Book: ‘Girl Underground’ (Morris Gleitzman) and refugees
I’ve just finished reading a great book called “Girl Underground” by Morris Gleitzman. I’ve read quite a lot of his other books and I really enjoy them. I’ve been reading his books that are on the “Premier Reading Challenge” list, hoping that I have a chance of compleating the challenge.
This book has a some strong, clear messages. One of the messages I picked up from reading the book is, “No matter what other people think, stand up for what you believe in!”
This book focuses on an important issue that’s still part of our country today. My English class have been talking a lot about this issue lately. Refugees in detention centres. In the story, Bridget and Menzies are determined to rescue Jamal and Bibi from the detention centre. Bridget’s family history involves some crime, and even a family member being locked up behind bars for stealing. Can Bridget and Menzies save two innosent children, Jamal and Bibi from a desert detention centre, or will they end up behind bars too? I really like it how it says on the back cover of this book, “Sometimes, to help a friend, you have to dig deep.”
The story teaches you about what it’s like for refugees inside the detention centres through the letters that Jamal and Bibi send Menzies. I’ve give you a sneak peak at some of the letters Jamal and Bibi wrote.
“The Australian government say we are queue jumpers, but it’s not true. In Afghanistan everyone made queues except the people who were shot. In this detention centre we also queue. For soap, for food, for water. People with headaches have to queue for pills. But we don’t complain because if we do the guards shout at us and that’s not good for the people with headaches.”
“At home I saw people who hurt children and they weren’t sad.
They put their arms in the air like a winning team.
I think there are people like this in Australia too. I am sad
because I thought Australia was a kind place.
You are kind Menzies.
You give me wings.
I wish they were real.”
After reading this book I feel more determined for refugees to be let out of those detention centres. I want them to be set free! Like it said in this book, they haven’t done anything wrong! They traveled all the way to Australia, and then they are locked away in a detention centre.
When you were born, you didn’t have the choice of what colour hair you got, or what gender you were. It’s exactly the same for refugees. They didn’t have the choice of what country they were born in. And when they manage to get out of their terrible conditioned country, they get locked up in one of these detention centres, which is worse than a jail! In this book I read that people in detention centres are treated worse that criminals in jails! They just happened to be born in a country with terrible conditions! I don’t blame them for wanting to get out; their life is at risk everyday! Think of it this way. Just say you were born in a city, where there’s noisy traffic and polution. You didn’t like this, so you move to the country side where there’s fresh air and lots of bush. THEN, you get locked up in a place, where your treated like your some kind of criminal, just for moving away to a place with better living conditions! This is what it’s like for refugees. But they have to get out of their country because their lives are at risk! Worse that just living in the city huh?
So this is why I believe that it’s not right for people to be locked up in a detention centre. I learnt a lot about what it’s like inside a detention centre by reading this book. I found out that the refugees are identified by numbers, instead of their names. That they never know when they will be let out. A character in this book said that the only think that keeps him going in jail is knowing when he’ll be out of the place. The difference between refugee centres and refugee’s original countries, such as Sierra Leone, is that their life lives aren’t at risk of being killed in the detention centres like they are in their own country. But it’s probably nearly just as bad having to live a miserable life, locked up in a place (like being locked up in a cadge). Why can’t they be let out? Is it because then more people from these bad countries will want to get into Australia? (like mentioned in the book). This question, “Should refugees be locked up in a detention centre or be allowd to live in Australia” is a question that hasn’t got an easy answer. But it’s not fair to lock someone up and treat them so badly like what they’re doing in detention centres! I bet you would have a very straight answer to this question if you were a refugee. I’ve put myself in Jamal and Bibi’s shoes (two children stuck in a refugee centre in this story). I see the fences of the detention centres as separaters, separating the cadge (refugee centre) from freedom in Australia. I would LOVE to see that fence knocked down, and see the happy faces on the refugees as they’re set free! As the door to the cadge has opened and the refugees have access to freedom, like us! So they can enjoy the rest of their lives happily, and are open to do much more things! Can you imagine us being locked up in a detention centre now? There’s one word that every refugee wishes for. Just one word. And that’s freedom. To live safely, and happily in a country of peace.
The government has the power to grant their wish. Menzies father is a politition in this story. I’m not sure what he really wants, but he says that he can’t allow the refugees to leave the refugee centre. He says he’s just one voice. Menzies then gets very angry and begins to yell at his father. “You can help them if you want to,” he shouts accusingly. “You’re a minister. You’re important. All you care about is staying elected.”
Part of this is true! The government has the most rights! They can do something about this if a whole group of them get together. But the very person who’s guaranteed to make a difference is the federal leader of our country. He’s guaranteed to make a difference to those poor people in the detention centre… if he tried. But the thing is, he doesn’t want to. I bet it would be a compleatly different story if he was the one in the detention centre. It’s kind to let them stay in Australia instead of forcing them back to their own country where their life will be at risk everyday, but locking them up in a detention centre is just making their life un-happy!
If I could bowl down that fence surrounding the detention centres I would. I’m glad that the cake stall my English class held raised to much money, and I’m now certain that it should go towards making the condition in detention centres better. If the federal government leader won’t let the refugees out of those detention centres, then I will try and make the dentention centres better! My english class have raised money that I’m sure will help.
This story faces important issues and I’m glad I took the time to read it. I really enjoyed reading it and it’s taught me a lot more about refugees and detention centres.
