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Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
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Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday

By Natalie C. Anderson

By Natalie C. Anderson

By Natalie C. Anderson

By Natalie C. Anderson

By Natalie C. Anderson
Read by Kevin R. Free and Natalie C. Anderson

By Natalie C. Anderson
Read by Kevin R. Free and Natalie C. Anderson

Hardcover $18.99

Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages | Young Adult

Ebook $10.99

Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages | Young Adult

Audiobook Download $27.50

Jan 15, 2019 | 780 Minutes | Young Adult

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    Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday by Natalie C. Anderson
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    Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages
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      Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages | Young Adult

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    About Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday

    Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What

    When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia’s ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. The jihadists trust Abdi immediately because his older brother, Dahir, is already one of them, protégé to General Idris, aka the Butcher. If Abdi’s duplicity is discovered, he will be killed.

    For weeks, Abdi trains with them, witnessing atrocity after atrocity, becoming a monster himself, wondering if he’s even pretending anymore. He only escapes after he is forced into a suicide bomber’s vest, which still leaves him stumps where two of his fingers used to be and his brother near death. Eventually, he finds himself on the streets of Sangui City, Kenya, stealing what he can find to get by, sleeping nights in empty alleyways, wondering what’s become of the family that was stolen from him. But everything changes when Abdi’s picked up for a petty theft, which sets into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he’s been trying to forget.

    In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.

    About Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday

    Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What

    When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia’s ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. The jihadists trust Abdi immediately because his older brother, Dahir, is already one of them, protégé to General Idris, aka the Butcher. If Abdi’s duplicity is discovered, he will be killed.

    For weeks, Abdi trains with them, witnessing atrocity after atrocity, becoming a monster himself, wondering if he’s even pretending anymore. He only escapes after he is forced into a suicide bomber’s vest, which still leaves him stumps where two of his fingers used to be and his brother near death. Eventually, he finds himself on the streets of Sangui City, Kenya, stealing what he can find to get by, sleeping nights in empty alleyways, wondering what’s become of the family that was stolen from him. But everything changes when Abdi’s picked up for a petty theft, which sets into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he’s been trying to forget.

    In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.

    About Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday

    Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption for fans of A Long Way Gone and What is the What

    When Abdi’s family is kidnapped, he’s forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier with the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. In order to save the lives of those he loves, and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the militia’s ranks and to send dispatches on their plans to the Americans. The jihadists trust Abdi immediately because his older brother, Dahir, is already one of them, protégé to General Idris, aka the Butcher. If Abdi’s duplicity is discovered, he will be killed.

    For weeks, Abdi trains with them, witnessing atrocity after atrocity, becoming a monster himself, wondering if he’s even pretending anymore. He only escapes after he is forced into a suicide bomber’s vest, which still leaves him stumps where two of his fingers used to be and his brother near death. Eventually, he finds himself on the streets of Sangui City, Kenya, stealing what he can find to get by, sleeping nights in empty alleyways, wondering what’s become of the family that was stolen from him. But everything changes when Abdi’s picked up for a petty theft, which sets into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he’s been trying to forget.

    In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.

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    See all books by Natalie C. Anderson

    About Natalie C. Anderson

    Natalie C. Anderson is an American writer and international development professional living in Geneva, Switzerland. She has spent the last decade working with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)and the United Nations on refugee relief and development, mainly in Africa. She was selected… More about Natalie C. Anderson

    About Natalie C. Anderson

    Natalie C. Anderson is an American writer and international development professional living in Geneva, Switzerland. She has spent the last decade working with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)and the United Nations on refugee relief and development, mainly in Africa. She was selected… More about Natalie C. Anderson

    About Natalie C. Anderson

    Natalie C. Anderson is an American writer and international development professional living in Geneva, Switzerland. She has spent the last decade working with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)and the United Nations on refugee relief and development, mainly in Africa. She was selected… More about Natalie C. Anderson

    Product Details

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Action & Adventure

    Hardcover | $18.99
    Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
    Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Young Adult | ISBN 9780399547614

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Action & Adventure

    Ebook | $10.99
    Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
    Jan 15, 2019 | 464 Pages | Young Adult | ISBN 9780399547638

    Category: Teen & Young Adult Fiction | Teen & Young Adult Action & Adventure | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $27.50
    Published by Listening Library (Audio)
    Jan 15, 2019 | 780 Minutes | Young Adult | ISBN 9780525625681

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    Praise

    Praise for Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday:

    Indies Next Kids List – Winter 2018-2019
     
    ★ “Anderson…breathe[s] ferocious life into a story that needs to be told. This is one of those tough but invaluable books with the power to increase a reader’s awareness of and empathy for teens who have lost the right to be young.”—Booklist, starred review
     
    “A riveting account…[where] greed, guilt, and redemption are layered in a sober yet tender narrative showing the lengths one will go to for loved ones.”—Kirkus Reviews
     
    “An intriguing examination of ways familial loyalty and guilt can lead anyone to make desperate choices. Anderson uses the exploration of manipulation and coercion to craft a thought-provoking narrative.”—School Library Journal
     
    “[Anderson] makes it clear how difficult it is for even children to survive this faith-based and historically rooted conflict unscathed.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

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