About The Book

The Boy Refugee: A Memoir from a Long-Forgotten War is the story of a young refugee boy in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The story chronicles his escape from a war-ravaged Bangladesh to the relative safety of a barbed-wired internment camp in the foothills of the Himalayas, his day to day life as a civilian prisoner of war, and his thousand-mile, two-year-long journey back to Pakistan.

A portion of sales from this book will be donated to UNHCR and the Amaanah Refugee Services.

About The Author

Dr. Khawaja Azimuddin is a gastro-intestinal surgeon in Houston, TX. He specializes in minimally invasive and robotic surgery for colon cancer. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons, and the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Edinburgh. As a child he spent two years in a refugee/ civilian prisoner of war camp. After almost fifty years he is finally telling his story and hopes to bring attention to the current refugee crisis.

This is me and my family a long time ago, in a land far away.......! I invite you to read my story.

The book is released on the 20th of June 2020 to coincide with the World Refugee Day.
Buy your copy now!

The book is available at Amazon and all major bookstores.

What people are saying about the book !

Luis CarrascoHouston Chronicle
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Illuminating! More importantly, like all good stories it captures a specific place and time while speaking to a larger experience. What happened to Azimuddin almost 50 years ago is not very different from what countless other displaced people and refugees are experiencing today. Azimuddin’s book is an important reminder, at a time when borders are being sealed and anti-immigrant feeling stoked for political gain, that there are as many stories of resilience and hope as there are families displaced.

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Dr. Shailja SharmaProfessor, International Studies, DePaul University
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An important historical account. The narrative veers between the child’s perspective and the historical one, trying to adjust to a Western audience. What it does portray well, is the difficult effects of the political partition of 1947, one that was played out in the wars between India and Pakistan in Bengal, now in Kashmir and in the nuclear brinksmanship between the two countries. Ultimately though, this memoir is an important narrative about how the figure of the “refugee” is so central to shifting citizenship in South Asia.

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Austin Macauley Publishers
Austin Macauley Publishers
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Beautifully written and full of highly motivational and inspiring moments of triumph and perseverance, The Boy Refugee is a significant addition to any readers’ library but also those with a strong interest in human rights or the history of the Indian subcontinent from the late 20th century.
The Book Review Directory
The Book Review Directory
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The book is nicely laid out, with chapter headings making it clear what aspect of the author’s experience occurs in each, and a detailed glossary appears at the end, helping readers know what the various terms sprinkled throughout the text mean. The tone is serious yet hopeful, showing the author’s appreciation for his family’s position during those difficult times while poignantly noting the more difficult situations of others all around him.
The Book Review Directory
The Book Review Directory
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Delightfully clear, factual, and effective, this account brings the author’s experience and the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 to light while offering a sobering reflection on the plight of refugees worldwide. The book provides a treasure of information for those looking to learn more about ordinary people’s experiences during this time, and thanks to the author’s diligence in speaking to others who shared his experience, the book comes off as beautifully balanced, factually well-informed, and appropriate for both the casual historian or a more academic reader. Anyone interested in understanding more about the history of Bangladesh and those who lost their country in the process of granting a nation independence will enjoy this book.
Noor Nizamuddin
Noor NizamuddinAmazon Customer
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A truly intriguing book on the harsh realities of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, which led to the dismemberment of Pakistan, and it’s aftermath from the eyes of a young boy who along with his family got caught up in the spiraling conflict. The writer vividly describes the things happening around him during and after the war and his epic journey to the POW camp in India where he stayed for almost two years and then released at the Wagah border near Lahore. The book is a must read for everyone but especially for those who value hard work, diligence, ingenuity, dexterity and do not give up hope in times of adversity. It will be a great morale booster for all the refugees of the world who are languishing in harsh environments away from their deserted homes and yearning for a better life.
Zafar Tahir
Zafar TahirHouston City Council, Planning Commission.
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Just finished reading “Boy Refugee.” A riveting, yet a simple account of a journey that encapsulated so much of history, geography, cultures, and conflicts ranging from very local to very global. The focus of the book is what this young boy saw, noticed, felt and learned in India as a part of the largest POW confinement that world has seen since WWII. The journey to a harmonious Subcontinent is still far and seems elusive, but who said journeys are easy. Thank you for chronicling your journey and allowing so many of us to meet your family, be in your household, ride along and see our own journeys in historical context.
Prof. M. Shahed
Prof. M. ShahedOBE
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I have just finished reading your book 'The Boy Refugee' non-stop. Just could not put the book down. Congratulations on an absolute masterpiece. Very well narrated of a very challenging time. A great service for the millions of refugees all over the world.
Reader's Favorite
Reader's Favorite
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The Boy Refugee is a touching yet empowering tale of a young boy who always kept his positive outlook, even when he was living in desolate conditions. I cannot imagine the impact being a P.O.W would have had on a young mind like his. Dr. Khawaja Azimuddin held nothing back when he described the horrible days leading up to the war, and after the war when he and his humble family were taken prisoner by the Indian army. You felt his pain, his confusion and his need to find answers. The author narrates his family life and how each of them had a battle of their own. The language is very simple and that made it even more impactful. This story of resilience is a must-read.
Mary Lou Codman Reviews
Mary Lou Codman Reviews
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But Khawaja as a young 9 year old boy didn’t experience the depth of the ravages of war known by the adult refugees. As a result his retelling of the trauma of this time in history brings a more humanizing, empathic insider-view of the horrors of war and refugee life. He retells the tragedy accurately but with gentle brush strokes. Considering the mass migrations of refugees flooding countries all over the world in this 21st century, and the trauma these refugees have sustained, Khawaja’s book is an important birds-eye view of the ravages of war and displacement of peoples.
The Asia Society
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In his moving new memoir, The Boy Refugee: A Memoir from a Long-Forgotten War, Dr. Azimuddin takes readers on a captivating and emotional journey as he recounts his family's experience as civilian prisoners of war.
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