Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah is a young adult novel published in 2001. Benjamin Zephaniah was a novelist, poet, and activist who wrote about racism, incarceration, and the problems with the British legal system from his own life experience. Refugee Boy is a coming-of-age novel that outlines the experiences of Alem Kelo, a teenage boy escaping the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. Alem’s father leaves Alem in London, hoping to give him a new life away from the war. The novel explores themes of discrimination, the impact of war on families, and the problems with immigration systems. It was adapted for the stage in 2013 by British author Lemn Sissay.

This study guide refers to the Bloomsbury 2017 print edition.

Content Warning: This source material contains graphic violence, racism, anti-immigrant bias, and emotional distress of refugees related to familial separation and loss.

Plot Summary

Alem Kelo is a 14-year-old boy with Eritrean and Ethiopian heritage who experiences persecution in both Eritrea and Ethiopia for his multiethnic identity. His father takes him on a vacation to London to celebrate his birthday while his mother, Mrs. Kelo, stays in Eritrea. After a few days in London, Alem wakes up in the hotel to find his father gone. Mr. Kelo leaves a letter for Alem explaining that he and Mrs. Kelo decided it would be safer for Alem to seek asylum in London and escape the violence of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. Mr. Kelo writes that he will come back for Alem once the war is over.

Alem receives help from the Refugee Council in London and is placed in a children’s home. A few boys in the children’s home attack Alem, and he tries to run away but comes back because he does not know where else to go. A member of the Refugee Council named Mariam places Alem in a foster home with an Irish family named the Fitzgeralds. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald make Alem feel welcome, although their daughter, Ruth, remains aloof. Alem attends school and makes friends. After a few weeks, Alem receives a letter from his father telling him that his mother has gone missing. Alem feels depressed and scared because he believes his mother has been kidnapped.

Mariam tells Alem that the Home Office has denied his asylum application, so he will need to appear in court to prove why he needs to stay in England. Alem goes to his hearing, where the state representatives act as if the Eritrean-Ethiopian War is not serious. Alem’s lawyer, Nicholas, makes the case that returning to either Eritrea or Ethiopia would be dangerous for Alem because of his multiethnic identity. The adjudicator adjourns the hearing for a few months while the two sides prepare their cases.

After the hearing, Alem receives another letter from his father telling him that his mother was murdered and that he will come to London to be with Alem. Alem grieves for his mother with Ruth. A few weeks later, Mr. Kelo arrives at the Fitzgeralds’ house and reunites with Alem. When Mr. Kelo goes to the Home Office to apply for asylum, the office arrests him and sends him to a detention center. Nicholas posts bail for Mr. Kelo, and the Home Office releases him. The Refugee Council arranges for him to stay in a hotel with Alem. Nicholas tells Alem that since his father is in England, the Home Office has combined their two cases, and they will appear in court together. Mr. Kelo takes Alem to the East African Solidarity Trust (EAST) London office, which is an organization Alem’s mother started to advocate for peace in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Alem feels encouraged that there are people in the world fighting for peace, even amid war and suffering.

When Mr. Kelo and Alem go to their hearing, the adjudicator denies their asylum application. Nicholas tells the Kelos that he will appeal the ruling and get them another hearing. Alem’s friends at school start a campaign to protest the court's decision. They arrange a march to the town center, and hundreds of people attend to protest in support of Alem and Mr. Kelo.

A few days after the protest, Mariam tells Alem that his father was shot and killed outside the EAST office in London. She takes him back to live with the Fitzgeralds. A few weeks later, Alem attends his last hearing, where the adjudicator accepts Alem’s application for asylum because of his father’s murder. Several months later, the Eritrean-Ethiopian War ends. Alem realizes that no matter what he does in life, people who do not know him will always view him as a refugee. However, Alem decides to try to make something good out of all the bad things that have happened to him.