Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin (Sourcebooks, 2018) is a graphic novel that illustrates the fictional story of two orphaned brothers traveling illegally from their home in Ghana to Europe, hoping to reunite with their sister, who illegally traveled the same route years before. On their journey, they face robbers and homelessness as they hide from authorities. They experience the Sahara Desert, with its challenges, and then they face a treacherous journey by sea in an inflatable sea dinghy in hopes of reaching Italy safely.
Illegal felt like a more perilous book than the more recent graphic novel by these authors, Global, which was about the effects of climate change. In Illegal, the children experience far more sickness and physical trials which have a high likelihood of causing death. The journey through the Sahara was tragic, especially as I consider the similar journey through Arizona’s desert as I read about it in specific detail in Solito recently. The Sahara is so much larger than the southwest, and much more perilous given its size.
Children should note that two children die in this book because of their journey to Europe. The story is a fictional one, but the authors point out that children face similar situations all over the world as they try to reach family. It takes a strong determination to endure such a journey. I feel these children did not know what they had in store.
As when I read Solito, I feel a bit conflicted about how I feel about children making such a trip. Obviously, the world has not only an amazing number of immigration issues worldwide. There also are orphaned and abandoned children worldwide that are trying to reach their relatives. These both seem like huge issues. I also appreciated the introductory epigram from Elie Wiesel: “No human being is illegal…How can a human being be illegal?”
I do not have solutions, and Illegal does not provide them either. It is one tragic story of what could happen to children seeking a better life.
