North To Paradise: A Memoir

The Inspiring True Story Of One ManS Treacherous Boyhood Journey From A Rural Village In Ghana To The Streets Of Barcelona-And The Path That Led Him Home.Ousman Umar Is A ShamanS Son Born In A Small Village In Ghana. Though His Mother Died Giving Birth, He Spent A Contented Childhood Working The Fields, Setting Traps In The Jungle, And Living Off The Land. Still, As Strange And Wondrous Flying Machines Crisscrossed The Skies Overhead, Ousman Dreamed Of A Different Life. And So, When He Was Only Twelve Years Old, He Left His Village And Began What Would Be A Five-Year Journey To Europe.Every Step Of The Way, As He Traveled Across The Sahara Desert, Through The Daunting Metropolises Of Accra, Tripoli, Benghazi, And Casablanca, And Over The Sea Aboard A Packed Migrant Dinghy, Ousman Was Handed Off Like Merchandise By A Loose Network Of Smugglers And In The Constant, Foreboding Company Of Sinkers: Other Migrants Who Found Themselves Penniless And Alone On Their Way North, Unable To Continue Onward Or Return Home.But On A Path Rife With Violence, Exploitation, And Racism, Ousman Also Encountered Friendship, Generosity, And Hope. North To Paradise Is A Visceral True Story About The Stark Realities Of Life Along The Most Dangerous Migrant Route Across Africa; It Is Also A Portrait Of Extraordinary Resilience In The Face Of Unimaginable Challenges, The Beauty Of Kindness In Strangers, And The Power Of Giving Back.