The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees
By:
Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted. Don Brown depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Shining a light on the stories of the survivors, The Unwanted is a testament to the courage and resilience of the refugees and a call to action for all those who read.
Author’s journal describing his visits to refugee camps. Author’s note on recent global events. Source notes. Bibliography. Poem. Full-color illustrations rendered in pen and ink with digital paint.
ISBN: 9781328810151
JLG Release: Oct 2018
Sensitive Areas:
Harsh realities of war
Topics:
Syrian Civil War (2011– )
, Refugees
, History of Syria
, Current events
, Religious discrimination
, Islamophobia
, Muslims
, Graphic novels
Awards & Honors
2019 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Winner
2019 Sibert Award Honor
CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Contemporary People, Places, and Events
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book Magazine*, Kirkus Reviews*, School Library Journal*, Booklist
Horn Book
There are over five million Syrian refugees around the world today, and each one
has a unique story. Brown returns to the comics format of Drowned City (rev.
9/15) and The Great American Dust Bowl (rev. 11/13) to create a powerful history
of the Syrian civil war, punctuated with the stories of many individual refugees.
With the incorporation of the There are over five million Syrian refugees around the world today, and each one
has a unique story. Brown returns to the comics format of Drowned City (rev.
9/15) and The Great American Dust Bowl (rev. 11/13) to create a powerful history
of the Syrian civil war, punctuated with the stories of many individual refugees.
With the incorporation of the refugees’ own words, this multiplicity of experiences
accumulates and compounds to great emotional effect. Some of the refugees
(all real people) have success stories to tell: a young girl and her family find refuge
in Canada, where she thrives, “takes up skating, and enjoys Halloween.” Many
other stories are tragic. A man loses his family when their boat capsizes; other
Syrian refugees face hostility in Europe (“REFUGEES NOT WELCOME!”) or
discrimination in neighboring, overwhelmed Lebanon. Near the end, one mother
asserts, “The future is not for us. The future is for our children.” Brown provides
concrete comparisons that make the problem more tangible and relatable (he
compares the population of Syria to that of Florida; he shows how the influx of
refugees from Syria to Lebanon is, proportionately, as if the entire population of
Mexico moved to the United States). As in the previous works, illustrations have
a sketchbook-like quality and feature faces drawn with minimal features that
are nonetheless expressive, lending the subjects a sort of universality. The varied
panels perfectly control the pacing, thoughtfully guiding readers through difficult
subject matter. Appended material includes Brown’s impressions from his visits
to refugee camps in Greece, an extensive bibliography, and source notes for all
quotations. The wrenching stories and illustrations would complement a historical
inquiry of the conflict, or provide much-needed humanity to a depersonalized
and politicized topic. julie hakim azzam
Book Details
ISBN
9781328810151
First Release
October 2018
Genre
Nonfic
Dewey Classification
Trim Size
10 1/4" x 6 1/2"
Page Count
112
Accelerated Reader
Level 5.7; Points: 1;
Scholastic Reading Counts
Level 0; Points: 0;
Lexile
Level
Format
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Potentially Sensitive Areas
Harsh realities of war
Topics
Syrian Civil War (2011– ), Refugees, History of Syria, Current events, Religious discrimination, Islamophobia, Muslims, Graphic novels,
