FINDING REFUGE

In her classroom in Spokane, Washington, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English.

She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students, some of whom arrived in the U.S. as long ago as the 1970s. The refugee contributors are originally from Libya, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Mexico, Moldova, and Ukraine, among other countries. Each chapter begins with facts about the writer’s country of origin, including a brief but thorough history of the place as well as a section which describes the specific dangers that forced families to make the hard choice to flee their homelands. Some of the writers dreamed about coming to the U.S. before they arrived, while many others wanted to stay where they lived. Some profiles contain captioned photographs that connect with and briefly clarify the content presented in the personal accounts, with varying degrees of effectiveness. The essays in the book are detailed, well written, and heartfelt, infusing much-needed humanity into an issue that is often discussed purely through statistics. Rouse’s conclusion offers additional context about refugees in the U.S. and specific advice to young people for making refugees feel welcome in their neighborhoods.

A beautifully curated anthology presenting the voices of refugees.