(reviewed by Ann Onymous )
The subtitle of the book refers to “Refuge in America” but is there REFUGE to be found? They are REFUGEES but they are not experiencing the “condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” From before 1933 to today the definition of “refugee” has been altered across time. The history of this evolution is very complicated. We are made familiar with the non-refoulement international law of 1951. By altering the definition of ‘refugee’ the number of people allowed into America has been manipulated by political winds.
Author Jessica Goudeau shares the true story of two women, one from Syria, the other from Myanmar who she met and worked with after their arrival in Austin, Texas. We read about their struggles in their home countries and then learn of their lives as refugees in the United States. The names have been changed for protection, but Hasna and Mu Naw will capture your heart.
These women are both dedicated mothers and wives who want to protect their families. They escaped the wars surrounding them, genocide, fighting off being raped, surviving in camps, living through the arduous process of applying for refugee status. The interviews, the acceptance, leaving their original homes, parting from relatives and friends, flying to a different country with a new language, new foods, new neighbors, needing to find work and pay rent…. This book tells of the journey of strong people who continue to move forward.
Goudeau ends the book with this illustration: the people “are like the fire ants, fierce and tenacious, they fought for their homes and were still tiny. There was nothing they could do against the forces that destroyed their countries like flood waters washing away an ant pile. The war had erased their homes and scattered everything they had known or loved. The world cared about them less than about an ant swept away by water.”
But she says after a flood in Texas, the fire ants were on top of the water. “They have developed an incredible biological ability to create long-lasting rafts that save their entire colony when it is threatened by water. They work together, placing the weakest members on the top. Ants can hold onto one another, the same way they climb up walls and trees. They connect to one another, leaving pockets of air between them. Soon the whole group drifts on the surface of the water. These rafts can hold for months. By reaching toward one another, these fierce ants, avoid being washed away when disaster comes…Instead, they float.”
With each minute that passes, the plight of people around the world worsens. Please read this book and share what you learn. Our planet needs compassion, understanding and wisdom to weather this storm.