This book was shocking in that while I had heard of Dafur and seen on tv, scenes of refugees plight in Africa and Europe....literally drowning to get to Europe, I was de-sensitised. To feel like I now know someone who has lived all of this.  But what was really memorable about this book, is the display of human resilience.  And also how animals really do have a connection with us....in an intuitive way, they seem to have known us forever.

Abdul Musa Adam lost his family.....except a brother names Yusaf....in a horrific act of terrorism and basically ethnic cleansing. So he was forced to journey far away from his home to save his life and have a future.

The story is told by a narration which makes the book easy to read but still keeps all the sensitivity and emotion.

Thanks to Abdul Musa Adam, Ross Wynn Jones, Mirror Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Journey: The Boy Who Lost Everything... And the Horses Who Saved Him is the extraordinary story of the refugee boy who lost everything, but found peace and a new life in the UK, working with the Queen's horses. At the age of 7, Abdul was rounding up animals with his 3-year-old brother, Yusuf, when their village in Darfur was bombed and burned to the ground by helicopter gunships during a brutal Sudanese ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the government and aided by militia. He lost his entire family. Abdul and Yusuf fled with his father's best friend Abud over the border to Chad, where they lived for two years in one of the world's most inhospitable refugee camps. When Abdul was nine, Abud took him to Libya to start a new life, leaving his brother behind. But in 2011, civil war swept through Libya, and Abdul was arrested at the age of 15 for refusing to join the army: `I told them, "The army killed my family. I don't want to be in a war".' But they jailed him, and the violence and abuse he suffered in prison led to hospitalisation, where a foreign doctor, horrified by his injuries, smuggled him onto a humanitarian ship that docked in a busy French port.

He slept on the streets in France for over a year before stowing away on a Swindon-bound lorry, where he was picked up by UK police. Granted asylum in Britain and diagnosed with PTSD, Abdul was helped by Greatwood, a charity that uses ex-racehorses to help disadvantaged children. This was a lifeline for Abdul. Working with horses in the Wiltshire countryside made him feel close to the parents he lost. `When I touch a horse, I feel I am touching my father and my mother. I can speak to horses much better than I can speak to people.' This is the remarkable story of one boy's journey around the globe in a desperate search for a safe place to live. An incredible miracle of a story and one that reminds us about the redemptive qualities of both sport and love of nature, in this case—horses and equestrianism. His sad yet powerful and profoundly inspirational memoir illustrates that despite adversity at a young age, it is possible to flourish. Melancholy yet majestic, at once hopeless and hopeful, this is a story that makes you thankful and more appreciative of life. Highly recommended.

I am in awe of this man. I'm in awe of his resilience, his grit, his determination.

I don't know what to write for this review. I'm completely speechless & am honestly so overcome with emotion because of what he has been through. I don't know what it feels like to walk in his shoes, go through what he has gone through & still be here. Half of me is happy that he is now safe but the other half is still so sad about the things he went though to be safe & the trauma he is still suffering from.

Although his story is now at a unique chapter, he is not alone in his journey to freedom & while we talk about educating ourselves, taking action, being aware of our privilege, I ask you (& your children) to look into the Darfur Conflict & the Libyan Crisis.

Thank you @netgalley for this arc.

Thanks to Abdul Musa Adam, Ross Wynn Jones, Mirror Books and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"No two refugee stories are the same. But there are themes that are common to all of them, the most striking of which, counterintuitive as it may sound, is luck".

This is the true story of his 11 year journey as a 7 year-old refugee from his home in the Darfur region of Sudan to becoming a Rider Groom at the prestigious Park House Racing Stables in Hampshire. Abdul's journey starts from his home in Darfur when an horrific slaughter of almost all of his tribe happens and he went to a refugee camp with his 3-year-old brother Yusuf, and together they fled to Chad, Libya, which turned into another war zone then finally Britain via the underside of a Lorry from France. The only survivors of the Darfur massacre were Abdul, his younger brother Yusuf and 2 friends of his parents.
There they endured appalling conditions in one of the world's most impoverished refugee camps. Until one day Abdul was offered the chance of a better life. A chance fraught with danger that would force him to make the most heartbreaking decision of his life. Abdul's death-defying journey eventually led him to the UK, where his love of animals provided a lifeline, and he landed a job as a stable boy. But the choice he made that day in Chad would continue to haunt him

This is a shocking, moving, eye-opening and uplifting book, it's also a good insight into horrors many of those seeking asylum in other countries have experienced.

"The stories we heart of migrants often focus on sea crossings, but the journey across the Sahara is one of the most dangerous of all, perhaps because its victims are invisible".

Abdul is an amazing person, just as amazing are those who took rather a difficult person under their wing and encouraged and nurtured him until his life took an almost fairy-tale turn for the better and this book is testament to their selflessness and love for someone who many would have given up on.
The Journey is ‘narrated’ via an Arabic translator by Abdul and written by journalist Ross Wynne Jones through an Arabic interpreter. The story is written in such a way it goes straight into your heart.
This is a book everyone should read in order to understand all the traumatic events people like Abdul go through and to never judge people you don't know because you don't know their story, but also how important is to never give up on anybody.

This is an exceptional book about Abdul leaving Sudan aged 7, after all his family were killed except him and his younger brother. A very interesting descriptive book about his struggle to get to England via France and losing his younger brother who he has still not found.
Abdul eventually has a happy ending and a job looking after and riding race horses.
Highly recommended, thanks to Netgalley for an A.R.C.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
This is a short book and a very easy read telling a remarkable story of courage and determination of a refugee's journey starting as a seven year old and travelling his travels from Central Africa to the UK.
I was worried that parts of this maybe fairly graphic in terms of what he was subjected to, but glad to safe the message was delivered without overly graphic details.
The story highlights the best of the human race as well as the worst unfortunately.
A truly remarkable young man who deserves everything he has achieved to date and so much more.

A heartbreaking and inspiring story about strength and courage and the will to survive.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. Getting to know Abdul through this reading has been a privilege. I wish him all the best.

This is the fascinating story of a young boy’s journey from Sudan to the UK, via Chad, Libya and France. At the age of 7, Abdul Musa Adam lost his family, except for his brother, and home when his home and village were attacked and burned. Thus, began his journey that took him to refugee camps in Chad, to the brutality of Libya and Ghaddafi’s regime, to France and on to the UK where he met up with his brother. The story presents a young boy’s resolve and courage to overcome the unsurmountable, finding support, assistance and kindness from strangers along the way—who also deserve a solid thanks for helping this young boy. Abdul Musa Adam has since made a life for himself in the UK, and his need/desire to achieve a good life was awe inspiring as I read this book. Ros Wynne-Jones, obviously a talented journalist, presents his story in a way so that I felt I was there with Abdul, working through all the difficulties and experiences it took to get to his final destination. This book will provide the reader with a different life’s view as well as a wealth of unique experiences as n a better understanding of just what it meant to be a refugee and to work to finally achieve some measure of success. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

This is an inspirational story of a young boy's flight from Sudan to the UK, via Chad, Libya and France. It is powerful, emotional and truly inspirational. An absolutely incredible and powerful read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Every now and then a book comes along which opens your eyes to a world you never knew existed, to a life and experience that is beyond your own comprehension and then comes along The Journey, by Abdul Musa Adam and Ros Wynne-Jones, the inspirational and unimaginable story of a young boy’s journey from the death and ruin of Darfur to Royal Ascot .

It’s not easy for us here, in the West, to comprehend what it’s like for people who live vastly different lives to ourselves, nor is it easy for us to understand the trauma and tragedy of those who’ve undergone such hardships in their lives to even get a glimpse of the comparative riches we enjoy in our own lives. This is why books, such as The Journey, are so important.

Living in Darfur at the age of 7 Abdul Musa Adam lost his entire family and home, apart from his younger brother, when his village was attacked and burned, from there his journey took him to the refugee camps in Chad and to the brutality of Gaddafi’s regime in Libya where he lost the guardian who had taken care of him since Darfur. Escaping the war in Libya Abdul escaped with the generosity and help of others fleeing the nightmare of Libya at that time, to escape to Europe and hopefully find safety. Living in a bin in France and with the help of a Tunisian man Abdul hid under a lorry and escaped to the UK to hopefully find safety, freedom and his brother.

The Journey is not just a testament to Abdul’s plight but also a testament to those who helped him survive here in the UK, after reading the book I can only imagine how difficult it would have been for a young boy, completely out of his own environment, amid strange people and customs, yet with the kindness and support of those people Abdul has since made a life for himself here as a rider groom at one of the most prestigious training schools in the UK.

An incredibly moving and inspiring story, The Journey, is ‘narrated’ via an Arabic translator by Abdul and written by Journalist Ros Wynne-Jones who treats the story with a great deal of sensitivity and expertise to not only put the story into a readable format but also relay the emotions of the story to the reader in such a way that we experience them with Abdul as he feels them himself.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime/thriller books and even psychological thrillers too so I am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Journey by Abdul Musa Adam is the true story of his 11 year journey as a 7 year-old refugee from his home in the Darfur region of Sudan to becoming a Rider Groom at the prestigious Park House Racing Stables in Hampshire. Abdul's journey ,from the horrific slaughter of almost all of his tribe, to a refugee camp in Chad, on to Libya, which turned into another war zone then finally Britain via the underside of a Lorry from France is quite horrific. The only survivors of the Darfur massacre were Abdul, his younger brother Yusuf and 2 friends of his parents. As Abdul makes his way from traumatic situation to traumatic situation he eventually finds himself alone and totally confused as once in Britain he struggles to understand an alien culture and language. while fighting feelings of guilt over a decision he made along the way.. Struggling with PTSD and not making the lives of the many wonderful people who try to help him any easier Abdul is finally offered the chance to go on an Equine therapy course ,which with his love of animals and skills as a rider from a very young age in Darfur changes his life completely.
This is a shocking,moving and uplifting book,it's also a good insight into the kind of horrors many of those seeking asylum in this country have experienced. There were no big handouts for Abdul,he wasn't given a house at the expense of anyone else and his bad experiences continued in this country as he found himself housed with people who robbed him and scared him to the degree that he preferred sleeping in a park.
Abdul is an amazing person, just as amazing are those who took rather a difficult person under their wing and encouraged and nurtured him until his life took an almost fairy-tale turn for the better and this book is testament to their selflessness and love for someone who many would have given up on.
Because of Abdul's less than fluent English skills the book is written "as told to" distinguished journalist Ross Wynne Jones through an Arabic interpreter .Ms Wynne Jones has reported from the Darfuri refugee camps in Chad and coincidentally they would at times have been in the same places several years before they met.
Ross Wynn Jones has done an excellent of telling Abdul's incredible story and what a story it is.

Thanks to Abdul Musa Adam, Ross Wynn Jones, Mirror Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.