American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience - Diya Abdo

Written by Diya Abdo
Read by Diya Abdo
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

“A moving and timely book that strips away misleading politics to reveal the complexities of real human lives.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A provocative, conversation-sparking exploration of refugee experiences told in their own words, for fans of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s The Undocumented Americans and Viet Thanh Nguyen

Forced to leave their homes, they came to America…

In this intimate and eye-opening book, Diya Abdo—daughter of refugees, U.S. immigrant, English professor, and activist—shares the stories of seven refugees. Coming from around the world, they’re welcomed by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), an organization Diya founded to leverage existing resources at colleges to provide temporary shelter to refugee families.

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.

Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
Release date: 11-07-22