North to Paradise / Ousman Umar. Memoir of the author's harrowing journal from Ghana and across northern Africa to reach the Land of the Whites. He was only a teenager when he started out. He had to deal with smugglers, abandonment, lack of food, sleeping in the street, and more. He finally made it to Spain and after living on the streets was adopted by a couple and was able to get an education. Now running an NGO to get computers to students in Ghana. Remarkable story.

In this memoir, Ousman Omar recounts his migration from Ghana to Barcelona, through the Sahara Desert, Libya, Tripoli and more. He faced countless dangers along the way and I was surprised by how much parts of his experiences echoed the migration stories of Mexican migrants, abused by coyotes and crossing through the desert to the U.S. Similarly, he faced many dangers from smugglers, desert crossing, and the water crossing to Spain.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: memoir
Location: Ghana, Libya, Spain, and everywhere in between
Pub Date: March 1, 2022

I learned so much from this book, and really appreciated Ousman's narrative. While I think the writing is pretty basic, it still conveys his messages well and in an engaging way. It strikes me not only the need for resilience in migration stories like these but a whole lot of luck, and Ousman shows the places where he was extraordinarily lucky. It's a short memoir (under 150 pages) and a really powerful read.

Read this if you are interested in:
⭕️ migration stories
⭕️ learning more about parts of the world not often discussed in the US (Ghana, Libya, and even Spain)
⭕️ memoirs of resistance and resilience

Thanks to Amazon Crossing and #netgalley for a copy of this book!

Ousman was just a child when he left his village in Ghana in search of Paradise, the Land of the Whites, where everyone has a job, a car, and a house and no one is poor. His journey would take him years, and many times he despaired of reaching his goal. He was exploited, robbed, left for dead in the Sahara Desert, but he never gave up. He slept on the desert sands and city streets, hid from Moroccan police in bleak caves, lived in cramped apartments where men slept in shifts, and shared space with victims of human trafficking in a Libyan brothel.
Sometimes he depended on the kindness of strangers. Kind folks were few and far between, but once in a while his faith in humanity was rewarded. After a harrowing trip across the sea in an overcrowded dinghy he finally arrived in the Land of the Whites, only to find that it wasn’t really Paradise after all.
His long odyssey ended in Spain. He had few resources and was hindered by the language barrier and cultural differences, but still he carried on. The resilience and resourcefulness that had taken him from the jungles of Ghana to the streets of Barcelona would not let him down.
Ousman’s coming-of-age story is epic, a testament to the strength of the human spirit. He not only survived, he prospered, and has spent the years since helping other young people to live meaningful lives.

I would like to thank Amazon Crossing for providing an digital ARC of this memoir via NetGalley. This is the story of Ousman, who at twelve sets off on a journey from his village in Ghana to Spain. Throughout the book, we are reminded of the seemingly insurmountable odds that Ousman overcame to complete his trip. There are numerous instances where Ousman is in a small minority of survivors. He must also combat racism, multiple forms of abuse, and the elements. These moments are also interspersed with brief moments of joy. But repeatedly, we are reminded of the harsh realities of those who attempt this trek. The prose is straightforward, direct, and works to move the story along. Ultimately, the book is about hope. We see this person who goes through so much just to have what many take for granted. And even when he is resigned that his story will come to end, he somehow keeps going. This story is hard to forget.

North to Paradise: My Journey Across the World’s Most Dangerous Migrant Route by Ousman Umar and translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn is the memoir of the harrowing 5-yr journey Ousman takes as a 12-yr-old boy from Ghana to Spain. It is a miracle he survived at all—with his mother dying during his birth. He was destined to live, a son of a shaman in Ghana, who had a wonderful childhood, who nonetheless was captivated by the idea of the “land of the whites” and he set out at the age of 12 to "paradise." The writing is visceral and evocative. I could picture everything, though I still had to pull out a map to trace his route and it is indeed a miracle that this young boy managed to survive the journey through the Sahara to Libya and didn’t drown in the Atlantic on his last leg into Spain. He encountered so much cruelty, yet he persevered by the grace of God and help from people with good hearts. Today he manages an NGO that promotes education of Ghana’s children so that they will never have to endure what he did. Bloom where you're planted. Thanks to the publisher for a digital ARC.

I could not put this book down. Umar’s incredible story of having refugee status and gaining citizenship is tumultuous. Just as his journey was not easy, some parts of the story were difficult to read and process. It’s was not a difficult read, although there were some parts that seemed lost in translation. I’m very grateful to have read this book.

***Many thanks to #Netgalley for the free digital ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.***

Very well written and captures the readers attention. I like the way the story flowed and hoe things we're introduced. It's a book that I would recommend.

Wow. It's not often that we get such a thorough depiction of the immigrant journey, in this case from Ghana to Spain. What young Ousman went through while trying to get to the " land of the whites" was intense to read. His strength, and a little kindness from others led to him finding his new home, and eventually working to create the organization NASCO to help young people back in Ghana. This was amazing to read, and I hope others pick it up as well.

North to Paradise is an important book. It is the tale of a young Ousman and his heart-breaking, often terrifying journey to reach the Land of the Whites. Mr. Umar takes us from his childhood in Ghana all the way to his current life in Spain. Mr. Umar is not a writer, but a remarkable man, who pursued his dream even when it took everything he had, almost including his life. And when he achieved one dream, he immediately started on the next, which was to get an education, to make something of himself, so that he could pay his good fortune forward. He is one of the lucky ones, and he doesn't take that for granted for a moment.

This book is a memoir, but it is also, slyly, a marketing book for Mr. Umar's NGO. However, his story is important, and he is doing good work in the world, and so I don't mind at all. I just wish that he had gone a little deeper into his experiences, on a visceral level. He often takes us to a horrifying place, where something truly awful is being done to him or his companions, and then moves on to the next thing before we've had a chance truly to take it all in. But I can forgive him that, too, because as I said, he is not a Writer with a capital 'W' but a man trying to make the world a little better.

Ousman at 12 years old left his village to undertake a 5 year trek to Europe. Ever step of the way he found friends and a guiding hand to help him even as others fell by the wayside.

This was a very inspiring book and what this young man did and endured was amazing.

This review will appear on my blog on March 1st.

I loved hearing Ousman tell the story of his five-year journey to immigrate from Ghana to Barcelona. He left on his own at age 12 and made his own way through dangerous cities, deadly deserts, unscrupulous adults and survived to make a new life for himself. This memoir was a page turner and I wanted to see how he made it through each challenging step. I would have liked to see even more detail about his new life. He should be proud of writing this book and publishing his story. North to Paradise comes out March 1, 2022. Thanks to Amazon Crossing and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review.

My goodness this young man went through a lot. I don't know how typical is his journey through the desert to get to what he thinks of as Paradise, the "Land of the Whites," but he was extremely fortunate to make it to Barcelona when so many of his companions did not. So many twists of Fate.

But Ousman is a survivor, and he knows how fortunate he has been. Maybe what makes him special is that when he was offered small chances, he took them and worked hard. When he finally made it into Spain and a refugee camp, he had only had a couple of years of formal schooling and he couldn't speak Spanish--or Catalan, since that's where he ended up. But he went on to earn a master's degree and to pay it forward by going back to Ghana and setting up schools. The narrative is characterized by Ousman's contagious joy and optimism.

I think anyone sitting in a First World armchair in a climate-controlled room with a full belly should read this and just be thankful for every breath.

The definition of courage: "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery." Never has this meaning been more apt when viewing the difficulties that our young narrator faced as he made his heroic journey from Ghana to Algeria to Libya and finally to Spain.This 12 year old had a dream of going to the "white man's land" where he thought Paradise could be located. The resilience of this young man is unlike any other story that I have read. He spent 5 years trying to attain his dream through a long stint in the Sahara where few survived when abandoned by smugglers, attempted rape, beatings and robberies. Indeed, reading the horrific events he went through, I could not even conjure anyone surviving this ordeal. When he finally arrived in Spain, lost and alone, he miraculously befriended a couple who assisted him in unimaginable ways. He proudly went on to get an education (he only had 2 years of schooling),learned a new language, went to university and graduate school and founded an organization, Nasco Feeding Minds, where he helped to increase the education of school age children in Ghana so that they never had to go through the vicissitudes he experienced. What a gutsy, tenacious and determined young man. What an honor it would be to meet him; he could teach us all life lessons.

This was a very good memoir about Ousman's journey to the 'Land of the Whites'. His strength and perseverance are amazing and inspiring especially at such a young age. This would be a great book for students to read and discuss in high school. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Ousman Umar, a twelve year old boy, embarks on an arduous trek from a village in Ghana to North Africa hoping to cross the Mediterranean Sea, by dingy, for a better life in Europe. His travels are arranged by greedy smugglers, whose only concern is payment for their services. In addition, he learns the world is a harsh place filled with violence, racism and indifference to his plight, nonetheless; Ousman never gives up hope and draws on his faith to sustain himself. Furthermore, he finds help, kindness and humanity where he least expects it. His inspiring journey shows the desperate steps taken by people seeking a better life from poverty, violence and war.

North to Paradise is Ousman Umar’s story of his 5 year journey from Ghana to Barcelona with little to sustain him besides the clothes on his back. It is a story of courage and resilience, seemingly impossible for almost anyone, much less a 12 year old boy. His descriptions of his lush homeland caused me to wonder why anyone would want to leave there, yet He’s determined to follow his dreams to a different life. At age twelve, he started out on a journey toward this different life with a group of 46. Five years later, six of them arrived in Spain. Their journey took them across one of the most dangerous routes in the world. Their journey included meeting up with Smugglers as well as facing starvation, drownings and all forms of torture and death. This memoir had me seeking out the maps to trace their route, I could not imagine such places existed. Pictures at the end helped make this seemingly impossible trip become real. His memoir is a tie in with the NGO he currently works with to benefit schools. This was an amazing memoir and appreciate the opportunity for an advance read in exchange for an honest review in my own words. #Northtoparadise. #NetGalley

My old elementary school friend Derrick was the reason I decided to pick up this novel. Derrick was from Ghana (a mysterious faraway country to my child self, not unlike the mysterious faraway countries Ousman was trying to reach). I can still remember the joy and laughs we shared with him the first time he saw snow. I imagine it was a similar feeling for Ousman.

I would give this 3.5/5 if that were a rating option.

Ousman had the determination to leave home and explore a world bigger than Ghana, but it was no easy task. He nearly died in the desert, could have died in one of the prisons or poor housing situations he found himself, or could have just given up and become a sinker. But he didn't. He was driven and kept trying to prove himself, kept fighting to live, to push forward, to learn. The details about life in the various countries he went through or lived in were riveting, though at times I actually wanted more detail. Small maps (even hand-drawn) or illustrations in each section would have really helped understand some of these places more. I was glad there were photos at the end, because I kept wanting to know what Ousman looked like and what Ghana looked like, and these are things you can't really envision.

<spoiler> It was hard to try to remember how old he was - he mentions he was 13 once, but only talks in terms of passing years later. Near the end, this gets explained again with a new age update- but this to me provided some discontinuity in trying to follow his story. The other things that bothered me were the repetition of some things - (mentioning bad cops like three times, defining sinkers multiple times, saying he kept trying to befriend older and more powerful people). It felt like the same identical wording each time, and I kept feeling taken out of the story when this happened. There's also a jump in the story for how he starts to take classes in Barcelona (how does he find out about them?) and then how he still ends up back on the streets. It was made to sound like he'd gotten help finally, but then he really hadn't? Did he ever contact Eva again?

I also had no idea what an NGO was and wish this had been defined when it was mentioned. The ending felt rushed, and I wish there were more detail about how he actually got his MBA, created the NGO, etc. I also disliked that many photo captions were similar to the text in the Epilogue and feel like this could have been another chance to mention a few more unique details. </spoiler>

Overall, I really liked the story and it was eye-opening to learn about some of the small cities of Africa, and about trials and tribulations that Ousman faced, but I honestly just feel like some of the written parts could have been even stronger with even more detail. I do acknowledge that it was likely very difficult to recall some of the details from the places he passed through and the challenges and trauma that he faced.

North to Paradise is the harrowing memoir of a boy’s trek from Ghana to Spain in search of an education and a better life.

At the age of 12, Ousman sets out on a five-year journey to Paradise. Along the way, he travels with smugglers, crosses much of the Sahara on foot, and struggles against racism, abuse, and loneliness. Yet, he finds compassion and help—in the most unlikely of places.

The book does an excellent job of balancing the horrors Umar endured with the hope that allowed him to persevere. The one caveat is the memoir could have been longer, giving Umar’s experiences more depth and texture. That said, it is an engrossing and timely book, perfect for anyone who wants a better understanding of the harsh realities experienced by migrants traveling through Africa. Truly eye-opening.

“North to Paradise” was an eye-opening book for me. It tells of Ouseman’s travels to seek a better life in the Land of the Whites. Leaving all he has known and loved in his small village in Ghana, he travels slowly from one point to another, meeting good people and their opposite, earning his way by various jobs. The writing flows. He makes it seem so matter of fact. This is just life, but it is so much more, it is survival.
This novel captures the aloneness of a boy who only wants a better life and the many dangers and hardships he encounters along the way. It makes you mad at the ruthlessness of some people and it makes you happy with the humanity of others…..Read this novel to change your mind set on immigration and give you knowledge that one person can make a difference and have a ripple effect.

Ousman Umar was born to the village shaman in a village in Ghana. His mother died while giving birth to him, but his childhood was fairly typical until he was twelve. At twelve, Ousman decides to leave his village to find a way to the land of whites or paradise, in his mind. For five years, he journeys from Ghana to Spain via the Sahara and various small villages and large cities in countries across northern Africa. He encounters thieves, prostitutes, friends, sinners, and saints in his journey to Europe. When he lands in Spain, in a dinghy that barely makes it across the Mediterranean, Ousman realizes that life in "paradise" isn't going to be as easy as he imagined. He befriends a variety of people in his journey and in Spain, he befriends a husband and wife who adopt him to help him gain residency status in Spain. He gets an education and starts an organization to help bring education to children in Ghana. This was a powerful story of what it takes to make your dreams come true. I was moved by Ousman's struggles and his perseverance.