Don't Tell Me You're Afraid

Based on a remarkable true story, Don't Tell Me You're Afraid is a moving, inspiring novel of a life lived in hope.

Samia Omar grows up in war-torn Somalia, dreaming of being a world-class sprinter. She sleeps with a photo of Mo Farah by her bed and trains hard. After achieving a place on the national team to compete in the Beijing Olympics, she sets her sights on the 2012 games in London. But with the war encroaching on the lives of her family, Samia decides to join her sister and make the treacherous journey to Europe, putting her life and her dreams in the hands of traffickers.



Giuseppe Catozzella was born in 1976 in Milan, and returned there after living for some time in Australia. He has published a book of poetry, La scimmia scrive (Cepollaro Edizioni, 2007), and two non-fiction novels Espianti(Transeuropea, 2008) and Alveare (Rizzoli, 2011); film rights in the latter have been optioned by Wildside and a theatrical adaptation is being made with the participation of Paolo Rossi. DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE AFRAID won the Premio Strega Giovani 2014, was shortlisted for the Premio Strega 2014, and is being published in over a dozen languages.