Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Refugee

Refugee by Alan Gratz (ISBN: 978-0545880831)

There are only so many books or movies or commercials that have made me tear up and cry in my life.

Just kidding. I'm full of lies.  I cry really easily and probably 234,098,234 different things have evoked this reaction from me, and sometimes I purposefully watch YouTube videos of soldiers coming home and surprising their families just to have a good ugly cry.  I am ridiculous.

But this book made me cry properly.  It did it in all the best ways and for all the best reasons.  (See also, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas."  That one resulted in me having to move to a fresh spot on my couch because I had significantly dampened one arm-rest.) This historical fiction novel weaves together the seemingly unconnected lives of three refugee children: Josef escaping Nazi Germany during WWI, Isabel attempting to flee from Cuba in the 1990s, and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy on the move in 2015.  Each chapter rotates from child to child, and each face surprisingly similar perils and challenges.  Without giving away the beautifully satisfying ending, the reader will come to discover that their lives intersect in the most meaningful of ways.  It reminds me of the clichéd (and truly preposterous) saying, "Everything happens for a reason."  But again, in the most wonderful way and with lovely literary artfulness (is this a word?).  

The subject matter is definitely heavy at times, but very timely given that estimates show that 5.1 million Syrians have fled their country since 2011 and another 6.3 million Syrians are displaced within their country.  Families fleeing their homes because of political, civil, or religious unrest is nothing new - but for many kids growing up in the US, it's a somewhat foreign idea.  Fiction can communicate real truth, and Refugee conveys the massive challenges of human migration while also revealing the human heart at the center of each child's journey.  These stories may be made up, but the realities behind them were and are not.

This book has already been sitting on best seller lists, and has racked up its fair share of starred reviews and awards, but I suspect it's not done yet.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it take a few more major awards before all is said and done.  It's a fabulous story for any middle grade reader and I'm excited to share it all around town!

Want more?
Alan Gratz is no stranger to the historical fiction genre.  If you think this one sounds good, you should also check out Prisoner B-3087 and Projekt 1065 - both good books in their own rights!
 

Here's Scholastic's book trailer for the novel, which they're promoting.  Because they want you to buy it.  But they should be promoting it anyway... because it's fantastic.

Furthermore, if you have 45 minutes to spare, here's the author himself answering questions about Refugee and his process as a writer:



Homemade tees: I'm actually going to take a break from posting t-shirts you should buy or wear, and instead applaud the volunteers sporting these jerseys:
The UNHCR is an organization under the United Nations that is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. They do amazing work, and provide really helpful information for advocacy on their website.  While I'm not asking you to donate, I certainly think that giving money to them is probably more effective than just buying another t-shirt...

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