The Bone Sparrow: A Powerful Exploration of Refugee Life and the Importance of Empathy and Action in our Society

Sometimes a book comes along that makes you stop and think about the lives that we rarely hear about. Recently, I read a book called the Bone Sparrow, which I want to talk to you about today. 

It follows Subhi, a Rohingya refugee who was born in an Australian detention center and has never known life outside its fences. The only world he’s ever seen is the one inside the camp, a place full of cruelty, uncertainty, and the constant reminder of patience. 

However, there are several other characters which play a role in the story.  There’s Queeny, his older sister, who’s hardened by everything they’ve had to endure and refuses to believe that there’s a world out there, and that someday, they might escape. There’s Eli, his best friend in the camp, who somehow still finds ways to push back against the system, to advocate for their rights. And then there’s Jimmie, a girl from the outside, whose life is nothing like Subhi’s but who finds her way into his world through a shared love for stories. His mother is there too, but barely—worn down by grief, exhaustion, and a hopelessness that feels impossible to shake. 

The book talks about what happens when you’re stuck, waiting for something better that might never come. It’s about how people hold onto stories, friendships, and tiny moments of kindness to survive. 

And it makes you think- that while this is a novel, for so many people this is real life. The struggles that Subhi faces in the book reflect what so many refugees experience today. The Rohingya crisis is a major example, with over a million Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution and living in overcrowded camps, much like Subhi’s experience in the detention center. Australia’s own controversial offshore detention centers, where asylum seekers are kept in awful conditions, reflect the brutal reality many refugees face. Similarly, ongoing crisis in Syria, Gaza, Afghanistan, and other war-torn regions force families to flee their homes, often ending up in camps or detention, stuck in places with no clear future. 

The Bone Sparrow is a powerful reminder of the human cost of displacement, reminding us of the uncomfortable truths about the lives of refugees. This book represents something not just from a story, but rather something that is happening today in our world. I hope that this book inspires all of you to look beyond the simple picture, understand the severity of the consequences today, and to remember that it is up to us to make sure that these refugees are heard, understood, and helped in any way possible.