Refugee High: Coming of Age in America
by Elly Fishman
Nonfiction
* * * Stars (Pretty good)
A reporter spends a year (2017-2018) following the lives of students at the Roger C. Sullivan High School. The students are all refugees whose families have fled bad situations in their homelands. They all come from different nations and cultures, and they speak different languages, but they share a common experience of being in a foreign place where they have to adapt to a new culture, new language, etc. as they cope with their past traumatic experiences and new challenges. Faculty at Sullivan have been collaborating and crafting a specialized program to help these students learn and adjust to their new lives, giving them the skills they need to survive adolescence in the United States. This focuses on the stories of 5 teens and some of the issues they face, like racism, islamophobia, gang violence, and arranged marriages. This window into their lives really shows what kinds of obstacles they face, and also raises questions about what kind of assistance refugees can really benefit from. For high school teens and adults.
Reviewed by YA Librarian (audio edition)
