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Beyond the Sand and Sea: One Family's Quest for a Country to Call Home
From Ty McCormick, winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, an epic and timeless story of a family in search of safety, security, and a place to call home.
When Asad Hussein was growing up in the world’s largest refugee camp, nearly every aspect of life revolved around getting to America―a distant land where anything was possible. Thousands of displaced families like his were whisked away to the United States in the mid-2000s, leaving the dusty encampment in northeastern Kenya for new lives in suburban America. When Asad was nine, his older sister Maryan was resettled in Arizona, but Asad, his parents, and his other siblings were left behind. In the years they waited to join her, Asad found refuge in dog-eared novels donated by American charities, many of them written by immigrants who had come to the United States from poor and war-torn countries. Maryan nourished his dreams of someday writing such novels, but it would be another fourteen years before he set foot in America.
The story of Asad, Maryan, and their family’s escape from Dadaab refugee camp is one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity. It is also a story of happenstance, of long odds and impossibly good luck, and of uncommon generosity. In a world where too many young men are forced to make dangerous sea crossings in search of work, are recruited into extremist groups, and die at the hands of brutal security forces, Asad not only made it to the United States to join Maryan, but won a scholarship to study literature at Princeton―the first person born in Dadaab ever admitted to the prestigious university.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is an extraordinary and inspiring book for anyone searching for pinpricks of light in the darkness. Meticulously reported over three years, it reveals the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in America―and exposes the broken refugee resettlement system that kept that family trapped for more than two decades and has turned millions into permanent exiles.
When Asad Hussein was growing up in the world’s largest refugee camp, nearly every aspect of life revolved around getting to America―a distant land where anything was possible. Thousands of displaced families like his were whisked away to the United States in the mid-2000s, leaving the dusty encampment in northeastern Kenya for new lives in suburban America. When Asad was nine, his older sister Maryan was resettled in Arizona, but Asad, his parents, and his other siblings were left behind. In the years they waited to join her, Asad found refuge in dog-eared novels donated by American charities, many of them written by immigrants who had come to the United States from poor and war-torn countries. Maryan nourished his dreams of someday writing such novels, but it would be another fourteen years before he set foot in America.
The story of Asad, Maryan, and their family’s escape from Dadaab refugee camp is one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming adversity. It is also a story of happenstance, of long odds and impossibly good luck, and of uncommon generosity. In a world where too many young men are forced to make dangerous sea crossings in search of work, are recruited into extremist groups, and die at the hands of brutal security forces, Asad not only made it to the United States to join Maryan, but won a scholarship to study literature at Princeton―the first person born in Dadaab ever admitted to the prestigious university.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is an extraordinary and inspiring book for anyone searching for pinpricks of light in the darkness. Meticulously reported over three years, it reveals the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in America―and exposes the broken refugee resettlement system that kept that family trapped for more than two decades and has turned millions into permanent exiles.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2021
33 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 1, 2021
Very sad tale of a situation where people are left without a country for any safety with little or no hope from their place of origin for that to ever happen.
It's not exactly what I expected but it is a full 3.5 stars. Written rather dry and at times seems much more the oldest sister's story than Asad's. But the title does core the family's quest.
There are political assumptions and judgments made by the author that are skewed but in the position of this split to length extent family, I can understand somewhat. Regardless there is wrong cause/effect information. And still, getting into Princeton and much else of the outcomes for Asad wouldn't have occurred in such a narrow bias as often cores comments or the "eyes" of the author. If any or all of those assumptions had any truth. What they seem to suggest? In fact of initiation or outcome, it's the opposite.
Asad's incredible stamina and refusals to take so many wrong path choices that were continually there are pure 5 star.
Others say this is a book they couldn't put down. I've read many, many scores of refugee or immigrant under stress memoirs and this was one I could put down. At points the sister's inputs were confusing and for me voided too much of her years in the USA in her enquiries from the USA end. Asad's diligence is inspiring and remarkable throughout. As is Maryan supporting them with money sent, that is exactly what great majority of immigrants do for the people they have left behind. I know many Eastern European and Mideastern or Asian 1st generation people who send 1/2 their money earned back to their origins.
The same thing happens every day where I live as happened to that family who was taken "off" lists mysteriously to provide transport and placements from that camp. You better not irk or negate in any way the straw bosses of bureaucracy in local government or authority stations. Just like that idiot who always erased this family because the younger girl wouldn't cozy up to him or marry- entire families get scrapped off jobs or street repair or many other prime living aspects of their lives just because some peon in the elite hierarchy gets excluding with tribal or personal reasons, exactly like that. Chicago is worse in this aspect now than it was in Al Capone's day.
The Father of this family had offspring with several other women and they have not gotten deportation. It seems to me that the countries around the exiles should be able to take and help them far, far more than they do. Greece has camps where people have lived for decades and in which they can't at all integrate due to endless economic, religious and other clashing reasons of finite resources. It's not an easy or doable situation that many people totally assume this is.
These camps are filthy and yet there ARE proportions of these people who don't live all that differently in their home states either. Water, housing, food with nutrient values- all are insufficient. And their birth rates to death rates of children under 3 are astronomical at the same time.
It's not exactly what I expected but it is a full 3.5 stars. Written rather dry and at times seems much more the oldest sister's story than Asad's. But the title does core the family's quest.
There are political assumptions and judgments made by the author that are skewed but in the position of this split to length extent family, I can understand somewhat. Regardless there is wrong cause/effect information. And still, getting into Princeton and much else of the outcomes for Asad wouldn't have occurred in such a narrow bias as often cores comments or the "eyes" of the author. If any or all of those assumptions had any truth. What they seem to suggest? In fact of initiation or outcome, it's the opposite.
Asad's incredible stamina and refusals to take so many wrong path choices that were continually there are pure 5 star.
Others say this is a book they couldn't put down. I've read many, many scores of refugee or immigrant under stress memoirs and this was one I could put down. At points the sister's inputs were confusing and for me voided too much of her years in the USA in her enquiries from the USA end. Asad's diligence is inspiring and remarkable throughout. As is Maryan supporting them with money sent, that is exactly what great majority of immigrants do for the people they have left behind. I know many Eastern European and Mideastern or Asian 1st generation people who send 1/2 their money earned back to their origins.
The same thing happens every day where I live as happened to that family who was taken "off" lists mysteriously to provide transport and placements from that camp. You better not irk or negate in any way the straw bosses of bureaucracy in local government or authority stations. Just like that idiot who always erased this family because the younger girl wouldn't cozy up to him or marry- entire families get scrapped off jobs or street repair or many other prime living aspects of their lives just because some peon in the elite hierarchy gets excluding with tribal or personal reasons, exactly like that. Chicago is worse in this aspect now than it was in Al Capone's day.
The Father of this family had offspring with several other women and they have not gotten deportation. It seems to me that the countries around the exiles should be able to take and help them far, far more than they do. Greece has camps where people have lived for decades and in which they can't at all integrate due to endless economic, religious and other clashing reasons of finite resources. It's not an easy or doable situation that many people totally assume this is.
These camps are filthy and yet there ARE proportions of these people who don't live all that differently in their home states either. Water, housing, food with nutrient values- all are insufficient. And their birth rates to death rates of children under 3 are astronomical at the same time.
December 4, 2020
Asad Hussein's story of rising out of the lawlessness, squalor, and hopelessness of the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya is a true story of optimism and perseverance. Through a multitude of setbacks that would put anyone off their goals, and Trump's ban on Muslims migrating to the U.S., Asad never stopped believing in education as his way out of the camp. Receiving a scholarship to Princeton, where he continues to study today, was the culmination of his sacrifices.
Asad's sister, mother, and father relocated to the U.S. long before he flew to New York. He credits his sister, Maryan, especially, for her encouragement and support in assisting him to get to the U.S. Despite the financial, emotional, and physical hardships that she encountered in the U.S., Maryan was the sole support in assisting her family's relocation. She and the author eventually flew back to the camp to investigate what kept their family, and others, stuck there for so many years, even when the paperwork and medical check-ups were completed. This led to government investigations of medical personnel who continually asked for bribes and sexual favors from refugees trying to leave, but little came of it.
The author is a skilled writer whose exceptional coverage and research of the lives of the refugees in Dadaab camp became an extraordinary expose. The fact that a boy, such as Asad, could overcome his challenges and eventually end up in the U.S. has to be a beacon of hope for others.
Thank you Netgalley, Ty McCormick, Asad Hussein, and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this outstanding story.
Asad's sister, mother, and father relocated to the U.S. long before he flew to New York. He credits his sister, Maryan, especially, for her encouragement and support in assisting him to get to the U.S. Despite the financial, emotional, and physical hardships that she encountered in the U.S., Maryan was the sole support in assisting her family's relocation. She and the author eventually flew back to the camp to investigate what kept their family, and others, stuck there for so many years, even when the paperwork and medical check-ups were completed. This led to government investigations of medical personnel who continually asked for bribes and sexual favors from refugees trying to leave, but little came of it.
The author is a skilled writer whose exceptional coverage and research of the lives of the refugees in Dadaab camp became an extraordinary expose. The fact that a boy, such as Asad, could overcome his challenges and eventually end up in the U.S. has to be a beacon of hope for others.
Thank you Netgalley, Ty McCormick, Asad Hussein, and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this outstanding story.
September 24, 2021
This book had me feeling joyous, despondent, grateful, and enraged. Reading about the struggles and sacrifices Asad’s family endured as refugees was deeply powerful. You think you “get it” when you envision what the circumstances must be like to flee your home, but nothing prepared me for witnessing the tenacity displayed by Asad and his family through every hurdle imaginable and more. And even after reading this I know I still could never understand their full story and my heart aches for the millions of untold stories of families enduring similar, or even worse, hardships. Because this is a true and ongoing story it isn’t yet finished. Time will tell what happens to these individuals and my heart aches for the future trials they may have to endure because of gatekeeping democracies and corruption within the very institutions tasked with helping them. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2021
The book really made me question how much fortitude I have - to be knocked down so many times and yet continue to believe and maintain hope, like Asad and his family do, is extraordinary.
"So much was out of his hands that I found myself repeating the same refrain again and again: All you can do is your best, and everything else will come down to luck...luck was the hidden subtext of nearly every aspect of our lives. It explained the massive wealth and opportunity deficit between us...Both of us also knew something else: that disguising luck as worth or achievement was how those deficits were maintained." (p.222)
"So much was out of his hands that I found myself repeating the same refrain again and again: All you can do is your best, and everything else will come down to luck...luck was the hidden subtext of nearly every aspect of our lives. It explained the massive wealth and opportunity deficit between us...Both of us also knew something else: that disguising luck as worth or achievement was how those deficits were maintained." (p.222)
March 27, 2022
The incredible and heartbreaking story of a Somali man named Assad who was born in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. As always I am amazed at the sheer courage, bravery, and perseverance refugees exhibit to seek asylum in a new country and overcome a world that is determined to make them fail. Many times in the car as I listened, I shouted, " You've got to be kidding me!" as the corruption of the UNHCR, IOM, the Kenyan government, and Trump's travel ban stacked so many cards against this man and his family. Will it ever end?
April 17, 2021
Beyond the sand and sea, it is the true story of Asad Hussein and his family, it was not an easy life, they were living in a refugee camp for a very long time, more like most of their lives, feeling like they didn't belong anywhere, the conflict in Somalia was getting worst, so they had to keep living in this camp for many many years.
Asad was a very brilliant boy since he was just a kid, he wanted to study and become someone, not just another nameless boy from a camp that didn't offer any hope or future at all. He was determined to study and find a way to get out of that life so we get to learn and walk through many obstacles and people that not only were unkind and selfish but destroyed many lives and many dreams with their own selfish behaviors.
Ajay Sood and Antonia Sood, both are working as Trustees and founders of the Beacon Scholarship, a scholarship that helps many boys and girls to have a better future but in Asad Case, it was totally the opposite, I really felt they behave terribly at the end. when they first met Asad they were very kind and supportive but everything turned out for the worst and we really got to meet their true colors as soon as Asad got a scholarship from another university that was not affiliated with them.
Ajay behaved like a petulant child, you don't act that way if you supposedly understand what these people are going through, you don't act and feel hurt if someone who has zero opportunity in life is giving the chance of a lifetime. This was a miracle for christ's sake and the guy was acting all hurt because he wasn't informed about Asad's plans. if you knew the life Asad lived, if you knew how hard he was working to find a better place to live, how come you have the nerve to feel hurt? how come you care more about your feelings besides swallow your pride and support a young boy that was finally getting his dreams to come true? but in the end, these people care more about their projects than really seeing these boys succeed in life.
so glad the author of the book show us the real names and institutions that are not doing anything, I will never trust blindly ever again.
in Beyond the sand and sea we get to walk each step Asad had to take to be able to move forward and save himself, his life, and even the life of his entire family, we also get to meet Maryan another great character of this book, the sister of Asad she was also a very huge key in this story, she suffered so much with her family even if they were all separated at one point, she was working so hard to save everybody, she is a true heroine and a true goddess, Maryam you deserve so much and I hope life repays you for all the love and hard work you have done.
Beyond the sand and sea, will open up your eyes to what is happening in this world, you will learn many outrageous things from institutions that we supported and trust such as UNHCR, IOM only to feel betrayed by their system so many bad people working in this camps trying to gain something anything from the refugees even sex in exchange for a permit or to move your case forward, some of them were really terrible and inhuman such as the case of Goobe, Bisle, Abdirahman. and I'll keep wring these names over and over again until the whole world knows the names of this three-man who have destroyed many many lives and dreams because many of them never made it to their destinations.
What really broke me was reading how while we're living in such a terrible political environment over here in the US, the president in turn was throwing tantrums, hate speeches, and many terrible rules that were affecting all these refugees from across the ocean, 16 refugees took their lives around sixteen months after the orange guy issue the travel ban, not to mention the loss of hope and dreams and the separation of many families. this is when you finally get to see that not everyone is here to help and that not everyone cares.
Bekar. Dr. Sue and Mr. Mulindi, are the people that really helped Asad, no matter what was happening they support him because they knew the amount of stress and hard work Asad was living in.
This is a true story, a story of humans trying to survive and to find a better place to live, this is the real story of good people looking forward to having a place to call home.
Asad was a very brilliant boy since he was just a kid, he wanted to study and become someone, not just another nameless boy from a camp that didn't offer any hope or future at all. He was determined to study and find a way to get out of that life so we get to learn and walk through many obstacles and people that not only were unkind and selfish but destroyed many lives and many dreams with their own selfish behaviors.
Ajay Sood and Antonia Sood, both are working as Trustees and founders of the Beacon Scholarship, a scholarship that helps many boys and girls to have a better future but in Asad Case, it was totally the opposite, I really felt they behave terribly at the end. when they first met Asad they were very kind and supportive but everything turned out for the worst and we really got to meet their true colors as soon as Asad got a scholarship from another university that was not affiliated with them.
Ajay behaved like a petulant child, you don't act that way if you supposedly understand what these people are going through, you don't act and feel hurt if someone who has zero opportunity in life is giving the chance of a lifetime. This was a miracle for christ's sake and the guy was acting all hurt because he wasn't informed about Asad's plans. if you knew the life Asad lived, if you knew how hard he was working to find a better place to live, how come you have the nerve to feel hurt? how come you care more about your feelings besides swallow your pride and support a young boy that was finally getting his dreams to come true? but in the end, these people care more about their projects than really seeing these boys succeed in life.
so glad the author of the book show us the real names and institutions that are not doing anything, I will never trust blindly ever again.
in Beyond the sand and sea we get to walk each step Asad had to take to be able to move forward and save himself, his life, and even the life of his entire family, we also get to meet Maryan another great character of this book, the sister of Asad she was also a very huge key in this story, she suffered so much with her family even if they were all separated at one point, she was working so hard to save everybody, she is a true heroine and a true goddess, Maryam you deserve so much and I hope life repays you for all the love and hard work you have done.
Beyond the sand and sea, will open up your eyes to what is happening in this world, you will learn many outrageous things from institutions that we supported and trust such as UNHCR, IOM only to feel betrayed by their system so many bad people working in this camps trying to gain something anything from the refugees even sex in exchange for a permit or to move your case forward, some of them were really terrible and inhuman such as the case of Goobe, Bisle, Abdirahman. and I'll keep wring these names over and over again until the whole world knows the names of this three-man who have destroyed many many lives and dreams because many of them never made it to their destinations.
What really broke me was reading how while we're living in such a terrible political environment over here in the US, the president in turn was throwing tantrums, hate speeches, and many terrible rules that were affecting all these refugees from across the ocean, 16 refugees took their lives around sixteen months after the orange guy issue the travel ban, not to mention the loss of hope and dreams and the separation of many families. this is when you finally get to see that not everyone is here to help and that not everyone cares.
Bekar. Dr. Sue and Mr. Mulindi, are the people that really helped Asad, no matter what was happening they support him because they knew the amount of stress and hard work Asad was living in.
This is a true story, a story of humans trying to survive and to find a better place to live, this is the real story of good people looking forward to having a place to call home.
April 12, 2023
This is a fascinating and well told story of a young man and his family who grew up in a Somali refugee camp on the border of Kenya. He ended up studying at Princeton University by the end of the book, but it is really an amazing story how he got there.
I love true stories and this is true and so interesting. It brings lots of things about in terms of issues of poverty, refugees, immigration, because it humanizes it to one person's story.
I listened to this on Audible read by Will Damron, an excellent narrator.
I love true stories and this is true and so interesting. It brings lots of things about in terms of issues of poverty, refugees, immigration, because it humanizes it to one person's story.
I listened to this on Audible read by Will Damron, an excellent narrator.
August 6, 2021
I just took a job teaching English to speakers of other languages as a bumbling mid-western American man who went to a school at night for two years. I don't really know what a refugee camp is. I don't know what it means to immigrate. I don't know what it means to live in the US as a non-native speaker or immigrant.
On my quest to become less ignorant, I read across Beyond the Sand and Sea by Ty McCormick (@TyMcCormick).
What started as a journalistic study of the Dadaab Somali Refugee Camp in Kenya for McCormick turned into a close relationship with young Asad Hussein (@asadhussein_).
Asad Hussein's resilience in the face of crushing bureaucracy, grift, and xenophobia while pursuing his education and supporting his family is astonishing.
The story of one determined survivor of Dadaab seems to be just pinprick of light in the darkness of my ignorance. If you know of other related books, I'd love to read them.
On my quest to become less ignorant, I read across Beyond the Sand and Sea by Ty McCormick (@TyMcCormick).
What started as a journalistic study of the Dadaab Somali Refugee Camp in Kenya for McCormick turned into a close relationship with young Asad Hussein (@asadhussein_).
Asad Hussein's resilience in the face of crushing bureaucracy, grift, and xenophobia while pursuing his education and supporting his family is astonishing.
The story of one determined survivor of Dadaab seems to be just pinprick of light in the darkness of my ignorance. If you know of other related books, I'd love to read them.
May 8, 2021
A fantastic eye-opening read, a perfect reminder, in today's climate, a reminder we are all here trying to get by. That is pure luck, or God's grace if you call it that, that you are born where you were. The color you are....it was not your choice.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is a ray of light in an immigrant family's quest for a better life. A better life we can too easily take for granted.
Asad and his family are refugees we meet at the Dadaab refugee camp. From there they are in constant movement to find a better place, and somedays to just find clean water. Asad wants to be a scholar, and all I could think of were the people I knew who dropped out of school because "it wasn't for them". The family faces two steps forward and one step back too many times and then there comes the inevitable stories we hear too often of families needing to separate.
I think stories like this should replace novels such as "The Hobbit" as required reading in High school.
The biggest takeaways...people never lose hope, no matter what life throws at them, we are all just people, and no one ever asked for their country to be an unliveable trash heap of governmental wars in the first place.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is a ray of light in an immigrant family's quest for a better life. A better life we can too easily take for granted.
Asad and his family are refugees we meet at the Dadaab refugee camp. From there they are in constant movement to find a better place, and somedays to just find clean water. Asad wants to be a scholar, and all I could think of were the people I knew who dropped out of school because "it wasn't for them". The family faces two steps forward and one step back too many times and then there comes the inevitable stories we hear too often of families needing to separate.
I think stories like this should replace novels such as "The Hobbit" as required reading in High school.
The biggest takeaways...people never lose hope, no matter what life throws at them, we are all just people, and no one ever asked for their country to be an unliveable trash heap of governmental wars in the first place.
June 1, 2021
Heartwarming story of hope and perseverance? Well, not really. It’s the theft of such history told by a white man to earn money and reputation by stealing a story that belongs to a refugee family under the specious premise that the man whose story it is cannot tell it because it would cost him his scholarship to attend Princeton. It lacks insight. It lacks the perception of the people whose story it is. The student has written for The NY Times before being admitted to Princeton. It is his story I want to hear. It is not within these pages. It was not told well by this outside interrogator. Disappointing. This is more a recitation of events than either biography or memoir. As such, it lacks perception.
April 19, 2021
An amazing read! Beyond the Sand and Sea is told in such a unique and engrossing way that keeps you engaged until the very last page. A truly captivating story.
September 14, 2021
This was 50% a families story which I thought was interesting. The other 50% is all about red tape, not so interesting
November 10, 2020
Ty McCormick’s, “Beyond The Sand And Sea,” to be published March 30, 2021, is an extremely moving biographical memoir about Asad Hussein’s epic journey from his birth in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, Africa to studying at Princeton University, U.S.A.
An overwhelming account demonstrating perseverance in the midst of adversity, Asad’s story will have you questioning if the situation you find yourself in right now is truly hardship or simply misadventure. Sometimes what we think is hardship is merely the repercussions of bad choices we’ve made. In Asad’s case, he was born into adversity and has nobody to blame. The only way out for him, and refugees like him, is borne out of desperation. His parents fled Somalia due to civil war and walked with whatever they could carry to the northeastern corner of Nigeria. After two years in the camp, Asad was born and his parents still didn’t have any sense of future. Born with a stutter, his father forbid him to attend the camp school for fear of bullying. His desire for education was so intense that he snuck into the school library at dark and read until morning. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you’ve gone to this extreme? We take so much for granted. It’s this innate desire to become better and read about a world he knew nothing about that fuelled his passion for life outside the camp. You’ll be shaking your head in disbelief at the various hoops Asad had to jump through and the myriad of application rejections he received before making it to Princeton; the most difficult of which was the impact of President Trump’s 2017 executive ban to keep refugees from entering the U.S.A. I have a deeper appreciation for those, like me, who have come to this country in search of a better life. I hope my tolerance and my kindness towards others reflects the thankfulness in my heart.
Keeping a dream alive for 20 years consumed every waking moment of Asad’s life. You’ll be inspired as you see our country through his eyes and get a tiny glimpse of what it has cost him to be on our soil experiencing freedom for the first time in his life.
McCormick's gifts of generosity and time helped make Asad's transition possible and now, thanks to this extremely well-documented and easy reading biography, we are privy to the plight of those in Dadaab Refugee Camp. Asad's story will be with me for a long time.
Thank you, Ty McCormick, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this amazing gift of an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
An overwhelming account demonstrating perseverance in the midst of adversity, Asad’s story will have you questioning if the situation you find yourself in right now is truly hardship or simply misadventure. Sometimes what we think is hardship is merely the repercussions of bad choices we’ve made. In Asad’s case, he was born into adversity and has nobody to blame. The only way out for him, and refugees like him, is borne out of desperation. His parents fled Somalia due to civil war and walked with whatever they could carry to the northeastern corner of Nigeria. After two years in the camp, Asad was born and his parents still didn’t have any sense of future. Born with a stutter, his father forbid him to attend the camp school for fear of bullying. His desire for education was so intense that he snuck into the school library at dark and read until morning. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you’ve gone to this extreme? We take so much for granted. It’s this innate desire to become better and read about a world he knew nothing about that fuelled his passion for life outside the camp. You’ll be shaking your head in disbelief at the various hoops Asad had to jump through and the myriad of application rejections he received before making it to Princeton; the most difficult of which was the impact of President Trump’s 2017 executive ban to keep refugees from entering the U.S.A. I have a deeper appreciation for those, like me, who have come to this country in search of a better life. I hope my tolerance and my kindness towards others reflects the thankfulness in my heart.
Keeping a dream alive for 20 years consumed every waking moment of Asad’s life. You’ll be inspired as you see our country through his eyes and get a tiny glimpse of what it has cost him to be on our soil experiencing freedom for the first time in his life.
McCormick's gifts of generosity and time helped make Asad's transition possible and now, thanks to this extremely well-documented and easy reading biography, we are privy to the plight of those in Dadaab Refugee Camp. Asad's story will be with me for a long time.
Thank you, Ty McCormick, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this amazing gift of an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 7, 2021
This book is a story of the struggle one young man and his family had to endure to get to the United States from a refugee camp in Africa. Why is this process so hard and convoluted? Well, of course, there is the greediness and corruption rampant at every level. Then there are republican assholes (oops! I mean "politicians"). (No, I take that back. I mean REPUBLICAN ASSHOLES!) and hateful people in the United States. So many false hopes and chances! So much work with little reward! Asad is an exceptional writer and scholar but did not do well on the main test that he needed to take to move on to higher learning opportunities despite the many hours he studied with friends while supporting his two younger siblings and keeping track of unhealthy parents who finally got to the US, (though not together at the same time because his mother had to prove she was his mother!) and doing all the tons of paperwork and translating. I don't know how he did it. Upon hearing that a young man back at the refugee camp had killed himself in despair, Asad wrote on Twitter:
"Dear Students in DaDaah. (the refugee camp in Africa) Truth is, the world has failed us. When you are faced with the throes of life in a refugee camp, there's only so much you can do. We have been told a lie: there's no level of personal drive or hard work that can pull you out of a refugee camp. I can confirm you are the most driven students anywhere. Even those at Princeton, supposedly the world's best college, can hardly meet your discipline and commitment. ...Please don't despair. Don't kill yourself. There's much the world has to learn from you."
This is a story that shows how the promise of a life in America still represents opportunity to so many people in the world despite all evidence of the opposite. Makes me ashamed of this "christian" nation.
"Dear Students in DaDaah. (the refugee camp in Africa) Truth is, the world has failed us. When you are faced with the throes of life in a refugee camp, there's only so much you can do. We have been told a lie: there's no level of personal drive or hard work that can pull you out of a refugee camp. I can confirm you are the most driven students anywhere. Even those at Princeton, supposedly the world's best college, can hardly meet your discipline and commitment. ...Please don't despair. Don't kill yourself. There's much the world has to learn from you."
This is a story that shows how the promise of a life in America still represents opportunity to so many people in the world despite all evidence of the opposite. Makes me ashamed of this "christian" nation.
December 10, 2020
Asad's family fled Somalia due to warfare and violence between competing political factions. They joined a flood of refugees into Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, where Asad was born. Growing up in the hard conditions at camp, with little chance of education and no records of a nationality, Asad faced impossible odds for continuing his education but the with the discovery of the camp library and his immersion in novels that demonstrated different kinds of life he developed a perseverance that would eventually take him to a full scholarship to Princeton. This book is a much needed exploration of the refugee experience, especially during the years of President Trump's evil travel bans. I thought this a well written and thought out book, but to be completely honest, I would have loved to have rather read Asad's story through his own words, especially since he is a writer himself, having published articles in the New York Times. I did appreciate the author's chapters towards the end that record his own involvement in Asad's life because while Asad did have determination to face impossible odds, the normal refugee experience makes that nearly impossible without having someone, like the author, to provide a source of support and I think that is an important point to make. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2024
This was a powerful, fascinating, heart-rending glimpse into the tragedy that refugees fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries face in their efforts to re-establish themselves in new homes. Asad Hussein was born in Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, in Kenya; he was the son of a Somali couple who had fled the terror inflicted by warlords in their homeland. He spent his entire childhood in this temporary community, where overcrowded housing, insufficient food, and complete lack of self-determination were the norm. He escaped into literature, surmounted enormous obstacles to get a basic education, and never gave up on his dream of coming to America.
As the publisher's blurb notes, Beyond the Sand and Sea was "meticulously reported over three years, [and] reveals the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in America―and exposes the broken refugee resettlement system that kept that family trapped for more than two decades and has turned millions into permanent exiles."
Perhaps if more Americans could understand the incredible hardships faced by refugees, and the many barriers erected by a complex and too often corrupt immigration system, we would be less quick to condemn those who only want a small part of what's been handed to us by a lucky accident of birth.
As the publisher's blurb notes, Beyond the Sand and Sea was "meticulously reported over three years, [and] reveals the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in America―and exposes the broken refugee resettlement system that kept that family trapped for more than two decades and has turned millions into permanent exiles."
Perhaps if more Americans could understand the incredible hardships faced by refugees, and the many barriers erected by a complex and too often corrupt immigration system, we would be less quick to condemn those who only want a small part of what's been handed to us by a lucky accident of birth.
August 26, 2024
Asad Hussein grew up in northeast Kenya as one member of the world’s largest refugee camp. He dreamed of moving to America. Yet at every turn, he experienced challenges like education, health care, and money. This book tells his story and reveals how he ultimately earned admission to Princeton.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and felt confused throughout. It seems to not follow a chronological timeline or perhaps I missed important chapter/story deliniations. I did almost abandon the book because it abruptly switches between characters at times.
The author is definitely slanted left, though. He mentions several times how Princeton is Michelle Obama's school. He also mentions the Trump travel ban multiple times. However, that ban did affect people who genuinely needed a place to call home, and I would welcome discussion on how to keep our borders safe while supporting needful individuals around the world. Likewise, the broken refugee resettlement system needs to be fixed, particularly to end bribes and sexual assault.
The story is one every American should be aware of. We need to know about refugees and develop compassion for people whose stories are different than ours.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and felt confused throughout. It seems to not follow a chronological timeline or perhaps I missed important chapter/story deliniations. I did almost abandon the book because it abruptly switches between characters at times.
The author is definitely slanted left, though. He mentions several times how Princeton is Michelle Obama's school. He also mentions the Trump travel ban multiple times. However, that ban did affect people who genuinely needed a place to call home, and I would welcome discussion on how to keep our borders safe while supporting needful individuals around the world. Likewise, the broken refugee resettlement system needs to be fixed, particularly to end bribes and sexual assault.
The story is one every American should be aware of. We need to know about refugees and develop compassion for people whose stories are different than ours.
April 12, 2021
Dreams and Goals and striving for them is what kept one young man alive and resilient! Asad Hussein knew one day he would get to the United States and be able to go to school. He loved to read and learn. This young boy from the age of nine was diligent in that he would join his sister Maryan who was able to get to the United States.
This book is written with such loving care by the author. It is a journey of several people as they grew from this process of getting a young boy and his family to safety. There are so many refugees, but this is a strong story of what they all have to endure in order to survive and be able to feel safe and human again.
This book is so in depth that at times I had to reread sections because it was not meshing with the flow or bouncing from one topic that I was confused. This is more biographical and informative type of book.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper view of a refugees struggle from point A to B and that things are not changing all that quickly.
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
This book is written with such loving care by the author. It is a journey of several people as they grew from this process of getting a young boy and his family to safety. There are so many refugees, but this is a strong story of what they all have to endure in order to survive and be able to feel safe and human again.
This book is so in depth that at times I had to reread sections because it was not meshing with the flow or bouncing from one topic that I was confused. This is more biographical and informative type of book.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper view of a refugees struggle from point A to B and that things are not changing all that quickly.
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
May 8, 2021
A fantastic eye-opening read, a perfect reminder, in today's climate, a reminder we are all here trying to get by. That is pure luck, or God's grace if you call it that, that you are born where you were. The color you are....it was not your choice.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is a ray of light in an immigrant family's quest for a better life. A better life we can too easily take for granted.
Asad and his family are refugees we meet at the Dadaab refugee camp. From there they are in constant movement to find a better place, and somedays to just find clean water. Asad wants to be a scholar, and all I could think of were the people I knew who dropped out of school because "it wasn't for them". The family faces two steps forward and one step back too many times and then there comes the inevitable stories we hear too often of families needing to separate.
I think stories like this should replace novels such as "The Hobbit" as required reading in High school.
The biggest takeaways...people never lose hope, no matter what life throws at them, we are all just people, and no one ever asked for their country to be an unliveable trash heap of governmental wars in the first place.
Beyond the Sand and Sea is a ray of light in an immigrant family's quest for a better life. A better life we can too easily take for granted.
Asad and his family are refugees we meet at the Dadaab refugee camp. From there they are in constant movement to find a better place, and somedays to just find clean water. Asad wants to be a scholar, and all I could think of were the people I knew who dropped out of school because "it wasn't for them". The family faces two steps forward and one step back too many times and then there comes the inevitable stories we hear too often of families needing to separate.
I think stories like this should replace novels such as "The Hobbit" as required reading in High school.
The biggest takeaways...people never lose hope, no matter what life throws at them, we are all just people, and no one ever asked for their country to be an unliveable trash heap of governmental wars in the first place.
February 8, 2022
Such an incredible story of resilience and bravery. It perfectly blends politics, opinion, the Somalian & Kenyan cultures, and an upsetting true story about refugees & their fight to not only survive but belong. Asad's journey to succeed in earning an education is truly inspiring; such a powerful reminder of things we so often take for granted. The system is broken, but not in the way we have so often heard about. Corruption doesn't just preside over US politics, but rather begins at the heart of the matter where refugees such as Asad reside and first begin their journey to the US. The way in which they are kept within their own country is heartbreaking, and will leave you feeling like nothing will ever change the way that it should. The way in which the US government has approached issues surrounding immigration & refugees seeking asylum has many flaws, but it comes nowhere close to the corrupt officials that are supposed to be supporting these refugees seeking a better life elsewhere. I cannot recommend this book enough. 5 strong stars!!
March 30, 2021
Utterly engrossing. You must read this riveting biography of Asad Hussein, a refugee born in one of the largest refugee camps in the world, who, against all odds, ends up studying at Princeton University. Through hard work, exceptional character and abilities, along with the kindness of others and a big dose of luck, he escapes the unending despair of a life in limbo in this huge refugee camp in Kenya. The seemingly insurmountable difficulties repeatedly thrown up in front of him and the sheer number of obstacles between him and his goal of escaping the camp are appalling and heartbreaking. Time after time his hopes are dashed as his Herculean efforts are thwarted by corrupt officials or hard hearted policies. His extraordinary strength in fighting off despair and the temptation to give up is admirable and inspirational. Highly recommended.
January 15, 2022
This is a story of desperation, perseverance, and hope. Assad Hussein was born in a refugee camp in Kenya. His family escaped the strife in Somalia and became mired in a vast refugee camp, desperately trying to get to freedom in America, blocked by a corrupt official. Eventually, after many years his sister, and finally his parents were able to make it to the US. Assad and two younger brothers were still stuck in Kenya. Finally, after many roadblocks, Assad was, unbelievably, able to get a scholarship to Princeton. And now, he needed to get there and overcome culture shock and prejudice to fulfill his dreams. He also needs to make sure someone cares for his younger brothers. The author vividly portrays the conditions of the camp and the obstacles refugees have to overcome. This excellent book made me realize how privileged I am.
October 31, 2022
This is a book of nonfiction and is based on extensive research but most importantly it tells the story of Asad Hussein. Asad is a Somalian refugee born in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, the world's largest refugee camp. Asad's parents fled from Somalia as their tribe was a distinct minority being singled out for elimination. Since Kenya chose to not provide recognition to "refugees" born in Kenya but not Kenyan, Asad and his parents and siblings are constantly in search of their identity. Through years of devastation and on occasion incredibly good luck, manage to ultimately find some foundations in American for their lives. But to this day, that foundation is not yet secure for all of the family. Very inspirational.
April 25, 2021
Most of us have never heard of Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, the home 1/2 million people, mostly from Somalia and South Sudan. A journalist, Ty McCormick, discovers a young Somalian man, Asad Hussein, who wrote an article for the New York Times when he was only 17 years age. His family had lived at the camp for 20 years -- he was born there. This story follows Asad's progress through a doubtful education in Dadaab and Nairobi and his final acceptance to Princeton University. His parents and sisters immigrated to the U.S. during the Trump years, though his siblings were left behind. A powerful story of determination and endurance.
January 8, 2024
Inspirational and compelling true story of a young man's (and his family's) journey from a refugee camp in Kenya to the USA and Princeton University. The tenacity and character of Asad were well documented and caused me to feel inspired and grateful while simultaneously feeling outrage at the injustice and bureaucracy he was met with at virtually every turn of his journey. I enjoyed the narration of the audio version of the book. The journalist author's politics were thinly veiled at best throughout the book but became increasingly annoying and myopic the last quarter or so of the book. Found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit.
May 15, 2021
This was a fantastic book that is based on a true story of Asad Hussein and his family. We go through their life as they fled war-torn Somalia and end up at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. We see their turmoil, perseverance, and hope to one day go to the United States, the land of dreams. Asad tries his best to continue his studies, despite the ongoing chaos around him, to ensure that he lives a good life in the U.S. What a journey it has been from trying to survive at this camp to studying at Princeton University. The author has done a great job bringing his story to life.
June 4, 2021
Beyond the Sand and Sea is the true story of a family's trek from Somalia to the world's largest refugee camp, Dadaab, and their lifelong effort to immigrate to America. I learned so much from this book. It is meant to be an inspiring story of a refugee who clawed his way out and gained a scholarship to Princeton. But the poverty, the despair, the corruption, the just plain bad luck... there was so much hardship. The book does not follow a linear timeline so there is no building to a happy ending. Regardless, it's a good read with a tremendous insight.
April 18, 2023
Between the Sand and Sea is a beautifully written story of Asad, a young man born in one of the world largest refugee camps, and his family's long struggle to surmount the obstacles standing between them and a better life. This book focuses on many things: a separated family, the love between siblings, the trials of refugee life and the obstacles to immigration. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.
May 15, 2021
I would give this a 4-star rating if it was just a book I picked up at a garage sale but I'm giving it five because it is written by the son of my chiropractor (I doubt I would have bought it had it been at a garage sale because I rarely choose non-fiction). It actually reads like a mystery because the ups and downs and in-betweens change constantly and so much depends on getting the timing right.
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