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.
Book Reading by Author
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 !
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Read More
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.
Previous
Next
Published By
