Hasina

by Michelle Aung Thin

The soldiers come at night. The first Hasina knows of it is her aunt's voice, urgent, full of fear. 'Up, up. Get up!'
The second thing is smoke. Then, there is a scream.
'Run,' her father shouts. 'And don't stop!'
Hasina races deep into the Rakhine forest to hide with her cousin Ghadiya and her little brother Araf. When they emerge some days later, it is to a silent, smouldering village. Her own house is still standing, but where is the rest of her family? Perhaps they have been gathered up and taken away by the army...or worse. So many Rohingyas are gone, how will she survive? Will her parents return? Hasina must fight to save her family amid the escalating conflict that threatens her world and her identity.
A gripping story of one child's experience of persecution in Myanmar.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, War, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Survival, Family

215 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2020

About the author

Michelle Aung Thin is a novelist, essayist and senior lecturer at RMIT University and the author of several novels.

Reviews

[Calzean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of a series designed for Australian classrooms covering the experiences of various children living either in a disaster area or within a war zone.
Hasina is a 14 year old Rohingyan girl living rural Rakhine, Myanmar. Her village was once peaceful with the people of various ethnicities and beliefs living in harmony. Slowly the rights of the Muslim Rohingyans are being eroded. One day the Army arrives and life changes for ever.
The book serves its purpose well; a good background into contemporary Mynamar and a sense of the horror of being powerless in your own land.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hasina and her little brother Araf live in constant fear of the Myanmar army, or Sit Tat. As Rohingyas, they are in danger in their own home. When the army attacks in the night, Hasina, along with her brother and cousin run into the forest to hide. But when they return, everyone has gone. Hasina is left to take care of her family and learn what happened to her parents and aunt.

I love discovering books that take place in countries that just don't get written about, especially when they are aimed at children. I had never read anything that took place in Myanmar before, so I was very excited to read this book. I think this story is a great introduction to the unstable situation in that country. It felt very real and had a great sense of place. I found myself feeling very stressed out for what Hasina was going through and stayed up very late into the night so that I could finish the story. This book is aimed at upper middle grade (I would say ages 12 and up), but I found it very informative and readable. I highly recommend checking this out!

[Dharma]

I did not know anything about this specific crisis, and this book was enlightening in that way.
But the writing was not polished at all, and felt targeted at a much younger audience, even though the subject was not for that group. But it was still a good read.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a very slow start, but it becomes very informative and engaging. I couldn’t put this down though it’s hard to read about people being displaced and mistreated.

you could say there’s a happy ending, but it feels almost unrealistic. I liked it, but I don’t know how well things would’ve worked out for Hasina in reality. :/
I also find it hard to believe a child-trafficker/human rights violator who tricks little boys wouldn’t “try” Hasina in any way. I was so expecting him to tell her to pay for the medicine in another way. >.>

3.5

[Wendelle]

Hasina is a young Rohingya child in the Rakhine province. All she wants to do is continue going to school, admiring the teak and banyan forests that surround her homeland, visiting the bazaar and mosque with her brother in peace, eating her mother's fish stew and visiting her father's stall. Her family wants to keep farming and gardening in peace as they've always had. But trouble is brewing, stewed by multiple factions. The government, with the Sit Tat army, want to drive her people away. Some extremist Arakhenes want to revive their old independent kingdom and purge the land of Rohingya. And some Rohingya have formed a militia, ARSA, that wants a land composed only of Rohingya Muslims, not all Muslims, and they exert harsh penalties such as beating up Rohingya who do not practice prayers at the right times. Grim news flare up in unclear channels, and get repeated and passed across the town-- the ARSA committed arson resulting in the deaths of Burmese; the Sit Tat do war crimes against civilians, women and children. As these information pass with the speed of sound, neighbors that previously lived together in peace start to view each other with distrust and discord. They shutter their interactions that previously crossed communities, and fractious hatred appears in a plural community, that follows the faultlines of ethnicity and religion.
The escalation of events is swift and sure. Protests devolve into mob transgressions designed to intimidate people who look visibly Rohingya from going about comfortably in their daily routines. Hasina stops going to school. Then the Burmese military appear under the pretext of order and starts patting down people and confiscating their property. Shops are destroyed, so Rohingya people will know they are not welcome. Some ARSA attack the Burmese military station in turn, and the retaliation is swift, overwhelming, disproportionate. They bring the full might of the state behind them. The army burn Hasina's house and they flee into the forest. Rohingya are murdered-- murdered bodies are loaded by the truckload. Rohingya are being driven out of the country, persecuted, told to resettle quickly in camps in Bangladesh or else. Where are her parents? How will she survive?
This book is a powerful tale of the experience of the Rohingya. I saw this book also as a reminder. If we who live in plural societies are to survive, we must respect other people's humanity and regard them with empathy and fellow feeling, to keep communication lines open in times of disagreement, and correct injustices, which may be a hard, arduous task for people who bear the cross of memories past.

"On the night the men came... it felt like the end of the world. We were like animals. We were so afraid."
"Asmah shakes her head. 'So many people have been killed. Some by Sit Tat who fight for a Buddhist nation. Others by the Arakanese army, who fight for an Arakanese nation. But this girl's family were killed by ARSA,who fight for the Rohingya. ' Hasina reels. The girl's family had been killed in her name, as a Rohingya. What say did, she, Hasina, have in this act? None at all."
"There they are, Hasina and the soldier, like a cobra and a mouse. Each one convinced that they are the mouse and that the other is a cobra." -from the book

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, compelling, and timely story about the brutal persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority by the Myanmar Army in the Rakhine province told through the perspective of fourteen-year-old Hasina who must seek refuge with her family when her village is destroyed by soldiers.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossing the Farak River
by Michelle Aung Thin


Annick Press Ltd.

Annick Press

Children's Fiction


Pub Date 07 Apr 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Crossing the Farak River through Annick Press and Netgalley:



For Hasina and her little brother Araf, the constant threat of the Sit Tat, the Myanmar Army, it had in fact become a way of life in the Rakhine province. Just the mention of the Sit Tat sends chills down their spines. They know that the only thing to do when the sound of the helicopters, they run and not stop. When soldiers invade their village one night, and Hasina awakes to her aunt's fearful voice, followed by smoke, and then a scream, they do as they always do and run.



Hasina races deep into the Rakhine to hide with her cousin and Araf, when they emerge days later it is to a smoldering village, their house is still standing but their family is gone. Where could they be, have the soldiers taken them?


I found Crossing the Farak River five out of five stars, this would be a good teaching tool for middle grade to junior high school students, teaching of culture, and the effects of war!


Happy Reading!

[Rachel Knuttel Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for a review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

This book is an excellent combination of entertaining and educational. It’s not like it’s intended to be super educational, but that just comes from being centered around a topic I didn’t know too much about! Hasina is a Muslim girl living in Myanmar. She and her family are very happy in their village until tensions start to grown and the Rohingya Muslims become targets, forced by the government to evacuate to Bangladesh. After one terrifying night, Hasina, her cousin Ghadiya, and her little brother Araf are separated from all the adults in their family and have to survive on their own. This in turn sets off a chain of events that will test the kids’ strength and determination. The variety of challenges they face means that this story is fast paced and never gets boring. It also does a great job of covering some very heavy topics in a way that is serious but not overwhelming for kids. I really wanted to read this book because I have never seen or read a book set in Myanmar or that deals with the Rohingya crisis. It’s a great title to add to your library to increase representation for a variety of cultures. The back says intended for grades 6+ but I can easily see this in my 5th grade classroom. It would be great as a read aloud where the teacher can offer support for some of the cultural concepts that might be very foreign to some students. I found myself googling a lot while I read to educate myself, including maps and history of Myanmar and the process of growing and harvesting rice. The author does a FANTASTIC job with some of the BEST back matter I have seen in a long time. In addition to the map in the front, there is an author's note, timeline of Myanmar’s history, glossary of terms in multiple languages, and a list of additional resource links. Like, WOW!! The only reason this book is 4 stars and not 5 is because the third person present tense POV made me feel a little bit outside of the characters' heads. But it’s also just my least favorite POV and it tends to pull me out of the story...I’m picky about this! But I ❤️ this book!!

[Daisey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this middle grade story about a young girl and her family that face severe persecution in Myanmar as a member of Rohingya cultural group. I appreciated the close relationship between the family members and the other friendships they built in order to survive their situation.

*I received a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

[Harley Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok read, felt as though the ending was very abrupt and anticlimactic compared to most of the story line. Especially the last few chapters.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL THE STARS for this incredible book about the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar from the perspective of a young teenage girl. Thanks to @annick_press for the free review copy to share with @kidlitexchange. This comes out 4/14/20....
"You are Rohingya. You are a target."...

I read this YA novel in one sitting, unable to stop. Author Michelle Aung Thin has written a thriller that draws attention to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, as well as related problems of military rule, child trafficking, etc. Hasina is an incredible protagonist -- she is afraid of her responsibilities, but she finds strength within to face the many challenges that come her way. The author is Burmese Australian and escaped Burma (now Myanmar) with her parents when she was an infant. Extensive back matter (an author's note, a timeline, a glossary, suggested resources) will add context for readers unfamiliar with the Rohingya crisis. Recommended for grades 6+. ...

Hasina and her young brother Araf live in Myanmar with their extended family. They are Muslim, but more importantly they are Rohingya, a persecuted ethnic group in Myanmar. Everyday life is difficult; they can no longer attend school and they are targeted in the village bazaar for the color of their skin and for being Rohingya. When civil war breaks out and their home is attacked in the middle of the night, her baba (father) tells her to run with her brother and cousin and not to stop. The three end up in the Rakhine forest where they subsist for days on water from a stream and some prawns they find. When they return to their home, they find it mostly destroyed. Hasina must help her family survive with few resources and the heavy burden of not knowing the whereabouts of her parents. She will face many challenges from feeding her family to protecting her younger brother safe from child traffickers. ...

#middleschoollibrarian #middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #librariesofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #librariesfollowlibraries #librarylife #librarianlife #schoollibrarian #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #iteach #librarylove #booksbooksbooks #amreading #bibliophile #schoollibrariansrock #bookreview #bookrecommendation #igreads #malibrary #msla #mediaspecialist 

[Kate Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

@Kidlitexchange

Thank you to @annick_press for sharing an ARC of Crossing the Farak River by #MichelleAungThin with the #KidLitExchange Network. This book was released in April 2020. All opinions are my own.

Hasina lives with her little brother, cousin (Ghadiya), aunt, grandmother, and parents in the Rakhine province. Their family are Rohingya and Muslim. Because of this they live in fear of the constant threat of the Sit Tat, the Myanmar Army. One day the helicopters come. Then, one night, their village is invaded. Hasina wakes up to screams and smoke. Her father urges her to take her brother and cousin and run stating that he will come for them when it's safe. The three children take off into the night and hide in the high forest. They wait for days for Hasina's father to retrieve them, but he never comes. Finally, the three decide they must return to their home. They find their village in ashes. Their home is still partially standing, but where is their family?

This is a powerful and moving young adult novel about the Rohingya Crisis. Hasina is a strong and resilient protagonist. She is under an incredible amount of responsibility. She must take care of herself and her younger cousin and brother. Their parents are missing, their home is destroyed, they have no money, limited food and/supplies, and because they're Rohingya it's dangerous for them to be in the village or enter the market. Instead of crumpling under the pressures, Hasina finds an inner strength and pulls her family through. This book draws attention to and introduces middle grade and YA readers to the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya people, something that many of them are probably unaware of. I love that it includes an author's note, timeline, and glossary that add background to the story to help the reader understand the full impact of Hasina's story. This is a poignant and thought-provoking novel. Though a YA novel, I believe this book would be appropriate for grades 6+.

[Abbie]

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy own.

Reading about experiences is more impactful on my learning than any other medium. Storytelling is powerful; teaching kids through sharing stories is the reason why I am a librarian.

That’s why this book is so important. Crossing the Farak River is an #ownvoices title, reads like a thriller, and touches on topics like human trafficking, violence, and death, all through the perspective of middle-grade protagonist Hasina.

TBH, I didn’t know anything about the ongoing conflict among the Arakan Army, Muslims, Buddhists, Burmese, and Rohingyas. While the situations affecting Hasina are heavy, Thin writes well for a younger audience. She gives us a raw view of what it’s like to be a young girl facing all of these issues, asking the right questions, but not quite grasping what it all means and why it’s affecting her family. This book tells an incredible story of a girl who fights to keep herself and her younger family members safe after an attack on her home and the disappearance of their parents. Kids will relate to Hasina’s longing for normalcy, her grit and perseverance, and they will empathize with her struggle.

There is a lot going in the world right now. After reading this, I have the ability to think and feel more deeply about the persecution of Rohingya people, and a better vocabulary to share stories about refugees to younger students. I feel lucky that we have writers like @michelleaungthin to articulate tough topics , and publishers like @annickpress willing to put incredible stories like this one out in the world. Thank you!

[Betsy Strauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated with Myanmar recently. I love books like Crossing the Farak River that take you into life in a foreign country. Unfortunately for Hasina and her younger brother Araf, the instability of their country will change their way of life forever.

As Rohingyas, Muslim people inhabiting western Myanmar, their families are seen as terrorist and no longer welcome in the land in which they've lived for generations. When soldiers invade their village one night, the family is separated. This survivor tale highlights the strength of character of these young people as they struggle to stay together against all odds.

This was a difficult read for me for several reasons: (1) Everything is completely foreign. The landscape, the language, and the culture required me to work harder at imagining and thinking than I would while reading a book set in a familiar place. (2) Persecution of innocent people is tough to read. My heart broke for these children who were living in terrifying conditions on their own. (3) It is a nail biter to the end. When I thought it couldn't get any more difficult, a new challenge to survival would arise.

I think that this is an important story to tell. Human rights are still being violated today and this book opens those ideas up to middle grade readers in an approachable way.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All of my opinions are my own!

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of Crossing the Farak River by Michelle Aung Thin from Annick Press in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from the book: Like all Rohingyas in Rakhine province, Hasina lives in constant threat of SIt Tat, the Myanmar Army. The wop wop wop of their helicopters means one thing only - run, and don’t stop. So when soldiers invade her village one night, she races deep into the forest to hide with her brother, Araf, and her cousin Guadiana. When they return days later to find their family missing and the Rohingyas driven out, Hasina must fight to survive amidst a conflict that threatens her whole world.

I knew from reading the synopsis of the story that this was not going to be an easy read. While it is a relatively short middle grade novel, the content is more serious and important to know about. Through this narrative, I was able to better understand the situation in Myanmar and how these different groups of people have been caught up in the conflict that resulted in so many displaced peoples. It is a story of war and abuse, but it is also a story of hope, family, and community. Reading Hasina’s story, you cannot help but root for this young girl as she tries her best to protect those around her, even as many things are out of her control. This is a must read story.

Thank you to Annick Press for sending me this book.

[Keshia Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

@kidlitexchange #partner Thanks to the #kidlitexchange network, publisher @annick_press, and author #michelleaungthin for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own! Crossing the Farak River tells the story of Hasina, a Rohingya Muslim living in Myanmar. Although the rights of the Rohingya have been slowly taken away, Hasina mostly enjoys her life with her family. Until the day they see helicopters fly overhead. This is the beginning of her town being cleared of Rohingya people. When their street is set on fire, Hasina escapes into the forest with her cousin and younger brother. But when they return, their family is gone. We follow as Hasina figures out how to care for and feed her family while trying to find where her parents are or if they are even still alive. This book highlighted an important crisis that I honestly did not know much about. At the end, the author included a timeline of the history of Myanmar and resources to learn more about Myanmar and the crisis the Rohingya people are facing. I’d recommend this book for readers ages 13 and up.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hasina lives in Rakhine State in Myanmar with her younger brother Araf, her cousin, aunt, grandmother, father and mother. She loves studying math, playing soccer, and walking to the bazaar to visit her father at work. But rising tensions in her hometown come to a head one night when military troops come in the night to drive Muslim Rohingya people from their homes. Hasina, Araf, and their cousin go running to hide in the woods - becoming separated from their parents and struggling to survive in a community that views them as enemies.

This is a harrowing story of violence and target persecution from a Burmese-Australian author. The narrative progresses quickly and unpacks many horrors that many young people and their families experience around the world. A timeline and author's note provide helpful insight - especially the reminder that human rights violations are still a reality in Myanmar. A hard read but a timely and important one.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Crossing the Farak River is an incredibly insightful novel about the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. The novel depicts the life of a young girl, Hasina, who loves school, her community, and soccer. One day, army helicopters fly over her village and trouble escalates from there. Conflicts over race and religion mount and Hasina's neighborhood gets attacked late one night. Houses are burned, items are destroyed, and people are killed. While fleeing, Hasina gets separated from her parents and is left alone to protect her younger brother and cousin.

I appreciated this novel for how eye-opening it was. I loved how the author described the community in the beginning. The bazaar and 3rd Mile street were depicted so vividly I felt the love in the pages and the devastation of the loss. The story was incredibly impactful and made me want to learn about this tragedy more.

[Michael-Ann Cerniglia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the 2020 winner of the Freeman Book Award for Young Adult/High School literature; I read this to write Curriculum Notes for NCTA.

This narrative of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar provides an historically plausible account of events that happen to an adolescent girl and her family in a fictionalized village in 2016 Myanmar. The cultural context and timeline were very helpful to understanding the conflict. However, it felt that a lot of liberties were taken as a piece of fiction, to ensure topics were middle school appropriate, myriad angles were addressed, while keeping it under 200pgs. It just seemed to do too much and fell short to me. Some threads and outcomes did not seem realistic and others needed much more development. Without giving anything away, the last couple chapters felt like they were parts of the book that never got developed but the editors forgot to them take out. It was a rushed and unnecessary segue that ends really abruptly.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like most of this book. Although the writing wasn’t as eloquent as some books the story and characters were engaging enough that I always wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next. Most of the story seemed plausible…. Right up until the “climax”.

***SPOILER STARTS HERE***



The kidnapping of Araf was almost farcical - the person watching him is hit from behind and knocked out, Hasina is able to rescue him but then she is taken, then rescued by this bizarre character (“Hello, I’m a lawyer. I will do what I can to help you” is so unnatural sounding). The book really would have been a lot better without that entire section.

Finally, a note on the e-book version: very poor editing. There were stray semicolons and quotation marks strewn throughout the text as well as some bizarre spacing issues. (e.g. A sentence ;would appear” like this.).

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of 14-year-old Hasina allows the reader to step into the reality behind the headlines about the plight of the Rohingya people. I think it is because of that news element and because it's trying to describe a setting and culture that is foreign to many English speaking readers that the book often feels like it's explaining rather than just telling a story. Although there is action from the very first page, it took me about half of the book to really connect with Hasina. Recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy books that give them a window into another culture.
Based on a review copy through NetGalley.

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also part of the Through My Eyes series in Australia that is being read in school. It covers the topic of the Rohingya crisis and it follows Hasina, who was separated from her parents after an attack on her village and who is now taking care of her younger brother and cousin.

I think this is a very important addition to the Australian curriculum and wish it would be added to more. The writing style is immersive and emotional. The story is heart-wrenching. If you don't know much about the Rohingya crisis, this is an important book to pick up.

There's lots to take out from this novel, and it is definitely not just for children and students.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know more about the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, or even if you don't, you should read this book. It's classified as a middle grade novel, but it's written much better than most, in my opinion. I often get annoyed with middle grade books because the author appears to simplify the language to an almost condescending degree. I didn't feel that way here, and the story is one of the few I've seen regarding this particular subject.

[The Marvelous Ms. Kaia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the book because it taught me about a new issue that I had no idea about. It’s sad what the issue is, but if more people know about it they can try to help fix it. The only things I didn’t like was that I wasn’t sure when the book took place, and which person it was in. The type of person I did know, but it was quite odd to read as the author wrote it as if it was happening as we read it, but when this style was combined with the choice of person, it made it seem like a script. 12+

[Marcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Aung Thin's Crossing the Farak River is a gripping story about the current Rohingya crisis. Hasina's narrative furnishes the humanness that news story statistics lack, and the addition of a map, time line, and glossary allows the reader to better grasp the complexities of the multicultural conflict.

[Stephanie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hasina and her family are forced to give up the life they have known in this story about a Rohingya family in Myanmar.

This book was a quite and enlightening read that touched on what many children in Myanmar are probably going through during the current crisis. It was very informative and engagingly written for young readers.

[Aaryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle grade novel is tough to read but is so good. It focuses on a young Rohingya girl in Myanmar and her struggle to keep her brother and cousin safe when their village is attacked. Timely and powerful, recommended for ages 10 and up.

[Yoyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a realistic fiction on living with the constant fear of the Myanmar army, or so-called Sit Tat. It incorporates real events into a half fictional scene with dialogue and word choice of fear which makes it the book really relatable to anyone around their age. Although I really liked the story and I think it should be heard by everyone, it was a confusing story to me. The overall pace was quite slow for a book that contains a lot of action but it contained many plot twists that I liked. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a read about the story of Myanmar and the situation with their army or just anyone who wants a more serious book from the perspective of a teen in general.

[Catherine Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well-written and engaging. I learned a lot about the trials of the Rohingya, and the greater unrest in Myanmar as a whole. I had heard news reports about it, but being embedded in the crisis through fiction was a lot more impactful.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good characters but a bit repetitive. It also suffered because I have recently read Shahana from the same series, which covered lots of the same issues. Four stars for introducing me to the Rohingyas and the conflict in Myanmar.