Refugees in America : Stories of Courage, Resilience, and Hope in Their Own Words

In This Book, Eleven Men And Women Share Their Extraordinary Stories Of Fleeing Life-threatening Hardship In Their Home Countries In Search Of A Better Life In The United States. Giving A Voice To Refugees From Such Far-flung Locations As Eritrea, Guatemala, Poland, Syria, And Vietnam, It Weaves Together A Rich Tapestry Of Human Resilience, Suffering, And Determination. Hope Is The Oxygen Of My Life / Meron Semedar, Eritrea -- Children Who Returned From A Walk Through Hell / Noemi Perez-lemus, Guatemala -- The Imaginary Girl / Asinja Badeel, Iraq And The Yazidis -- He Threw Garbage On Me / Deng Ajak Jongkuch, South Sudan -- The Apple Lady / Sidonia Lax, Poland -- The Walls Have Ears / Malk Alamarsh, Syria -- A River Of Memories / Vanny Loun, Cambodia -- Blind But The Heart Can See / Darwin Velasquez, El Salvador -- The Life Before And The Life After / Kien Ha Quach Thien, Vietnam -- They Bombed My Church On Christmas Day 1998 / Wilita Sanguma, Democratic Republic Of The Congo (drc) -- Empty Walls / Jawad Khawari, Afghanistan -- Acknowledgments -- Index. Lee T. Bycel ; Photos By Dona Kopol Bonick ; Foreword By Ishmael Beah. Includes Index. It is not an easy road—but hope is the oxygen of my life. These insightful words of Meron Semedar, a refugee from Eritrea, reflect the feelings of the eleven men and women featured in this book. These refugees share their extraordinary experiences of fleeing oppression, violence and war in their home countries in search of a better life in the United States. Each chapter of Refugees in America focuses on an individual from a different country, from a 93-year-old Polish grandmother who came to the United States after surviving the horrors of Auschwitz to a young undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who became an American college graduate, despite being born impoverished and blind. Some have found it easy to reinvent themselves in the United States, while others have struggled to adjust to America, with its new culture, language, prejudices, and norms. Each of them speaks candidly about their experiences to author Lee T. Bycel, who provides illuminating background information on the refugee crises in their native countries. Their stories help reveal the real people at the center of political debates about US immigration. Giving a voice to refugees from such far-flung locations as South Sudan, Guatemala, Syria, and Vietnam, this book weaves together a rich tapestry of human resilience, suffering, and determination. Profits from the sale of this book will be donated to two organizations that are doing excellent refugee resettlement work and offer many opportunities to support refugees: HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) hias.org International Rescue Committee (IRC) rescue.org "It is not an easy road-but hope is the oxygen of my life. These insightful words of Meron Semedar, a refugee from Eritrea, reflect the feelings of the eleven men and women featured in this book. These refugees share their extraordinary experiences of fleeing oppression, violence and war in their home countries in search of a better life in the United States. Each chapter of Refugees in America focuses on an individual from a different country, from a 93-year-old Polish grandmother who came to the United States after surviving the horrors of Auschwitz to a young undocumented immigrant from El Salvador who became an American college graduate, despite being born impoverished and blind. Some have found it easy to reinvent themselves in the United States, while others have struggled to adjust to America, with its new culture, language, prejudices, and norms. Each of them speaks candidly about their experiences to author Lee T. Bycel, who provides illuminating background information on the refugee crises in their native countries. Their stories help reveal the real people at the center of political debates about US immigration. Giving a voice to refugees from such far-flung locations as South Sudan, Guatemala, Syria, and Vietnam, this book weaves together a rich tapestry of human resilience, suffering, and determination."--Résumé de l'éditeur