Refugee

Alan Gratz

Synopsis: Refugee is the story of 3 families of refugees, all told from the perspective of children. Josef- A Jewish boy in the late 1930’s fleeing Nazi Germany. Isabel- A Cuban girl in 1994 escaping a country where they seemed fated to starve to death. Mahmoud- a Syrian boy in 2015 fleeing his war torn home.

Wow. Where do I even start? From a technical standpoint, I felt this was a very well done book. Mr. Gratz knows how to get straight to the point. There is a very appropriate sense of urgency to this book. I was on edge for the vast majority of the book. At the same time, he doesn’t skimp on the emotional side of these journeys. In a book like this, I would dare to say that those two things are incredibly necessary to give the reader the feeling of empathy that is required when reading this book. This balance in his writing makes me very curious to read more of his books. I also loved the way he tied the 3 stories together. Very well done.

From a personal standpoint, I think this may be one of the most important books I have ever opened. I have no doubt that this will be one of the books that sticks with me for life. I sincerely wish this book was required reading in every single school. There are times when I feel this world suffers from a supreme lack of empathy. I think books like this go a long way in opening our eyes to the plights of others. We desperately need that kind of understanding.

It’s hard for me to say I “enjoyed” a book like this. It’s an excellent book, but it’s also not an easy book to read. Reading a book like Refugee is to open yourself up to feeling another’s wounds. It feels strange to refer to that as a pleasurable experience. However, I feel like it’s these types of experiences that make us more human ourselves. We have to care about what happened to these people and countless others. If we don’t listen, and we don’t learn we are doomed to repeat this history. It is in this sense of learning, and growth that I believe the enjoyment lies.

I STRONGLY recommend reading this book. In fact, I would encourage and implore you to read it as soon as possible. I also strongly recommend you take the time to read the Author’s Note at the end. As wish most historical fiction, he breaks down the true stories behind the characters in the book. I always find that fascinating. Refugee is a fast read, both because it’s not terribly long and because you won’t want to put it down. You won’t regret this one!

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