Publication
Harry N. Abrams (2018), Edition: 1st Edition, 192 pages
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Description
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, himself a refugee, brings together a host of prominent refugee writers from around the world to explore and illuminate their experiences. Poignant and insightful, this collection of essays reveals moments of uncertainty, resilience int he face of trauma, and a reimagining of identity. The Displaced is a powerful look at what it means to be forced to leave home and find a place of refuge. -- Adapted from book jacket.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Carolee888
This book made me think about the difference between and immigrant and a refugee. An immigrant is a person who chooses to leave his/her country.Looking back at my family tree, most of my ancestors were immigrants. For example my great great great grandmother and her youngest son came to the United
This book is a collection of essays written by the refugees. They told told of the situations that caused them to leave,the process traveling, what experiences they had after to getting to the country, assimilating or remaining separate. The people came from Viet Nam, Mexico, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Hungary and others. Many of the stories are ones of fear and desperation, others tell of how they felt they never belonged to their new country. These stories are all recently written and reflect how they felt about being depicted by the current administration.
I received advanced reading of half of the essays n the finished this finished copy of The Displaced from the Publishers as a win from FirstReads but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in my review.
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States soon after the Civil War. Her husband had died recently and the factory where they worked in Carlisle, England had to be closed down. She and her younger son were both out the only jobs that they had ever down. She decided to go with her younger son and meet with her two older boys who were already in United States so that they could obtain employment. Yet one of my friend's parents were both refugees. They had no choice but to leave their countries because they were descendants for Jews and lived in Nazi controlled countries. They had to flee or die. What forces people out can also be a natural disasters or wars. There are other differences like a lack of documentation. This book is a collection of essays written by the refugees. They told told of the situations that caused them to leave,the process traveling, what experiences they had after to getting to the country, assimilating or remaining separate. The people came from Viet Nam, Mexico, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Hungary and others. Many of the stories are ones of fear and desperation, others tell of how they felt they never belonged to their new country. These stories are all recently written and reflect how they felt about being depicted by the current administration.
I received advanced reading of half of the essays n the finished this finished copy of The Displaced from the Publishers as a win from FirstReads but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in my review.
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LibraryThing member JamesBanzer
It's doubtful that few people other than refugees can truly know the feeling of permanently forsaking their home country, but some idea can be gleaned from the pages of this book. The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives consists of essays of various writers who fled their homelands in
Each story is a unique perspective. You would expect political views from the contributors in such a compilation, and there is no disappointment in that regard, Ariel Dorfman's essay being a prime example. This novelist and playwright feels that President Donald Trump's battle to build a wall along the southern U.S. border has been lost. While mulling over that opinion, consider the fact that one of many hats worn by this Buenos Aires, Argentina native is that of human rights activist.
I found the collection of interest in light of the fact that my wife has been a United States immigrant for more than 40 years. Having heard her voice the emotions of becoming a naturalized citizen, it was easy to relate to some of the stories in this book. One essay tells of an Indian man who was very emotional at his naturalization ceremony. After finishing his pledge of allegiance to the U.S. he shouted into the mic, “I'M AN AMERICAN! FINALLY I AM AN AMERICAN!”
It's important to understand and empathize with our fellow humans who have migrated to a strange land. Many did so just to be in a place where they no longer must endure the kind of hardship we may find hard to fathom. While the ways they got here may sometimes be open for debate, all of the refugees have human stories to convey. Nguyen is to be praised for his effort to allow some of these people to contribute their worthwhile and thoughtful reads.
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search of a new existence. The editing is by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanah Nguyen, who was born in Vietnam before the fall of South Vietnam in 1971. Each story is a unique perspective. You would expect political views from the contributors in such a compilation, and there is no disappointment in that regard, Ariel Dorfman's essay being a prime example. This novelist and playwright feels that President Donald Trump's battle to build a wall along the southern U.S. border has been lost. While mulling over that opinion, consider the fact that one of many hats worn by this Buenos Aires, Argentina native is that of human rights activist.
I found the collection of interest in light of the fact that my wife has been a United States immigrant for more than 40 years. Having heard her voice the emotions of becoming a naturalized citizen, it was easy to relate to some of the stories in this book. One essay tells of an Indian man who was very emotional at his naturalization ceremony. After finishing his pledge of allegiance to the U.S. he shouted into the mic, “I'M AN AMERICAN! FINALLY I AM AN AMERICAN!”
It's important to understand and empathize with our fellow humans who have migrated to a strange land. Many did so just to be in a place where they no longer must endure the kind of hardship we may find hard to fathom. While the ways they got here may sometimes be open for debate, all of the refugees have human stories to convey. Nguyen is to be praised for his effort to allow some of these people to contribute their worthwhile and thoughtful reads.
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781419729485
Physical description
192 p.; 5.88 inches
Pages
192