“They only see us when we do something they don't want us to do, Mahmoud realized. The thought hit him like a lightning bolt. When they stayed where they were supposed to be - in the ruins of Aleppo or behind the fences of a refugee camp - people could forget about them. But ... maybe the world needed to see what was really happening here.”
― Alan Gratz, Refugee
In the classroom:
This book can make for an excellent class read for students 6-12. The language and plot are accessible to younger readers but can still offer insight and interest to older readers as well.
Refugee
By Alan Gratz
This is a book my students cannot put down. It is told from three different perspectives: a young Jewish boy growing up in Germany in 1938; a young Cuban girl growing up in Havana in 1994; and a young Syrian boy living through the current civil war. The stories are engaging and steeped in accurate historical times. Young readers are drawn to the action and are able to keep the three stories lines clear in their mind. Gratz finds a way to weave themes and similar experiences of all three protagonists.
“All my life, I kept waiting for things to get better. For the bright promise of mañana. But a funny thing happened while I was waiting for the world to change, Chabele: It didn't. Because I didn't change it.”
Essential questions:
What power do we have over our own destiny?
What responsibility to those leading 'comfortable' lives have for their fellow humans who are suffering?
Does history, as Margaret Atwood writes, "echo"? What can individuals do to stop atrocities from repeatedly occurring?
Themes:
Identity
Being seen
Advocacy
Enrique's Journey
By Sonia Nazario
The true and powerful story of Enrique, a boy from Honduras. His story parallels that of so many other Central American residents faced with hunger and poverty. Nazario gives the reader a full understanding, not only of the struggles many undocumented immigrants face when they come to America, but also the plight in their home country that leads them to make the difficult decision to leave their home, their family and all they know. For Enrique, and so many young Central Americans like him, those reasons include: hunger, and a quest to find his mother and her love, who chose to flea Central America when he and his sister were young to make more money to feed them and pay for their education. Enrique (and Nazario to accurately write the story) traveled thousands of miles on the tops of trains, risking injury and death to make it to the border. It is clear that some people are continually given bad options after bad options to try to improve their lives and the lives of those they love.
“The single mothers who are coming to this country, and the children who follow them, are changing the face of immigration to the United States.”
Essential questions:
Is it still a choice if all the options you are given are bad?
How can one person's story help us understand the plight of many and what role can it play in writing government policy?
Themes:
Love and loss
Family
Culture
In the classroom:
There are two versions of this book. The original and a 'young adult' one. With references to violence and rape, both require maturity more typically seen in upper middle school and high school. For students who found themselves intrigued by Refugee, or those who could use an alternative that is more challenging, this is a great choice.