Guantanamo Boy

Advanced Praise for the US Edition

“Teen readers need and deserve stories that open windows to worlds they cannot and do not inhabit. Guantanamo Boy opens wide a window that casts a bright light on the ethics of interrogation. Like Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, it should raise questions for which there are no easy answers.”—Teri S. Lesesne, Professor of Library Science, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

“Guantanamo Boy is one of those rare reads that bridges a fictitious story to that of a real time, place and event making the story so vividly real in its telling. Khalid is a normal fifteen-year-old English boy, who loves soccer, computer games and has a crush on a girl at school. Soon after 9/11, on a trip to visit Pakistan to visit family Khalid finds himself kidnapped, tortured and eventually incarcerated at the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorists. Terrorism and its consequences on the innocent are brought into such focus that you are shocked beyond belief with the sheer reading of this story. This is a must-read for young adult readers and a great crossover for adults. A book that will stay with you a very long while; a book you’ll want to tell others about, discuss and ruminate over.”—Becky Anderson, Anderson’s Book Shops

“All I could think about while reading Guantanamo Boy was this could happen to one of my friends! I’m a sixteen-year-old sophomore and Khalid the main character is only fifteen, an innocent, when he is kidnapped and eventually thrown into prison at Guantanamo Bay. What kept going through my mind was the injustice, the pain, the loneliness, the anger, the tears, and the hopelessness. What a read—it really opened my eyes to the hysteria that terrorism causes in our world.”—Hallie, age sixteen

“A chilling and horrifying story of an innocent fifteen-year-old London-born Pakistani boy who is captured by the US government, taken to Guantanamo prison and tortured until he collapses. The novel will raise important questions related to government profiling, human rights, and the use of ‘torture.’ This may well become one of the most important teen novels about social justice of the new century. It will be chewed up, debated, and hopefully digested.”—Pat Scales, librarian, author, and member, National Coalition Against Censorship Council of Advisors

“Anna Perera has written a book for young people, but it is a real world book, with lessons for adults as well.”—Clive Stafford Smith, Founder and Director, Reprieve

Praise for the UK Edition

“This powerful and humane book shows that hatred is never an answer, and proves the pointlessness of torture and the danger of thinking of anyone as ‘other.’’’—Sunday Times “Children’s Book of the Week”

“One of her greatest achievements is to make the frightening monotony of the two years [Khalid] suffers so full of suspense.”—The Observer

“An excellent novel . . . superb.”—The Times

“Exteremely powerful, and the descriptions of torture are genuinely harrowing.”—The Guardian

“Timely, gritty fiction.”—Times Review

“Could it happen? It has happened. That’s why teenagers should read this book.”—The Irish Times

“The argument is as well balanced as the moral outrage is palpable.”—The Financial Times

“Rising star: Anna Perera. Her novel highlights the teenagers sent to the camp as it tugs readers into its vivid nightmare journey.”—The Independent

“Guantanamo Boy’s ability to deal with difficult issues surrounding the camp makes it a compelling read for people of all ages and a remarkable achievement.” —Politics.co.uk

“Compulsively readable . . . a powerful novel, sure to generate debate.” —Courier Mail

“Exploring the war on terror through the eyes of a child, Perera handles this confronting subject matter with great sensitivity.” —Daily Telegraph (Australia)