N4L 033: "The Newcomers" by Helen Thorpe

To capture stories of immigrant students for her book The Newcomers, journalist Helen Thorpe spends a year in a beginner-level ESL classroom of South High in Denver, Colorado. Day by day and layer by layer, she pulls back the curtain on unimaginable hardships and atrocities suffered by immigrant teenagers. With resilience and fortitude, they not only learn English but they also adapt to a new country and adopt a new culture. With help from their exceptional teacher Mr. Eddie Williams, the students do more than learn English. They also discover they are not alone in building a new life from nothing. Indeed, they "find refuge, friendship, and hope in an American classroom."  From Syria to El Salvador, the classroom is a microcosm of the global refugee crisis. So, treading lightly, Thorpe hires 14 translators to interview subjects in their own languages. Along with their families, most students eventually disclose their harrowing journeys through war, subsequent displacement, and eventual resettlement. And, occasionally, case managers and aid workers help fill in the unspoken portions of their own personal refugee stories. Countering America’s escalating xenophobia, Thorpe reveals the hearts of foreigners who have unwittingly left the lands they love. She also debunks the idea they are terrorists in disguise. Instead, she explains stringent U.S. immigration policies, which are strictly enforced. With Thorpe's help, statistics become humans deserving credit for overcoming adversity. The Newcomers creates an urgent portrait of the real crisis displaced people around the globe are facing. It's a reminder that wars overseas inevitably send refugees to our shores. In the end, the book is a message of hope because America still welcomes newcomers. She still offers them a safe home. True to the inscription on our Statue of Liberty, Americans are still asking the world to give us "your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore." Connect with Nonfiction4Life: Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Music Credit Sound Editing Credit