American Refuge

True Stories of the Refugee Experience

By: Diya Abdo

Narrated by: Diya Abdo

“A moving and timely book that strips away misleading politics to reveal the complexities of real human lives."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A provocative, conversation-sparking exploration of refugee experiences told in their own words, for fans of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s The Undocumented Americans and Viet Thanh Nguyen

Forced to leave their homes, they came to America...

In this intimate and eye-opening book, Diya Abdo—daughter of refugees, U.S. immigrant, English professor, and activist—shares the stories of seven refugees. Coming from around the world, they’re welcomed by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), an organization Diya founded to leverage existing resources at colleges to provide temporary shelter to refugee families.

Bookended by Diya’s powerful essay "Radical Hospitality" and the inspiring coda “Names and Numbers,” each chapter weaves the individual stories into a powerful journey along a common theme:

• Life Before (“The Body Leaves its Soul Behind”)

• The Moment of Rupture (“Proof and Persecution”)

• The Journey (“Right Next Door”)

• Arrival/Resettlement (“Back to the Margins”)

• A Few Years Later (“From Camp to Campus”)

The lives explored in American Refuge include the artist who, before he created the illustration on the cover of this book, narrowly escaped two assassination attempts in Iraq and now works at Tyson cutting chicken.

We learn that these refugees from Burma, Burundi, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and Uganda lived in homes they loved, left against their will, moved to countries without access or rights, and were among the 1% of the "lucky" few to resettle after a long wait, almost certain never to return to the homes they never wanted to leave. We learn that anybody, at any time, can become a refugee.

©2022 Diya Abdo (P)2022 Steerforth Press LLC

Critic reviews

“Empathetic and caring, Abdo’s expert writing conveys the nuanced stories of people whose lives have been heartwrenchingly upended, and who are doing what they must to survive and rebuild.”—Booklist

“A powerful and extremely timely look at the lives of refugees arriving in the United States from around the world, Diya Abdo’s American Refuge will be a major conversation starter.”—Indy Week

"For countless refugees, Diya Abdo's Every Campus a Refuge changed their lives. Reading her book and their stories will change yours."—Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of A Curious Land, American Book Award winner