From the Bookshelf of CLCSC Pasadena Area Book Group…

Refugee

Alan Gratz

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Nov 02, 2017 Nick rated it it was amazing

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, historical-fiction-juvenile

Two-thirds of this book qualify as historical fiction, in that the events take place far enough in the past that readers have to think about the differences.
The book is about three refugee families, in 1939, 1994 and 2015, with interlaced chapters and stories that the reader eventually learns have connections in terms of location, and in one case even a character.
In 1939, a Jewish family tries to escape Europe by ship, after the father is released from a prison camp. In 1994, a Cuban family take Two-thirds of this book qualify as historical fiction, in that the events take place far enough in the past that readers have to think about the differences.
The book is about three refugee families, in 1939, 1994 and 2015, with interlaced chapters and stories that the reader eventually learns have connections in terms of location, and in one case even a character.
In 1939, a Jewish family tries to escape Europe by ship, after the father is released from a prison camp. In 1994, a Cuban family takes advantage of a change in Cuban law to try to reach the U.S. In 2015, a Syrian family just wants to live another day, by escaping the brutal civil war which has wracked their country.
There is danger and heartbreak in each of these stories, and the reader is never guided toward a fake safety or false happy ending. These are stories based on real events, and sometimes on real people [or combinations of real people], which is why the stories feel so true.
There are no simple solutions, and the story points out that people's attitudes toward refugees sometimes change over time, and based on the numbers of refugees involved. It's much easier to absorb ten refugees than it is to absorb a thousand, not even counting any political issues involved. Some of the weird "in between" policies that governments adopt to discourage or limit the flow of desperate people can be heartbreaking. For instance, in the 1990s, the U.S. would accept SOME Cuban refugees, but not others, not based on merit or on need, but on how successful they were at sneaking past the Coast Guard. That cost the lives of some, who feared rescue as much as they feared the possibility of death at sea.
Our 1930s-era political decision to restrict the admission of Jewish fugitives from the Nazi regime also cost lives, and was also difficult to justify or forgive, in retrospect. The plight of the Syrian refugees, still ongoing a the time the book was written, showed the way that refugees can be victimized both by circumstance and by actual evil intent.
This book is not a quick or easy read. It is aimed at middle schoolers and up, but is worth reading if you have any interest in the concept and plight of refugees. The book makes some difficult subjects a little easier to understand. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2017 Trish (readtmc) marked it as to-read

Mar 05, 2023 Betsy marked it as to-read

Shelves: michele-s-nephew

Jan 01, 2019 Beth rated it it was amazing

Sep 19, 2017 Jennette Neville marked it as to-read

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls