The Other Side of Truth

by Beverley Naidoo

Book Overview

Will the truth harm them -- or save them?

When Nigeria's corrupt military government kills their mother, twelve-year-old Sade and her brother Femi think their lives are over. Out of fear for their safety, their father, an outspoken journalist, decides to smuggle the children out of Nigeria and into London, where their uncle lives. But when they get to the cold and massive city, they find themselves lost and alone, with no one to trust and no idea...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064410021
• ISBN13: 9780064410021
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

The Other Side of Truth.

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.

.....

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.

The Best Book I Read All Summer!

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.

One of the best children's books!

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.

Sometimes truth is dangerous

Books that tell of cultures and events far from myown experience are valuable to me. They open mymind and heart to the ideas and experiences beyondme. This is a book I enjoyed for that reason. Iam not very knowledgeable about African history. Shadeh and her brother are home when their motheris fatally shot. Her father, fearing furtherattacks against the family sends them off illegallyto be with his brother in England. When their unclefails 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.