“But we are not one star. We are millions. Not one background, but millions.

To the untrained eye, the night sky is a scattering of stars, a chaos of light and dark across the universe.

And yet, the stars are not lost.

They form patterns. Constellations. If you know how to look, there are stories woven into the very essence of stars.

Be like a star. Shine your light. Shine your story. For stories will lead us home.

-Maryam”

–Victoria Jamieson, When Stars are Scattered

When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jameson is a beautifully told story of how two brothers, who had faced a lifetime of tragedy found their way to freedom.

When Stars are Scattered is a graphic novel based off of the true story of Omar Mohamed’s life.

This story follows the life of Omar, and his brother, Hassan, who struggles with a seizure disorder. Their father was killed in Somalia’s civil war, and they were separated from their mother, whom they’re not sure is still alive. They flee their home with some other refugees and begin a seemingly endless journey on foot. 

During their journey, they face many hardships, such as starvation, dehydration, sickness, and much more. When they finally arrive at a refugee camp, they are put in the care of a kind elderly lady, Fatuma. 

Things aren’t easy in the refugee camps though. Each person gets a certain amount of food at the beginning of the week, but it’s not enough. Often at the end of the week, there’s nothing left to eat.

Omar also sees that things, even in the small refugee camp, aren’t fair. A girl named Maryam is one of the best students in school, but her parents pull her out of school for her to marry a man who can help support her family, even though she’s only in middle school.

Like many other refugees, Omar dreams about someday going to America, but it seems like something like this will never happen.

When Stars are Scattered shows you life in a refugee camp through the eyes of a child, who grew up to accomplish great things.

While When Stars are Scattered is a tale of tragedy, after reading it, you will feel inspired and uplifted by Omar Mohamed’s beautiful story of finding hope when stars were scattered.