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This is another book that makes me realize how lucky I am to be living in this country. Malika was born into a family that had great wealth, and she was privileged enough to be close, personal friends with the royal family of Morocco, to actually live in the palace and be raised next to the king's young daughter. But that all changes when Malika's father attempts a military coup. His attempts to assassinate the king fail and he in turn in killed. His family could not even grieve the loss of their father because they would be punished for his actions as well and be sent to a desert jail for years and years. It was difficult for me to know that this was not something that happened in the middle ages, Malika and her siblings are still alive and live in Europe. It was also heartbreaking to know that the king had such little regard for the close relationship he had with the Oufkirs that he throws all of them in prison, including Malika's youngest brother who was only about five years old at the time.

Malika and her family are resilient and survive years of living in horrible desert jails, with less than adequate food, living quarters infested with bugs and scorpions, then a few years of house arrest. Finally, they escape their homeland of Morocco and seek asylum in Europe.

The human spirit can endure some of the most horrible and traumatic events and still keep going. It's also difficult for me to know that events like this probably still go on today; events where humans are subject to the most inhumane living conditions and torture. I don't understand how people can be so cruel and violent to each other.