
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.
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Sign in to write a reviewTeens discuss the deaths of parents, siblings, and friends due to violence and conflict.
Ethnic and religious persecution are the primary reasons the featured teens had to flee their homes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.