I Am Justice: A Journey Out of Africa

I Am Justice: A Journey Out of Africa

by PaulKenyon (Author)

Synopsis

Eighty miles off the Libyan coast water is leaking rapidly into the bottom of a dilapidated wooden boat. Twenty-seven men, crammed in side-by-side, desperately attempt to bail it out, but the boat is sinking. In the distance one of their number spots a ship and, forcing the last moments of life from the engine, they move towards it. But the crew refuses to allow them on board. Instead the men scramble onto the floats of a huge industrial tuna net, and watch as their boat rolls over and disappears into the heaving Mediterranean. Like tens of thousands of others Justice set off from his rural village with an idealised vision of an new life in England - the 'home' country - desperate just to earn his way and help his orphaned brother and sister left behind. During his long journey to the African coast, he's captured, jailed and tortured, before escaping and heading northwards again. Once in Tripoli he's duped into handing over his life savings for a trip in a wreck of a boat across miles of open sea to almost certain death. But there is also compassion here and he meets old and wise souls along the way. The tuna net is not the end of Justice's story. It is an extraordinary tale of courage, and an important account of a life caught between cultures, on the edge of survival.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: Airport/Ireland/Export ed
Publisher: Preface Publishing
Published: 09 Apr 2009

ISBN 10: 184809146X
ISBN 13: 9781848091467
Book Overview: Justice Amin is one amongst many thousands of forgotten men who risk their lives every day to better themselves and their families. This is the harrowing tale of his bid to escape Africa and find a better life in the promised lands of Europe.

Media Reviews
Paul Kenyon has written a beautiful book which carries the agony and hope of Africa in every page. It is a powerful story and told in clear and unpretentious prose. A book for our times. * Fergal Keane *
I read Paul's book with considerable emotion, and found it very moving. His understanding of and empathy with the characters in this extraordinary book is hugely impressive. There are small-scale,everyday, easily ignored tragedies usually unreported, on the doorstep of our lives. Paul Kenyon's understanding of people whom often suffer and die in their efforts to reach a promised land is remarkable. We owe it to them to find out more about the process that makes them want to escape from Africa to Europe. Kenyon's book with its clear insights is the finest way. * John Simpson *
An enchanting book, rich with the vibrancy and tragedy of Africa - where hope is constantly eroded by despair. It is a testament to the power of the printed word as medium for foreign reporting. Kenyon has woven a magic in this book that makes TV look inadequate by comparison. -- Michael Williams * Daily Telegraph *
Author Bio
Paul Kenyon is an award-winning journalist who has worked for almost twenty years across BBC News and Current Affairs. In 2005 he was the first reporter to film Iran's secret nuclear sites, making an hour-long documentary which was shown around the world. For four years Paul had his own series on BBC One, Kenyon Confronts which used secret filming to expose corruption in areas as diverse as horse-racing, the Catholic Church and immigration. At its peak it was the most watched current affairs programme on the BBC. Paul currently works on Panorama and he became friends with Justice Amin while researching a two-part story on African migrants for the programme in 2007.