The Other Side of Truth

The Other Side of Truth is a young adult novel about Nigerian political refugees, written by Beverley Naidoo and published by Puffin in 2000. It is set in the autumn of 1995 during the reign in Nigeria of the despot General Abacha, who is waging a campaign of suppression against journalists. A Nigerian girl and her younger brother must leave suddenly after their mother is killed in a failed assassination of their outspoken father. They are sent to London but are abandoned and must cope with the police, social services and school bullies. Naidoo won the 2000 Carnegie Medal, recognising the best children's or young adults' book in English published in the United Kingdom during the preceding school year.

Quotes

 * “The bully only gets away with it because others let him. They’ll have to lock me up before they shut me up.”
 * (Chapter 4, Page 26)
 * These words spoken by Folarin to Sade’s mother demonstrate two key facets about his character. First, they show that he understands that people will try to stop him from exposing injustice. Second, they demonstrate that he understands how bullies work and that abusive governments are bullies with political power.
 * “With Uncle Dele missing, they were now completely and utterly alone. If anyone asked where they came from and what they were doing, whatever should they say?”
 * (Chapter 10, Page 61)
 * Because of the distinct ways in which Femi and Sade approach their situation, she is forced to make all the decisions by herself. Her difficulty with this reveals that she internalized many of the lessons her parents taught her. Her desire to constantly seek her parents’ advice shows that she still wants to rely on them to help her make decisions.