Refugee

Title: Refugee by Alan Gratz

Image: 

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Justification:

          Refugee is a perfect mix of historical and realistic fiction. The book ties past events with current events. It also, gives students a relevant introduction and peaks their interest into the world around them. Refugee has received 4.50 starts and 23, 855 ratings from Good Reads (goodreads, 2019). When looking up awards over 55 awards were listed for this book (Gratz, 2019). The awards ranged from every state, to different cultures, to audio books. These awards also do not include the reviews from journals, and various media outlets. This book became a must-read book due to all the praise.

Evaluation of the book:

The book does a great job of balancing the tension. The book gives the readers background information and then has a dramatic event. Then the reader can calm down a little before the next dramatic event. When Mahmoud puts his sister on the boat to save her life the next chapter shows Isabel being given water and food. This helps the reader recover before having to face the next tragedy. As a reader the desire to know if Hana is ever found persists.  All three stories intersect and have common themes from one chapter to the next. This shows how the world is related and things do not happen in isolation.

The book is told through three different points of view. Each point of view takes place in a different time period, but all intersect. The view points are told from Josef a Jewish boy who wants to be a man in the 1930s. Isabel who wants to keep the music in her heart and her family together in 1994, and Mahmoud who wants to keep his family safe and alive in 2015. All three of these children are going their best to stay alive in a traumatic setting. Each child goes over their childhood and how the political climate shifted. They all started with normal childhoods but as politics shifts their lives were torn apart. They also deal with the struggle of coming of age, supporting their families, watching death, and overcoming it all. Each point of view brings a new perspective to the characters.

The book was very accurate. In the end of the book there are maps of the journeys and the research given for each story (Gratz, Refugee, 2017, pp. 313-338).The characters were made up but they were based on real people and real events. The Saint Louis was turned away from Cuba, they had released some people from the concentration camps who were broken. Growing up I remember when people would come from Cuba to seek a better life. The media has portrayed what is happening in Syria. This accuracy helps to teach the reader what has and is happening in the world.

Response:

          (g) A sign of a good book is when you pause after closing a book. When you just stop and think. When I finished Refugee, I wanted to know what happened to Hana? This book has been in my dreams, and thoughts. It has made me more aware of the cycle of the Refugee problems. It is terrible to think about all these people who’s lives started like the life I have and because of turmoil ended up with them having nothing. The book did not sugarcoat the death, and the challenges these Refugee’s face. This book should be a must read for those who believe in tent cities, and depriving others of basic needs. We are not that far detached from the situation that it could be us next.

          (d) It is easy to become complacent and disappear in times of adversity.  Isabelle, Joseph, and Mohammad all want to disappear and blend in the book. They end up having to stand out to protect themselves. They all face unspeakable trauma, and experiences in order to have a better life. Right now, the United States is blocking refugees. They are doing unspeakable acts against others. The question then begs who’s next. If we do this and oppress these people who will be oppressed next.  “Manana” became the repeating phrase of this book (Gratz, Refugee, 2017).  Instead of waiting for tomorrow change needs to happen now.

          © It is embarrassing to admit I did not know much about the refugee crisis. I heard of the problems in Aleppo and Venezuela but had not gone into depth. It was eye opening to read about how the problems are all related and the conditions and challenges people must face. I remember hearing about people arriving on boats from Cuba but never thought of what they were giving up and the reason they had to leave everything behind. Its is terrifying to think that you could be sitting at home and the next moment your home is gone. How political turmoil can turn your friends against you and how you are judged before given a chance. We get so busy closing our doors and forget the people who need them open. This book changed my perspective on refugees, and I wish I could do more to assist them.

Conclusion:

          Books can help teach, inform, entertain, and share so much information. The 2019 TEKS talk about the author’s purpose for writing texts. Refugee has it all. It has facts, drama, ad a story that can related to people and educate them. I knew about the Holocaust growing up but was obtuse and unaware of the true struggle of refugees. This week a refugee was killed by lack of medical care at the border. This book brings awareness and knowledge to these issues in a kid friendly format.

Citation:

goodreads. (2019, November 17). Refugee. Retrieved from Good Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33118312-refugee?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hkavKr3F8w&rank=1

Gratz, A. (2017). Refugee. New York: Scholasric Press.

Gratz, A. (2019, November 17). Refugee. Retrieved from Alan Gratz Putting Fictional Kids in Danger since 2006: https://www.alangratz.com/writing/refugee/

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm