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Review - Welcome To The New World by Jake Halpern & Michael Sloan


It is an actual story of a refugee family, who landed in the US on the day when Donald Trump won the election. It shows the life of people who come from other countries in the hope of living a better life, but end up having a difficult one where they struggle with the new place and new policies. Their life was horrible where they were living earlier because nobody would leave their own country just like that unless they have a life threat. But coming to a new place comes with its own set of solutions and problems. People who are resident of the said country might feel that refugees are taking up their rightful space, but one should not forget that they had no other option and one should be compassionate enough to help them whenever needed. We only see the privileges they are getting and overlook the hardship.

Here, the family came from Jordan and they were grateful for the house they were provided. But they have to become self-independent in 4 months, which isn't a simple task because they have to do low-level jobs; as professional ones require full background information and it is tedious to get those documents within a few months of one's arrival. For children, it is even tougher as they want to blend in, but not everyone is empathetic. The book shows how you long for your place and people, who you have left behind, the loss of your dreams and the fear of the unknown in a new country.

I enjoyed the pictures as it creates an image and makes it even easier to relate to the subject and characters. If you want to know more about the life of a refugee, do read the book.

Rating - 4/5
Genre - Contemporary, non-fiction

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