In another thought provoking and highly interesting book, Susan Kuklin introduces us to several refugees and their stories of why they needed to immigrate and how the settling process was accomplished.  Full of rich detail and pictures that supplement the stories, this book is both mentally stimulating and emotionally heartening.

In Search of Safety is the story of five refugees from varying parts of the world and how they came to be refugees in the United States.  One of the things that I liked best about this book was that Kuklin did not concentrate on one ethnic group or type of refugee.  She included stories from refugees which spanned the globe, which provided a well-rounded and encompassing picture of the humanitarian crises throughout the world.

I also appreciated that she included photos to supplement the written word.  The pictures are simple but offer a glimpse into the lives of these people and help to make them more real.  Kuklin does a good job of using their own words and providing not only the history of why these folks are refugees, but also provides insight into the process of moving to the United States and starting a new life.  She doesn’t sugar coat the trials these displaced persons endured which, I felt, brought an emotional element to the stories that made them easier to connect and empathize with.

The book is a relatively quick read.  Because their own words are used in the telling of their stories, some of the sentence structure is stuttered and doesn’t flow smoothly, but these are all people to whom English is a second (or third or fourth) language and it provided realism.  This book would a great classroom or book club read as the discussion stemming from various topics and stories within the book would be fruitful.  Resources on the refugee process, players, and additional readings are provided at the end which provided insight into the depth and breadth of the issue.

Overall, this is another great nonfiction read that will be thought provoking in many age groups.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Candlewick

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  1 religious exclamation; 3 mild obscenities; 1 scatological word; 3 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  Report of various murders with no detail; multiple instances of kidnapping; multiple verbal threats both with and without weapons; suicide bombing; corpses laying in street; minor injuries from IED attack; two instances of houses being burnt down; cut to chest; multiple gunshot wounds resulting in either injury or death; minor injuries from flying glass; girls/women are sold as sex slaves; bombing of buildings; attempted suicide by hanging; multiple instances of men standing or injuring woman’s feet to elicit a response; pushed off a bed while paralyzed; forced surgery and electroshock therapy.

Sex/Nudity:  Reference to consensual sex; three instances of rape without graphic detail or description.

Mature Subject Matter:

Racial, religious and ethnic conflict; death; suicide; war; unwanted pregnancy; divorce; separation; serious illness; unemployment; rape; mental disorders; homelessness; marriage infidelity; polygamy; ethics.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None