. "Mr. Yellow coat" and "Mr. Hair tail" were only a couple. The attitude of those characters shined upon others in the book, and the person reading it. Femi's manner was exceptionally unpredictable. By the end of the book, he had really taken an unexpected turn. Two girls at the school, Marcia and Donna, play the "bad guys" in the story. Their roles were so believable and realistic. It's astonishing how the author can show the kindness of the characters. From "Mr. Hair tail" defending the kids in an unfair robbery to Jenny rescuing them in a time of need, these characters just seemed to come alive!
I definitely recommend this book for more advanced readers who would like a challenge. It made me think, laugh, and even cry in some parts. You will want to read The Other Side of Truth again and again. The determination of the characters really gets at you while you read this extraordinary book. Trust me; The Other Side of Truth is a novel you just won't want to miss!

The Other Side Of Truth really, truly tells about another side of the truth. I hear about stories of other countries and ways of living, but this book truly opened my eyes. Not only was the story amazing, but the way it was told had me interested too. Certain parts there would be mini flashbacks, which helped you understand more about the characters and their lives. Also everything it is so descriptive; I could picture each character and what was going on.

The book tells about two children Sade and Femi, who have to leave their home of Nigeria to London. Their home country is full of corrupt government and people that their father, a journalist, was trying to expose in an article he had written. This only gets the family into all sorts of trouble, hence the children having to leave their home. So when they arrived in London, they were scarred and confused about whom they could and couldn't trust.

The Other Side Of Truth is a must read. It will open up your eyes to new and different circumstances.