To tell the truth, I debated with myself about whether this was the time for a review of a book like this. There’s the voice that says we are in enough trouble without reading about hard things, but the other voice says maybe we should consider those who are dealing with more than we are. In Search of Safety: Voices of Refugees by Susan Kuklin tells the stories of five refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Iraq, and Burundi in their own first person testimonies interlaced with occasional explanatory remarks as needed. These refugees wound up in Nebraska with several references to Lutheran Family Services who helped them in their resettlement. Photographs are included along with their stories. I give just one quote from each refugee to give a taste of the book.
Fraidoon from Afghanistan: “From 1984, when I was born, until July 16, 2017, when I arrived in the United States, I never lived in a place where there was no war.”
Nathan from Myanmar after his family’s camp was burned down: “The new camp, the place where I lived much of my life, was surrounded by barbed wire. We were not allowed to go outside the barbed wire camp without a Thai ID.”
Nyarout from South Sudan: “I still love my culture. I love my people. But I love my American independence too. I would say I’ve become a Sudanese American.”
Shireen from Northern Iraq: “I asked my cousin Khairy to write my name on my arm in English letters with a needle, like a tattoo. If I was able to commit suicide, I wanted my family to know it was me.”
Dieudonne from Burundi, caught in the ethnic war because he is the son of a Tutsi mother and a Hutu father: “A child is a child no matter where he lives. We lived in Block A, Second Street. In the evenings, the kids played tag and ran around.”
The backmatter, almost as interesting as the book itself, notes that fifty-seven percent of refugees come from Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria with over half of them under the age of eighteen. The author’s personal reason for writing is included with a heritage of grandparents with similar stories who fled Russia and the Ukraine. Her account of how she chose Nebraska adds to the narrative.
My debate is over, and I have decided to review the book because the need for understanding this issue is addressed so clearly, and perhaps empathy for others who are struggling comes more readily when times are hard.