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Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'
After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America by Jessica Goudeau
1 review
bookmaddie's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
A transcribed oral history of two refugee families who arrive in the United States, as told by each family's matriarch (Mu Naw and Hasna). There are chapters about refugee policy in the United States interspersed throughout the narrative. Goudeau expertly explains refugee and immigration policy, yet easily switches back to a compelling, third-person writing style for the oral histories.
Goudeau took a lot of care to protect each family by changing names and other identifying factors, and I appreciated that she took a moment at the end of the book to address that. With an oral history, she completely takes herself out of the narrative, which I think was necessary to properly tell these stories. Even though she knew both families, it was their story to tell, and highlighting her presence in the writing of the book would have harmed the narrative by refocusing it on herself.
Mu Naw and Hasna's stories show different aspects of U.S. refugee policy and how different programs bring people into the country. Hasna's story focuses more on the hoops her family had to jump through to enter the country, while Mu Naw's story spends more time with her family after they enter the country. It was both eye-opening and expected to see the lack of support for refugees once they enter the country—how quickly money, language training and resources dry up, especially if you don't know how to look for them.
Of course, PTSD, trauma, and grief play big roles in both Mu Naw and Hasna's stories. The harrowing experiences they both had to go through before they were able to find (relative) sanctuary in the U.S follow them like shadows. Grief was often for the people and land they left behind, and I'm glad Goudeau took time to emphasize that. Life in the U.S. may be physically safer, but a lot of the community and love that people feel in their homelands is lost when coming to a new country (and one that is often hostile to immigrants and refugees).
This is a well-written, engaging, deeply researched, and personal look at refugee policy in the United States, and how it plays out in people's lives. Definitely one to read if you're at all interested in the topic!
Goudeau took a lot of care to protect each family by changing names and other identifying factors, and I appreciated that she took a moment at the end of the book to address that. With an oral history, she completely takes herself out of the narrative, which I think was necessary to properly tell these stories. Even though she knew both families, it was their story to tell, and highlighting her presence in the writing of the book would have harmed the narrative by refocusing it on herself.
Mu Naw and Hasna's stories show different aspects of U.S. refugee policy and how different programs bring people into the country. Hasna's story focuses more on the hoops her family had to jump through to enter the country, while Mu Naw's story spends more time with her family after they enter the country. It was both eye-opening and expected to see the lack of support for refugees once they enter the country—how quickly money, language training and resources dry up, especially if you don't know how to look for them.
Of course, PTSD, trauma, and grief play big roles in both Mu Naw and Hasna's stories. The harrowing experiences they both had to go through before they were able to find (relative) sanctuary in the U.S follow them like shadows. Grief was often for the people and land they left behind, and I'm glad Goudeau took time to emphasize that. Life in the U.S. may be physically safer, but a lot of the community and love that people feel in their homelands is lost when coming to a new country (and one that is often hostile to immigrants and refugees).
This is a well-written, engaging, deeply researched, and personal look at refugee policy in the United States, and how it plays out in people's lives. Definitely one to read if you're at all interested in the topic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Minor: Xenophobia
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