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North to Paradise: A Memoir Kindle Edition

by Ousman Umar (Author), Kevin Gerry Dunn (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 11,726 ratings

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The inspiring true story of one man’s treacherous boyhood journey from a rural village in Ghana to the streets of Barcelona—and the path that led him home.

Ousman Umar is a shaman’s son born in a small village in Ghana. Though his mother died giving birth, he spent a contented childhood working the fields, setting traps in the jungle, and living off the land. Still, as strange and wondrous flying machines crisscrossed the skies overhead, Ousman dreamed of a different life. And so, when he was only twelve years old, he left his village and began what would be a five-year journey to Europe.

Every step of the way, as he traveled across the Sahara desert, through the daunting metropolises of Accra, Tripoli, Benghazi, and Casablanca, and over the sea aboard a packed migrant dinghy, Ousman was handed off like merchandise by a loose network of smugglers and in the constant, foreboding company of “sinkers”: other migrants who found themselves penniless and alone on their way north, unable to continue onward or return home.

But on a path rife with violence, exploitation, and racism, Ousman also encountered friendship, generosity, and hope. North to Paradise is a visceral true story about the stark realities of life along the most dangerous migrant route across Africa; it is also a portrait of extraordinary resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges, the beauty of kindness in strangers, and the power of giving back.

Editorial Reviews

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“With unerring humanity, Umar brings instances of light to his sobering tale through moving recollections of the friendships that bolstered him and moments of ‘divine intervention’ that led him to finally find a new home in Spain. This is a stunning testament to the strength of the human spirit.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Both sobering and inspiring, this story about a young African man’s awakening to the realities of an often uncaring world offers a compelling portrait of humanity at its ignorant worst and enlightened best. A candid and provocative memoir from a determined man.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Get ready to settle in, because this is one of those books that you will want to read all at once. Ousman Umar describes the dramatic story of his journey along the world’s most dangerous migrant route from West Africa to Europe simply and without pathos, as if he is a friend telling you about his life-changing experience over a couple of drinks. It was curiosity that drove him to venture out of his village in Ghana at the age of twelve, when the village elders couldn’t tell him what made airplanes stay up in the air. He was a confident and resourceful kid who hungered for knowledge and adventure, so it seemed perfectly natural for him to set out for Europe, following the route so many others had taken before him. He did not expect the suffering that was in store for him, nor the stream of almost insurmountable challenges he would encounter along the way. And when he did find himself in Spain after five years of laboring to get there, Ousman realized that just by surviving the journey, he was already one of the lucky ones, and that the hardest part was still to come. But Ousman believes in miracles, and he persevered.

Now, having succeeded in Spain despite all the odds, Ousman has dedicated his life to bringing educational opportunities back to Africa in an effort to prevent other young people from choosing to take the same journey. Ousman is an extraordinary person living an extraordinary life. The story he has to tell is heartbreaking in many different ways, but it also reveals a deep vein of humanity that exists throughout the world, across cultures and languages and life experiences, and when you encounter it in his story, it seems as beautiful and wondrous as a miracle.

—Liza Darnton, Editor

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B094JM3PDB
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Crossing (March 1, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 1, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 33132 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 159 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #195,332 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #43 in Biographies of Social Activists
- #90 in Survival Biographies & Memoirs
- #204 in Survival Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.5 11,726 ratings

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Ousman Umar
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Ousman Umar was born in Ghana and immigrated to Europe when he was seventeen. In 2012 he founded NASCO Feeding Minds, an NGO dedicated to the principle that the most effective way to prevent migrants from leaving Ghana for Europe is to provide top-notch opportunities for education and advancement in Ghana. North to Paradise was originally published by Penguin Random House Spain in 2019. He lives in Barcelona.
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Kevin Gerry Dunn - translator
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Kevin Gerry Dunn is a Spanish/English translator whose projects include COUNTERSEXUAL MANIFESTO by Paul B. Preciado and EASY READING by Cristina Morales (for which he received a PEN/Heim Grant, a PEN Translates Award and a residency at the Banff International Literary Translation Centre), as well as works by Daniela Tarazona, Ousman Umar and Cristian Perfumo. His shorter translations have appeared in Granta, Financial Times, Michigan Quarterly Review, Latin American Literature Today and Asymptote.
He also heads the FTrMP Project, an effort to make Spanish translations of vital migration paperwork available for free online. He holds an M.A. in Hispanic Language and Literature and a B.A. in Spanish and English, both from Boston University.
Twitter/IG: @KevinGerryDunn
Website: www.kevingerrydunn.com
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

11,726 global ratings

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Mandi T

beautiful and heartfelt true story

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024

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This was wonderfully and simply written. I am in awe of this man’s story. Quick read and well worth the time.

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Jennifer Lara

Such an inspirational story!

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023

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North to Paradise: A Memoir by Ousman Umar is one man’s journey from a rural village in Ghana to the streets of Barcelona. Ousman Umar is the son of the village shaman. When his mother dies giving him birth, a tribal tradition would have him abandoned as he was considered to be born under a curse. However, his father intervenes. He spent his childhood working the fields, setting traps in the jungle and living off the land. When he sees the strange but wondrous flying machines fly across the sky, he begins to dream of a different life. At twelve years old, he leaves his home and begins a journey to Europe. A journey that would take five years! Traveling through three different cultures, three different realities, from the Ghanaian jungle to the Arab world to Spain, Ousman encountered violence, exploitation and racism. He also found friendship, generosity and hope. It is a story of extraordinary resilience, the beauty of kindness and the power of giving back.
North to Paradise is the inspiring, emotional and somber true story of Ousman Umar’s journey toward a better life. Once in Barcelona and achieving all he wanted, he couldn’t help but remember those he left behind. He then was determined to give back to his home village and help better their lives in any way he could. His descriptions of his experiences on his journey were heartstopping and heartbreaking. It’s hard to admire such tenacity and determination when most would have given up. The prologue states that a group of 46 started for Paradise, the Promised Land and near the end, only 6 survived! Mr. Umar states that given his experiences it would be easy to think of people as bad but with the goodness he has received, he likes to believe that most people are good, “It’s just that the good people make less noise.” How very true! I highly recommend North to Paradise.

North to Paradise is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

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Amazon Customer

An amazing story of survival.

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024

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Thanks for sharing your story and for all the good you are doing. You truly are a survivor and paying it forward.

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Kindle Customer

Read and you'll realise all the things you should be grateful for.

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2022

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When I started reading this book, I did not know what to expect, but rather chose to go along for the ride. And what a journey it was.

When the author speaks about the Land of the Whites, I was reminded about the people of my own country, and their own aspirations to travel overseas for a better life, and the horrible fate that many had to suffer to achieve the same. We hear stories of these aspiring migrants losing their lives in the sea, being thoroughly abused by their handlers and swindled out of their life savings every so often. And on many of my own travels to Europe, I would happen to meet some of my countrymen and they would candidly tell me of the hell they had to go through to get there, travelling on open boats, shipping containers, across multiple countries to finally reach their destinations. And I would ask them every single time - was it worth it?

The responses would be mixed. Some have, in their own words, made it. They have been able to secure a steady job, and are able to send money back to their own country every month. In fact, we call such people "Remittance Warriors", and they are some of the biggest contributors to our country's foreign reserve. And then there are others who were not so lucky. These were often people who had been fed the Western dream, and had sacrificed everything that they had, which was often very decent respectable lives and livelihoods, to get there, and when they finally did get there they wonder in silence what it was all for. Silence, because often they are too ashamed to share these stories with their loved ones back home.

The way the author detailed every aspect of the journey, from a relatively comfortable and happy life in his village, all the way through Africa, while making friends and acquaintances along the way, and fending off the very worst of humanity (who themselves became what they are because of the circumstances of their own birth), is a roller coaster ride of sadness, horror, happiness, relief, and even utter surprise (how he kept on bumping into his friend Musa). One could not help but get the feeling as if we were part of the whole journey, feeling the same pains and emotions.

What struck me the most about the author was that throughout his journey, he remained devout, and thanked his Maker for whatever little mercies that came his way. It is said that the best of the believers are tested the most, and there are few tests in the world that are often as arduous and rife with such uncertainty. However, it was his devoutness and humbleness that made him cross paths with a wonderful Spanish family. And to them, I wish all the very best as well.

This book is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

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Joseph Myren

AWESOME

Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2024

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AWESOME

Muito bom e bem embalado

Bom texto

Reviewed in Brazil on May 6, 2023

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Cliente de Kindle

No pinches-manches

Reviewed in Mexico on April 30, 2022

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Es demasiado, es mucho lo que le paso a este cuate, de lo que uno se queja teniendolo todo y aun viviendo en un pais en desarrollo estamos ricos.Buen libro para auto estudiarse.

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ithihas

Self Awareness

Reviewed in India on July 19, 2023

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i really appreciated life, after reading this book.We all have rough times and sometimes we all we need is books like this to humble ourselves and start moving forward.

WF van der Hart

Touching

Reviewed in Germany on July 17, 2022

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Loved this book! Touching story about the difficult journey of a young man from Ghana to reach Europe. Written in a condense style with not a word too much, which enhances the impact of the words and the things happening. Touching, tear-jerking story about humanity its bad sides but mostly about its good sides...a must read story. Impressed with Ousman!

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Ousman Umar

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