This story is so important. I was very emotional while reading every thing this family went through just to attempt a better future for their child. It is an amazing reminder that everyone has value and should be treated that way. I think this book will deeply touch anyone who reads it.

This is an uplifting memoir of refugees.
It’s a fascinating read.
It’s an emotional read of a family in crisis

This memoir follows the Amiri family through their journey fleeing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and eventually arriving in the UK. Hamed Amiri's story is moving, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at the same time.

His eldest brother was born with a heart condition, and his family knows that the only places where he can get a life-saving operation are either in the UK or the US. After his mother gives a speech regarding women's right to an education, she is targeted by the Taliban and their family must flee Afghanistan. This memoir follows the Amiri family through the tumultuous journey that many refugees have needed to take in order to seek asylum and safety. Eventually, upon their arrival to the UK, this memoir turns into a love letter to the NHS.

I will be continually recommending this memoir as one of my favorites. It brought together two terrifying aspects of Hamed Amiri's life - fleeing the country from which he grew up and getting his brother the treatment that he needed to survive. It is an inspirational story and shows how strong this family was under the most dire of circumstances.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Icon Books for the gifted e-book!

This book had me moved to tears, crying for the last third of the book to the end.
It also had me reading all day, starting and finishing the book in one afternoon.
Amiri’s book has two equally moving parts, though the latter is emotional to no end as it ties the entire story together.
In 2000, Hamed Amiri’s family has to leave Afghanistan. They need protection from the Taliban, who want to execute his mother, and need medical help for his older brother Hussein, who has a rare heart condition.
Their journey leaving their home, having to spend a year on the road, never being safe, worrying every day whether they will ever make it to their “safe haven”, and having to put their lives into the hands of smugglers again and again is heart-breaking and one of many families who left their lives behind to find safety in Europe.
Throughout, Hussein’s heart condition gets worse, though the true extend of his illness only becomes apparent later – as does the true motivation behind the story.
Hiding in car boots and digging themselves into tyres in the back of a lorry to hide from police are only a small part of the family’s history. And despite having been through the toughest times one can imagine, Hussein Amiri’s hope and positivity seemed to have no ends and this book tells the story of how many lives a person can touch in just a short time.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written. The pacing of this story is good. It shows how people are fear for their lives against the taliban. It makes you think about how refugees are feeling about leaving their home because of the danger. I enjoyed this author's writing style. I absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. This book is in stores now for $24.00 (USD).

I very rarely cry whilst reading however this book was something else... Full of ups and downs following a child escaping the Taliban to the UK. The writing was remarkable and the relationships between the family are conveyed so gracefully. This book was also a real eye-opener and painted a picture of the lives of refugees so strikingly - something that you would never see in the British media. This is a particularly timely read for anyone who wants to understand the horrific struggles refugees have to go through.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This should be essential reading for those who believe taking in refugees is all bad. The desperation of this family shines through as they make the journey from Afghanistan to the UK. Deeply moving, heartbreaking and inspiring.

The Boy with Two Hearts is a moving and absorbing memoir that follows a family of five from Herat, Afghanistan. In 2000, Fariba Amiri publicly spoke out against the Taliban and in favour of women's rights. Within days, the Taliban responded by ordering her execution. The mother of three had to flee the country with her children and husband Mohammed. After raising enough money to pay human traffickers, they began a gruelling journey to the UK. They don't just have their sights set on the UK for a better life, but also to get their eldest son the treatment he urgently needs for his heart condition. Travelling through Europe as refugees, the Amiris hid in the back of lorries, squashed up together in the boots of cars, were abandoned in jungles in the middle of the night and even robbed at gunpoint. Amazingly, the dangerous and frightening situations they sometimes found themselves in were never enough to *completely* rob them of all optimism and determination in getting to the UK.

The Boy with Two Hearts sometimes felt like a thriller or adventure novel because the tension and suspense in the first half of the book make it so gripping. The writing is captivating and the author tells this story so effectively, in a way that leaves you wanting to find out what happens next. Finally, the family arrive in the UK after travelling through Europe for more than a year. Thanks to the NHS, Hussein received the life-changing treatment he desperately needs. While the family took some time to adapt to their new home in Cardiff and overcome the language barrier, being in the UK enabled Hussein and Hessam to pursue careers and discover their passions. Reading about how the NHS helped Hussein and his family over the years made me smile. The NHS has saved my life more than once. Hussein Amiri's unwavering positivity and determination to help others, while battling his debilitating heart arrhythmias, moved me to tears.

The Boy with Two Hearts is an engrossing book about family, survival, courage, hope, love, perseverance and compassion. It shows the power of standing by those we love, not giving up and helping those in need. The Amiri family's story warmed and stole my own heart. Everyone can take something away from this sad and inspiring story. I'm going to remember it for years to come.

Full review here: https://tenelleottleymatthew.com/the-boy-with-two-hearts-hamed-amiri/

I was moved to tears many times reading this, and I am astonished at the strength and courage this family has shown throughout their journey. Refugees have to face prejudice and judgement when no one knows the reasons they have to escape their native country, and what they have to endure to gain safety for their family. A real eye opener, but a heart warming tale of hope and bravery that I highly recommend. I actually wish I had had the pleasure of meeting Hussein, as his brother has shown his personality through the book beautifully

After his mother speaks out against the Taliban and due to his brother Hussein's worsening heart condition, Hamed and his family had to flee Afghanistan for one of the two Countries that could provide the medical care his brother needed. They traveled as refugees in an attempt to reach the U.K. and the medical care needed. It was not an easy journey, as there was an execution order put out on Hamed's mother. This book will make you cry, as the situation feels so hopeless as you read.

The media in the UK has always been moderately hostile towards refugees, as has the opinion of the public thanks to said media. This heartbreaking book will hopefully go some way to start changing opinions, hearts, and minds about refugees, imparting the knowledge that every single refugee has a story, and every single refugee has taken great risks to escape persecution. سلامتی, friend.

Happy Pub Date!

Thank you for the opportunity to read your family's story, Hamed.

I was particularly touched by the following passages:

"Khastan tavanas tan hast," said Mum: "If you want to chase your dreams you have to believe in them."

"Love is a strange thing, especially when it's felt by total strangers."

I felt so much love for this family while reading this book and at a time like the one we are currently experiencing, where hopes are dashed and life is effectively put on pause, this book is a testament to the fact tat we can still chase our dreams even in dire circumstances.

Hamed and his family flee Afghanistan in the middle of the night - and so begins this tightly narrated, moving memoir from Hamed Amiri. Will his family's money run out? Will his family be separated and preyed upon by human traffickers? Will they be arrested by police? Will they make it the UK, one of the only two places in the world where they can get the heart operation that will save Hamed's brother, Hussein's, life?

Amiri narrates this memoir in easy-to-read, affecting prose. None of the horror, none of the poverty is lost. Both a step-by-step, blow-by-blow tale of refugees, and an affecting portrait of his brother and his affect on the community around him, this book will live long in your memory. Highly recommended.

It was a pleasure to read and review an early copy of this book. Thank you to the author, the publisher and #NetGalley. I am so glad I read #TheBoyWithTwoHearts.
Set over a ten year period the story is told by a child refugee escaping persecution and violence from the Taliban in Afghanistan and making his way, with his family, to the UK. Much of the undeniable horror of the journey is seen through the naive eyes of a young child who trusts that his parents will be there to protect him, and the child's voice is both positive and optimistic. The descriptions are still horrifying and tense, and I found myself holding my breath in the hope that they would make it.
The UK is the eventual destination because Hamed's older brother has a serious heart condition and they know there are experts there who can help. The relationships within the family are beautifully portrayed, and the book is a tribute to Hussien's courage, positivity and strength.
I am going to make sure my teenage daughter reads this book and I think it should be in every school library.

What a beautiful book! The way the author writes makes you feel like you are right there walking next to him. I really enjoyed learning his story and seeing how much he made of himself. Would recommend this to anyone in my network.

Thank you to Icon Books & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available June 18th 2020

This is the summer vacation book everyone should be reading. Told from a first hand perspective of an Afghani refugee family, "The Boy with Two Hearts" focuses on the trials of the Amiri family. After his mother speaks out against the Taliban and his brother Hussein's worsening heart condition, Hamed and his family knew it was only a matter of time before they had to leave Afghanistan. What they couldn't have anticipated is just how long and difficult the journey would be to the UK, one of the two countries in the world that can provide Hussein with the care that he needs. So begins this account of a harrowing yet endearing family adventure. At times, it does feel like two different novels as Amiri transitions between talking about his brother's life and his family's life. However, it is clear to see the love, hope and comfort the family find in each other. With so much divisiveness and animosity in our global stage right now, this book is a welcoming, hopeful tale. I was in tears at the end, feeling like I truly understood Amiri & his family's story &, for the first time in a while, hopeful for the future.