In this gripping and eye-opening novel, two Syrian refugee teens
trying to make a living on the street corners of Beirut must decide how
far they're willing to go to make a home for their family in an
unwelcoming country.
Thirteen-year-old Hadi Toma and his family are displaced. At least
that's what the Lebanese government calls them and the thousands of
other Syrian refugees that have flooded into Beirut. But as Hadi tries
to earn money to feed his family by selling gum on the street corner, he
learns that many people who travel the city don't think they're
displaced--they think that they don't belong in this country either.
Each day he hears insults, but each day he convinces himself they don't
matter, approaching the cars again and again. He hardly dares to dream
anymore that this might change.
But then Hadi meets Malek, who has been instructed to work on the same
corner. Malek, who talks about going to school and becoming an engineer.
But Malek is new to the streets, and Kamal, the man who oversees many of
the local street vendors, tells Malek he must work the corner...alone.
And people who don't follow Kamal's orders don't last long.
Now Hadi is forced to make a choice between engaging in illegal
activities or letting his family starve. Can the boys find a way out of
their impossible situation, or will the dream of something greater than
their harsh realities remain stubbornly out of reach?
