MIDDLE GRADE REVIEW : Mo Farah, the Boy Who Ran to Be Free by Dr. Seema Yasmin & Noha Habaieb
ABOUT THE BOOK
From the prolific Pulitzer Prize–nominated Muslim reporter Dr. Seema Yasmin comes the second book in the exciting nonfiction Muslim Mavericks chapter book series, about Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah.
From Somalia to the Olympic arena, there’s no distance Mo can’t go!
At the age of eight, Mo Farah and his family moved across the world from Somalia to London. It was difficult starting over in a new country, especially since he spoke very little English. But fortunately for Mo, running is a language everyone understands.
Once he started, he never stopped—smashing records and winning championships. Now, having won four gold medals at two Olympics and earned six World titles, he is the most successful male track distance runner ever!
REVIEW
Mo Farah accomplished something only one other athlete in history can claim to have done. He won both the 5,000 and 10,000 gold medals at two successive Olympics (2012 London & 2016 Rio). But he overcame a lot to get to that point. Born as Hussein Abdi Kahin in Somaliland (northern Somalia) he grew up on a small farm. After his father's death in the ongoing conflict in the country, Hussein moved with his twin brother, Hassan, to Djibouti to live with relatives. School struggles (dyslexia) led Hussein (Mo) to decide to be a mechanic and work with his hands. Witnessing Diego Maradona playing in the World Cup in 1990 caused a dream to take root in Hussein's heart.
A woman arrived at the home Hussein was living in one night to take him away at the age of 9. He thought she was taking him and his twin to Europe to stay with relatives while he pursued his dream. Instead he became the woman's servant under a false name : Mo Farah. After two years of never leaving the house and doing the cooking, cleaning, and childcare, Mo finally convinced her to let him attend school. But school wasn't any easier the second time around, especially with his limited English. The only class he thrived in was P.E. where he outran everyone. He eventually found the courage to tell his P.E. instructor, Mr. Watkinson, his situation. He ended up moving to live with the family of another Somalian student. Mr. Watkinson continued to encourage Mo to run and compete which led to a number of opportunities. At first he could not take advantage of them because he had no passport, but eventually he obtained legal status and a passport. A training camp in Florida ignited a desire to become a professional athlete and the rest is history.
Using easy to understand language, the author does a fantastic job of explaining Mo's childhood experiences. An author's note at the beginning of the book highlights the fact that some of Mo's feelings and experiences had to be imagined because of a lack of details given by Mo himself. A handful of black and white illustrations complement the text (except one illustration which shows the wrong kind of start for a distance race). Reading about Mo's reunion with his family touched my heart. A story of challenges faced and overcome leading to Mo's achieving his dreams may inspire young readers to do the same. Note : the book does not spend a lot of time talking about Mo being trafficked but it does introduce a simple description of the term. Recommended.
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