Description

A provocative conversationsparking exploration of refugee experiences told in their own words for readers of Karla Cornejo Villavicencios The Undocumented Americans and Viet Thanh Nguyen

A moving and timely book that strips away misleading politics to reveal the complexities of real human lives Kirkus Reviews starred review

Forced to leave their homes they came to America

In this intimate and eyeopening book Diya Abdodaughter of refugees US immigrant English professor and activistshares the stories of seven refugees Coming from around the world theyre welcomed by Every Campus A Refuge ECAR an organization Diya founded to leverage existing resources at colleges to provide temporary shelter to refugee families

Bookended by Diyas powerful essay Radical Hospitality and the inspiring coda Names and Numbers each chapter weaves the individual stories into a powerful journey along a common theme

• Life Before The Body Leaves its Soul Behind

• The Moment of Rupture Proof and Persecution

• The Journey Right Next Door

• Arrival/Resettlement Back to the Margins

• A Few Years Later From Camp to Campus

The lives explored in American Refuge include the artist who before he created the illustration on the cover of this book narrowly escaped two assassination attempts in Iraq and now works at Tyson cutting chicken

We learn that these refugees from Burma Burundi Iraq Palestine Syria and Uganda lived in homes they loved left against their will moved to countries without access or rights and were among the 1 of the lucky few to resettle after a long wait almost certain never to return to the homes they never wanted to leave We learn that anybody at any time can become a refugee