Abu Bakr al Rabeeah
CBC Books | | Posted: September 28, 2018 8:17 PM | Last Updated: March 20, 2019
Co-author of Homes, defended by Chuck Comeau
Abu Bakr al Rabeeah's memoir Homes, co-written with Winnie Yeung, will be defended by Chuck Comeau on Canada Reads 2019.
The 2019 debates are happening March 25-28, 2019 and will be hosted by Ali Hassan.
About Abu Bakr al Rabeeah
Abu Bakr al Rabeeah is a high school student in Edmonton, Alta. He published his first book, Homes, in 2018 with Winnie Yeung. The book is a memoir of al Rabeeah's experiences as a young boy in Syria in the midst of civil war. He and his family moved to Canada in 2014.
Homes was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction.
- Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, teenage refugee from Syria, tells his story with help from his teacher Winnie Yeung
- Syrian refugee and his ESL teacher turn writing exercise into literary nomination
- Edmonton teacher helps refugee tell his story
- Why teenage refugee Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and teacher Winnie Yeung wrote about his family's life in Syria
Abu Bakr al Rabeeah on connecting with Canadian readers
"I hope readers [walk away] knowing how similar we are, how we have the same things, even though we are from countries far apart. When I first came to school [in Canada], some of my friends asked me, 'Do you guys have chairs back in Syria? Do you have schools?' These kinds of question led me to telling my story. The other thing [I hope people learn from the book] is that, yes, we went through a lot of bad stuff, a lot of problems. But we still had a good life there. There are still people who are happy living in Syria.
We went through a lot of bad stuff, a lot of problems. But we still had a good life there. There are still people who are happy living in Syria. - Abu Bakr al Rabeeah
"Once, after a speech, people came to talk to me. They said, 'We have some new Syrian refugees in the school and now I understand how to connect with them.' That's one of the things that I love."
- Read an excerpt from Homes
- Why Chuck Comeau is defending Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung on Canada Reads