With four Olympic gold medals and six World titles Mo Farah is considered one of the most successful male track distance runners ever. Yet, his path to success was anything but guaranteed. That’s because as a boy he was taken from his family in Africa and brought to England with fake papers. Then he was forced into domestic work in a home.

At the age of nine he not only was separated from his mother and twin brother, but also he had to give up the name he was born with, Hussein Abdi Kahin. For several years in London he was not allowed to even go outside. When he finally was allowed to go to school, he struggled in everything but running track. He could run faster than all the other boys. Finally, he trusted his coach enough to tell his story. That led to his rescue from the home and his journey into greatness.

For many years, Mo Farah told no one else about his origins. But he was finally able to reunite with his family and tell others what had happened to him. His story is one of heart ache, courage, resilience, and perseverance. It’s inspiring to read about everything he went through and how he was able to succeed despite the hardships he faced.

Mo Farah, The Boy Who Ran to Be Free by Dr. Seema Yasmin, tells this incredible story as part of the Muslim Mavericks series. I recommend it for ages 8 to 12.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.