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georgia_sara93's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Ahmed created this graphic novel and original web comic on the unceded lands of the Guribgal, Darug, Gandangara, Gadigal and Wangal peoples. I read this book on the unceded lands of the Kaurna peoples.
Ahmed’s graphic novel shares a few stories of some of the people he got to know and befriended while he volunteered at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Australia’s “policies” on people who are refugees are revolting and this book further highlights just some of those disgraces that the Australian “Government” have allowed to occur. Did you know according to the UN Rights of the Human, that Australia signed and agreed to its not illegal to seek refuge from a country your facing persecution from? Did you know other countries don’t place people seeking refuge into detention centres because it’s NOT illegal??
Anyways. This book is necessary reading about the way Australia destroys refugees who come to Australia. It’s hard, it’s heavy, and it’s still real right now. Also does anyone else feel sick saying “refugee policy”?
moh_pa's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit
animelanie's review
4.0
Read for PRC
Moving, haunting, honest graphic novel about one of Australia's greatest mistakes - detention centres. The true stories are told by those seeking asylum and safety, drawn by them and the artist.
Moving, haunting, honest graphic novel about one of Australia's greatest mistakes - detention centres. The true stories are told by those seeking asylum and safety, drawn by them and the artist.
lawbooks600's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Representation: Asian characters
Score: Eight points out of ten.
I saw Still Alive hiding on the library shelf, so after glancing at it I convinced myself to pick this one up. Soon enough, I read and finished it, and what a compelling read it was. Still Alive is a collection of genuine refugee experiences from an authentic author and not like other novels I've read like Zenobia or Illegal.
It's difficult to judge Still Alive because it's unlike other stories, but I'll try my best. It starts with the author, Safdar Ahmed, visiting a detention centre in Sydney in 2011, asking people what their stories were and how they got here. Thus begins the refugee accounts: they came from war-torn countries, like Afghanistan or Myanmar and escaped to other nations like Australia or the United Kingdom, but even then, their journey is not over yet for most; they face systemic and casual discrimination. One person left the detention centre to reunite with his family, but others don't have a fate as fortunate as him.
There are some other topics Still Alive deals with, but they mess the narrative's flow and it would be better if there were separate sections. Safdar goes on to report Australia's immigration system--an atrocity. The state is the only one that has indefinite detention. It's challenging for a refugee to apply to permanently reside in Australia, much less be an Australian citizen, because of bureaucratic laws including temporary visas approved by racist government officials. It's such a shame that the process is like this. The asylum seekers in Villawood are still alive, which doesn't apply to those who lost their lives. It was intriguing to see Australia weaponise the term 'boat people,' referring to Vietnamese people who came by boat fleeing from the Vietnam War and now those from Afghanistan and Myanmar. I never knew that word had a negative connotation until now. The author's note also added to Still Alive.
Score: Eight points out of ten.
I saw Still Alive hiding on the library shelf, so after glancing at it I convinced myself to pick this one up. Soon enough, I read and finished it, and what a compelling read it was. Still Alive is a collection of genuine refugee experiences from an authentic author and not like other novels I've read like Zenobia or Illegal.
It's difficult to judge Still Alive because it's unlike other stories, but I'll try my best. It starts with the author, Safdar Ahmed, visiting a detention centre in Sydney in 2011, asking people what their stories were and how they got here. Thus begins the refugee accounts: they came from war-torn countries, like Afghanistan or Myanmar and escaped to other nations like Australia or the United Kingdom, but even then, their journey is not over yet for most; they face systemic and casual discrimination. One person left the detention centre to reunite with his family, but others don't have a fate as fortunate as him.
There are some other topics Still Alive deals with, but they mess the narrative's flow and it would be better if there were separate sections. Safdar goes on to report Australia's immigration system--an atrocity. The state is the only one that has indefinite detention. It's challenging for a refugee to apply to permanently reside in Australia, much less be an Australian citizen, because of bureaucratic laws including temporary visas approved by racist government officials. It's such a shame that the process is like this. The asylum seekers in Villawood are still alive, which doesn't apply to those who lost their lives. It was intriguing to see Australia weaponise the term 'boat people,' referring to Vietnamese people who came by boat fleeing from the Vietnam War and now those from Afghanistan and Myanmar. I never knew that word had a negative connotation until now. The author's note also added to Still Alive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Deportation, Torture, Death, Suicide attempt, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
Full trigger warnings: Death of people in a boating accident, domestic violence and self-harm mentioned, torture, implied physical and sexual assault and injury, attempted suicide, sexist and other slurs, military violence and war themes, refugee experiences, deportation, racismpkn_ashraf's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Bullying, Religious bigotry, and Self harm