Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a must read for all; Alan Gratz crafts a heart stopping, gripping read about 3 young teens and their families as they become refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany in 1939, Cuba in 1995, and Syria in 2015- all devastating times in history where people are/were persecuted, preyed upon, murdered and desperately searching for freedom, acceptance, and a place to call home. I ached as I read Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud's courageous struggles with their close knit families as they fled homes they loved because of persecution and war. Gratz's use of different time periods to show how history keeps repeating itself in it's discrimination of cultures, genocide, and violence shows the refugee/immigrant plights keep continuing; wiping out families, communities, and homelands; this should be required reading for all students, teachers, parents, and leaders. Readers will not be able to put this book down; there is so much to discuss; things need to be remedied - this should not happen; the dangers are all too real; countries can't/won't handle the influx of refugees and people/families are disintegrating, suffering, losing hope. The Author's Note is essential, and What you Can Do just as important to read at the end of this book.

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