The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
In the tradition of Don Brown’s critically acclaimed, full-color nonfiction graphic novels The Great American Dust Bowl and Sibert Honor winning Drowned City, The Unwanted is an important, timely, and eye-opening exploration of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, exposing the harsh realities of living in, and trying to escape, a war zone.Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted.Don Brown depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Shining a light on the stories of the survivors, The Unwanted is a testament to the courage and resilience of the refugees and a call to action for all those who read.
Review from Booklist Reviews:
An unflinching look at the Syrian refugee crisis, the heartbreaking narrative of The Unwanted is told through a series of vignettes drawn from real refugee experiences. Brown's storytelling has no need for hyperbole; through the stories of the refugees themselves, we are led from the war-torn landscape of Syria to the arduous and sometimes futile pursuit of exile. We meet the young and the old, the asylum-seekers and those who deny them. Like his neutral narrative, based on real-life experiences and irrefutable statistics, Brown's illustrations are equally stark and evocative. Faces lined with anguish stand in sharp relief against barren landscapes and the impassive stares of guards and politicians. Brown manages to craft an impressive portrayal that is informative but not impersonal, allowing room for both facts and emotion, despair and hope. Brown sheds light on an ongoing humanitarian crisis with worldwide repercussions, but this is no elegy; rather, it's a call for action and acknowledgment the world over.