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“This book’s combination of personal narrative and collective refugee story is compelling, necessary, and deeply thought and felt. Writing with truth and beauty, Nayeri reckons with her own past as a refugee . . . This valuable account of refugee lives will grip readers’ attention.”

—Booklist, Starred Review

“With inventive, powerful prose, Nayeri demonstrates what should be obvious: that refugees give up everything in their native lands only when absolutely necessary—if they remain, they may face poverty, physical torture, or even death . . . A unique, deeply thought–out refugee saga perfect for our moment.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You

Written by Dina Nayeri
Published by Catapult

Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel–turned–refugee camp. Eventually she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University.

In this book, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys, from escape to asylum to resettlement. In these pages, a couple fall in love over the phone, and women gather to prepare the noodles that remind them of home. A closeted queer man tries to make his case truthfully as he seeks asylum, and a translator attempts to help new arrivals present their stories to officials.

Nayeri confronts notions like “the swarm,” and, on the other hand, “good” immigrants. She calls attention to the harmful way in which Western governments privilege certain dangers over others. With surprising and provocative questions, The Ungrateful Refugee challenges us to rethink how we talk about the refugee crisis.

Primary ISBN: 9781948226424
Publication Date: September 2019
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Memoir, Nonfiction, Age 18 or older

Community Represented: ,

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Refugee or Asylee, Refugee Camp

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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