The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World

A gripping, inspiring, and eye-opening memoir of fortitude and survival—of a twelve-year-old boy’s traumatic flight from Afghanistan to the West—that puts a face to one of the most shocking and devastating humanitarian crises of our time.

“To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?”

In 2006, after his father was killed, Gulwali Passarlay was caught between the Taliban who wanted to recruit him, and the Americans who wanted to use him. To protect her son, Gulwali’s mother sent him away. The search for safety would lead the twelve-year-old across eight countries, from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan through Iran and Europe to Britain. Over the course of twelve harrowing months, Gulwali endured imprisonment, hunger, cruelty, brutality, loneliness, and terror—and nearly drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Eventually granted asylum in England, Gulwali was sent to a good school, learned English, won a place at a top university, and was chosen to help carry the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Games.

In The Lightless Sky, Gulwali recalls his remarkable experience and offers a firsthand look at one of the most pressing issues of our time: the modern refugee crisis—the worst displacement of millions of men, women, and children in generations. Few, like Gulwali, make it to a country that offers the chance of freedom and opportunity. A celebration of courage and determination, The Lightless Sky is a poignant account of an exceptional human being who is today an ardent advocate of democracy—and a reminder of our responsibilities to those caught in terrifying and often deadly circumstances beyond their control.

This powerful true story is more than a memoir—it’s a journey through the heart of the modern refugee crisis.

• A Perilous Escape: Sent away by his mother to escape being caught between the Taliban and American forces, Gulwali Passarlay begins a life-altering trek across continents, completely alone.
• Survival Against All Odds: Follow a twelve-year-old boy's harrowing twelve-month ordeal across eight countries, facing imprisonment, starvation, and a near-drowning in the Mediterranean.
• The Refugee Crisis, Up Close: Gain a firsthand perspective on the worst displacement of people in generations, told through the eyes of a child who lived it.
• From Boy Refugee to Torchbearer: Discover the inspiring conclusion to an unbelievable journey, as Gulwali is granted asylum in England and is eventually chosen to carry the Olympic Torch in the 2012 London Games.