Refugee

Gratz, Alan. Refugee. 2017. 338p. ISBN 978-0-545-88083-1. Available at FIC GRA on the library shelves.

Over the history of humanity, conflicts have always created waves of refugees seeking to escape horrific conditions. In the last five years, the plight of refugees has been brought to the forefront of people’s consciousness and it has been featured repeatedly in the news. The Syrian civil war pushed millions of people away from their homes. It is in this climate of fear and destruction that in 2015 Mahmood’s apartment in Aleppo is destroyed by a missile. His parents and younger brother and sister survive, but they must escape the combat zone. Mahmood’s father decide they must risk the trip to Germany and safety. But this will involve crossing many international borders in countries that are hostile to Syrian refugees, and which will include a desperate raft trip from Turkey to Greece.

In 1994, Cuba is experiencing social tensions due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The subsidized fuel and food it provided the Communist island have now ended, and Fidel Castro’s dictatorship is barely able to hang on. Isabel’s father participated in a demonstration and was arrested and beaten by the security forces, who promised to return and hurt him more. When Castro announces that anyone who wants to leave can, Isabel, her father and heavily pregnant mother secure passage aboard their neighbor’s hastily constructed raft and strike out for Florida. If they can reach land, they will be safe and welcomed by the Americans. If stopped in the waters, they will be returned to Cuba.

In 1939, Josef and his family are persecuted in Germany for being Jewish. His father spent time in Dachau, the infamous concentration camp, and when the opportunity presents itself to book passage aboard a ship for Cuba, the family does not hesitate. Josef’s father is a broken man, however, and the pain and torture he endured have destroyed his spirit. Josef must step up and become the man of the family. Despite sailing away from Germany, the St. Louis’ crew is German, and portraits of Adolf Hitler still adorn the dining rooms and hallways.

As all three teens set out to escape, they will live horrors beyond words, but also encounter friends and forge a determined identity. Though separated by decades, the lives of these refugees intertwines at the end of the novel, demonstrating that actions today can have a powerful impact in the lives of those not yet born.