Dorothea Hubble Bonneau
Never Quit
How a young boy blinded by war used courage, resilience, and love to find light in the darkness.
by Ahmed Shareef
as told to Dorothea Hubble Bonneau
The Story of Never Quit
October 2005, the Second Iraq/U.S. War has crept into civilian neighborhoods of Iraq. Seven-year-old Ahmed Shareef is dreaming of becoming a famous soccer player as he walks home from second grade in his Baghdad suburb. A bomb explodes nearby. The blast covers Ahmed with shrapnel and third-degree burns, blinds him, and blows off his right arm. Ahmed recounts, “I knew if I fell, I would die. I remained standing until help came.”
Fast forward to the present day. Ahmed’s determination to thrive has empowered him to: endure the pain of multiple surgeries; honor his late-brother’s hope that he would become an American citizen; push past the fear of entering a public school in Staten Island as a blind child with one arm who spoke only Arabic; overcome depression when his brother and mentor was killed; learn to navigate buses, trains and planes with the aid of a white cane; excel as a one-handed keyboard musician and become the assistant director of the music program in a public high school; play the keyboard with a semi-professional band; try out for and be accepted in the first USA Blind-Soccer Team that will compete in the 2028 Paralympics; and maintain a positive self-image and engaging sense of humor.
At Ahmed’s request, I started recording his story in once-a-week phone sessions before either of us had heard of Covid or blind-soccer. That was five years ago. Told in his own words, Ahmed’s inspirational memoir (69,000 words) is now complete. Ahmed’s life journey is a template of courage that encourages people who learn about it to dream big, overcome obstacles and achieve life goals.
"Dorothea Hubble Bonneau, here. Delighted to report that in August, 2025, Ahmed Shareef and I signed a contract with Running Wild Press to publish Never Quit, the inspirational story of how a seven-year-old boy who lost his sight and right arm as collateral damage of war discovered that there is always light in the darkness."
Readers who would enjoy this Never Quit include:
Personal growth/transformation enthusiasts; Paralympics advocates; national and international football (soccer) clubs; young adults; cultural heritage interest groups; diversity, equity, inclusion supporters; people interested in post-traumatic growth; immigrants to the USA; interfaith communities; educators; and music lovers.
Comparables:
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick; The Librarian of Basra, a True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter; Solito by Javier Zamora; Limitless by Mallory Weggemann, Tiffany Yecke Brooks; Fear is a Choice by James Conner with Tiffany Yecke Brooks; and Walking Miracle by Ryan Shazier with Larry Platt.
Bio of Ahmed Shareef:
Ahmed has worked as an interpreter for Arabic speakers. He is an accomplished musician who served as the assistant of the music department in a public high school. In 2023, Ahmed was named one of the fifty most interesting athletes in the world. Media links that feature his story include:
Staten Island Advance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEOw79Mc5YE
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/30/ahmed-shareef-usa-blind-soccer-national-team
US Association of Blind Athletes: https://www.youtube.com/c/UnitedStatesAssociationofBlindAthletes/videos
New York City FC: https://www.nycfc.com/news/ahmed-shareef-soccer-the-light-in-the-darkness.
Podcast:
Ahmed in Retrospect: www.iheart.com › podcast › 269-ahmed-in-retrospectAhmed: In Retrospect - iHeart
Bio of Dorothea Hubble Bonneau:
Dorothea Hubble Bonneau, ghostwriter of Never Quit, is an award-winning novelist, optioned screenwriter, produced playwright, and weekly newspaper columnist. The mother of seven sons, one with Down syndrome, Dorothea writes about people who have overcome physical, social, cultural, and intellectual challenges to live inspired and inspiring lives. She strives to show the importance of integrating marginalized peoples into the fabric of American society. Her articles have been published by Johns Hopkins University, Homelife Magazine, the Dramatic Publishing Company, and The Davis Enterprise. Dorothea has presented workshops for the University of San Diego, the University of California at Davis, The University of the Pacific, Other Words Writer’s Conference in Tampa, Florida, and the Sacramento and Davis Public Schools. She is a member of the Author’s Guild and Women in Film. Her writing awards include: 2020 Best Books Award Winner for African American Fiction; 2020 American Fiction Award Winner; New York Book Festival, Honorable Mention for Fiction; 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival, Honorable Mention for Fiction; Five-Star Reader’s Choice selection; 2020 Chanticleer Goethe Award, first place for Historical Fiction after 1740; 2021; ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition; Finalist; Finalist in the Palm Springs 2025 Diversity Screenplay Contest.
The mission of Dorothea’s writing is to demonstrate that every person has a unique gift to contribute to the creation of a more loving, more informed world.