For teens seeking to understand the real-life struggles of refugees, this book offers powerful, personal accounts of their journeys to safety and new beginnings.
A parent might reach for this book when their teen is asking questions about the global refugee crisis or showing an interest in social justice. This nonfiction work shares the powerful, true stories of five teenagers who fled their homes in Burma, South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Burundi. In their own words, they describe the dangers they escaped, their harrowing journeys, and the complex challenges of starting over in the United States. It's a deeply moving and essential read for mature teens (14+) that builds empathy and provides a human face to news headlines. It tackles themes of resilience, loss, and the search for belonging with unflinching honesty.
Teens discuss the deaths of parents, siblings, and friends due to violence and conflict.
Racism & DiscriminationModerate
Ethnic and religious persecution are the primary reasons the featured teens had to flee their homes.
Sensitive Topics
The book's approach is direct and journalistic. It deals with war, ethnic cleansing, murder of family members, persecution, and trauma. These topics are not metaphorical. They are described frankly by the teens who experienced them. For example, Shireen recounts the ISIS attack on her Yazidi community, and Ali describes the civil war in South Sudan. The resolution for each teen is hopeful in that they have reached physical safety, but it is also deeply realistic, acknowledging ongoing PTSD, the grief of losing family and culture, and the difficulties of assimilation.
Ideal Reader
The ideal reader is a socially conscious teen, aged 14 to 18, who reads the news and wants to understand the human stories behind the headlines about war and immigration. This is for a reader who is ready for challenging nonfiction and is capable of processing difficult emotional content. It would also be a validating read for teens who are immigrants or refugees themselves.
Parent Prep
Parents should know this book is not sanitized. It contains direct accounts of violence, death, and profound loss. It's recommended that a parent be available for discussion after their teen reads it. While no single page is more graphic than the rest, the cumulative effect of the stories is powerful and potentially upsetting. Contextualizing the geopolitical situations described can also be helpful. A parent has a conversation with their teen about a news story involving refugees. The teen asks, "Why would someone leave their home like that?" or expresses a desire to understand the world's injustices on a more personal level. The parent wants a resource that is truthful and builds empathy.
Age Experience
A younger teen (12-14) will likely be most affected by the sheer danger and survival aspects of the journeys. They will see the teens as heroes who overcame incredible odds. An older teen (15-18) is more likely to engage with the political and psychological complexities: the systems that failed these families, the long-term impact of trauma, and the nuances of identity and belonging in a new culture.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many books on the topic that synthesize information, this book's power is in its format as direct, first-person testimony. The "as told to" style, paired with Kuklin's respectful photography of the subjects, creates an unparalleled sense of intimacy and authenticity. Readers are not told about refugees; they are listening to them.
Read plot summary
This nonfiction book presents the oral histories of five teenage refugees who have resettled in the United States. Each section is dedicated to one teen's story: Yasmin from Burma (Rohingya), Ali from South Sudan, Fraidoon from Afghanistan, Shireen from Iraq (Yazidi), and Dieudonné from Burundi. The narratives cover their lives before conflict, the specific violence or persecution that forced them to flee, their dangerous journeys, and their experiences acclimating to American life. Author Susan Kuklin provides context through introductions and epilogues, but the core of the book is the direct testimony of the teens themselves.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Shireen, a Yazidi from Iraq, talks about losing her cultural identity and the challenge of preserving it. What parts of your own culture or daily traditions would be the hardest for you to leave behind, and why?
2
Fraidoon from Afghanistan had to become the man of his house at a very young age. How did his responsibilities and childhood experiences shape him differently than a typical American teen? What skills did he develop?
3
Dieudonné from Burundi says, "Home is where I am safe." Other teens in the book have different ideas of home. After reading their stories, how would you define 'home?' Is it a place, a feeling, or the people you are with?
4
The book details the teens' journeys to America, but also the challenges they faced after they arrived. What surprised you most about their experiences with school, friendships, or daily life in the U.S.?
