I Just Wanted to Save My Family, Stephan Pelissier
I Just Wanted to Save My Family, Stephan Pelissier
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I Just Wanted to Save My Family
A Memoir

Author: Stéphan Pélissier

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 4 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/05/2021


Synopsis

The timely, powerful memoir of a man unjustly charged with a crime for helping his relatives, refugees from Syria.

For trying to save his in-laws, who were fleeing certain death in Syria, Stéphan Pélissier was threatened with fifteen years in prison by the Greek justice system, which accused him of human smuggling. His crime? Having gone to search for the parents, brother, and sister of his wife, Zéna, in Greece rather than leaving them to undertake a treacherous journey by boat to Italy.

Their joy on finding each other quickly turned into a nightmare: Pélissier was arrested as a result of a missing car registration and thrown into prison. Although his relatives were ultimately able to seek asylum—legally—in France, Pélissier had to fight to prove his innocence, and to uphold the values of common humanity and solidarity in which he so strongly believes.

I Just Wanted to Save My Family offers a heartrending window into the lives of those displaced by the Syrian civil war and a scathing critique of the often absurd, unfeeling bureaucracies that determine their fates.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Liliana on March 14, 2021

I don't know if it is the author's or translator's writing (I suspect the latter) but I did not enjoy the writing in this book at all. I kept reading because I think it's a valuable narrative about what war and politics can do to people. I felt attached to the people in this book because they are re......more

Goodreads review by Emily on February 20, 2021

A poignant portrait of the deeply complex, heartbreaking realities of the refugee crisis and the continuing fallout of the Syrian Civil War.......more

Goodreads review by Nathan on July 09, 2021

“solidarity can't be, mustn't be an offense.” This short phrase was the embodiment of the book for me and it’s something I am sure is a shared experience for most people that have the audacity to care about the marginalized refugee communities. This first hand experience of the hardship and lengths p......more

Goodreads review by Renee on May 30, 2024

It’s a book….. Definitely not a usual read for me but the title got me hooked. I feel like the start with the background information was a lot more of the book than the actual trial. I’m not disappointed I read it but it’s not a must read book either. I do thank this book for getting me more into tru......more

Goodreads review by Allison on February 21, 2021

It was alright. Didn't really show the plight that his in-laws suffered. Kind of glanced through what happened between when they left Syria and entered France. It was only like, 10 pages. Didn't really get the reality of what they went through.......more