Orange for the Sunsets

Under Entebbe’s flaming-orange sunsets, twelve-year-old Asha sneaks samosas to the cricket pitch, cheering tall, quick-bowling Yesofu, neither friend caring that she is Indian and he is African—until August 1972, when President Idi Amin thunders that every Indian has ninety days to quit Uganda. Suddenly soldiers patrol mango-lined streets, shop shutters rattle shut, and Racial Justice, Immigrant Rights, and Political Justice crash into recess like rival teams. Asha clutches memories of shared snacks and lake-side jokes, begging her parents to stay, while Yesofu’s family whispers that empty Indian businesses might finally lift their own hopes. Torn between loyalty and survival, the kids dodge checkpoint guns, watch neighbors pile belongings onto buses bound for nowhere, and wonder if the bravest act is holding on—or letting go. Tina Athaide’s award-winning debut surges with empathy and resilience, turning 1970s headlines into heartbeat-close stakes that spark urgent classroom discussions about belonging and power. One question blazes brighter than the equatorial sky: will friendship survive a ruler’s ticking exile clock? Tap the blue ➕ to Save to List for later inspiration, or hit the bold arrow to Learn More and connect your classroom, youth group, or congregation to Asha and Yesofu’s fight for home under Uganda’s fading sun.