Awards
A Junior Library Guild selection.
Synopses & Reviews
A powerful story based on the real life and death of a Pakistani child sold into slavery "You see, for Iqbal I was not invisible. I existed, and he made me free." So begins this moving fictionalized account of the real Iqbal Masih as told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is changed by Iqbal's courage. Iqbal is sold to work in a carpet factory, where dexterous small fingers are duly exploited. Once there, the charismatic boy offers hope to the underfed, overworked, and joyless children. They endure the cramps of squatting on low benches, the blisters from weaving, the Master's abuse even being chained to their looms but Iqbal shows them that despite the abuse, their spirits cannot be sold and exploited. Soon, the factory is not running as smoothly; the children are organizing subtle acts of resistance from scattering dust and lint to ruining carpets. Surviving abuse, betrayal, and imprisonment, Iqbal triumphantly escapes, contacts a human-rights group, and returns to the factory to free his friends. In 1994 he won the Reebok Youth in Action Award and a scholarship to study law in the United States. Tragically, he was murdered at the age of thirteen by the Pakistani carpet mafia.
Review
"D'Adamo's brief book, his first published in the U.S., packs an
emotional punch in a novel inspired by an actual Pakistani teen....Like the hero he portrays, D'Adamo's
prose is straightforward, but the author also carefully chooses
hauntingly poetic images that reflect the children's plight. D'Adamo
pays fitting respect to Iqbal's name and bravery with this
eye-opening, genuinely touching novel." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
"You see, for Iqbal I was not invisible. I existed, and he made me free." andlt;BRandgt; For Fatima and the other unseen children of Hussain Khan's carpet factory, Iqbal Masih's arrival is the end of hope and its beginning. It is Iqbal who tells them that their family's debt will never be cancelled, no matter how many inches of progress they make in their rugs, no matter how neat the knots or perfect the pattern. But it is also Iqbal who is brave enough to talk about the future. "Fatima," he promises, "next spring you and I are going to go and fly a kite. Remember that, whatever happens." andlt;BRandgt; This is the story of the andlt;Iandgt;realandlt;/Iandgt; Iqbal: a courageous thirteen-year-old boy who knew that his life was worth more than a rug, that chaining children to looms to work hours without rest was not right, and that there was a way to stop the abuse.
Synopsis
This moving, fictionalized account of the life of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy who brings hope to child workers in a carpet factory, is told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is chanced by Iqbal's courage.
Synopsis
"You see, for Iqbal I was not invisible. I existed, and he made me free."
For Fatima and the other unseen children of Hussain Khan's carpet factory, Iqbal Masih's arrival is the end of hope and its beginning. It is Iqbal who tells them that their family's debt will never be cancelled, no matter how many inches of progress they make in their rugs, no matter how neat the knots or perfect the pattern. But it is also Iqbal who is brave enough to talk about the future. "Fatima," he promises, "next spring you and I are going to go and fly a kite. Remember that, whatever happens."
This is the story of the real Iqbal: a courageous thirteen-year-old boy who knew that his life was worth more than a rug, that chaining children to looms to work hours without rest was not right, and that there was a way to stop the abuse.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Francesco D'Adamoandlt;/Bandgt; is well-known for his adult books in the tradition of Italian noir fiction. He began writing fiction for young adults to much foreign acclaim in 1999. andlt;Iandgt;Iqbalandlt;/Iandgt; is his third novel for young adults and his first to be published in the U.S. D'Adamo lives in Milan, Italy.