Overview

For many Americans, 'refugee' still conjures up the image of a threatening outsider: a stranger who will steal jobs or a family who will be a drain on the economy. Yet most people know little about how refugees have actually fared in America: the lives they have built over generations and the cities they have transformed. In New York state, the old manufacturing town of Utica could have disappeared altogether if it wasn't for the growing population of refugees who revved the economic engine--starting small businesses, renovating houses, and adding a fresh vitality to the community through cultural diversity. For eight years, journalist Susan Hartman followed three newcomers as they put down roots in a new city: Sadia, a bright, rebellious Somali Bantu girl battling her formidable mother; Ali, an Iraqi translator, still suffering trauma from the ongoing war in his homeland; and Mersiha, an ebullient Bosnian, who dreams of opening a cafe. They're also the entry point to those leading the city: the mayor, teachers, doctors, and firefighters who have adapted to the refugees that have made the city their home. Hartman explores the ways these refugees have stitched together their American and traditional identities, the dreams they have for their new lives in Utica, and the pain some still carry from their pasts.

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9781666558777

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Susan Hartman is an award-winning writer who was educated at Kirkland College, near Utica, and became attached to the city as she watched it transform over the years. She received an MFA from Columbia University and has written cover stories and profiles for The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Newsday. She teaches in Columbia University's MFA writing program and lives outside New York City with her husband. They have two grown children. Samara Naeymi is a voiceover artist who has lent her talents to commercial radio, cartoons, video games, and audiobooks. Her voice can be heard in television shows such as Pokemon and World of Winx and video games such as Modern Combat Versus. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

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