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The Ungrateful Refugee

What Immigrants Never Tell You
4.06 goodreads logo

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( 5,372 ratings, 744 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri weaves the author's personal experiences as an asylum seeker with broader narratives of the refugee experience. It delves into the emotional and physical journey of displacement, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the often overlooked complexities faced by refugees as they navigate new lives. Nayeri combines memoir with reportage to challenge stereotypes and offer a nuanced perspective on what it means to seek refuge.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are intrigued by compelling personal narratives that weave together a refugee's journey with broader reflections on humanity, identity, and survival. Dina Nayeri's memoir offers deep insights into the challenges and resilience of those seeking a new life, making it a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in understanding the complex emotions and experiences of displaced individuals.

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A timely, provocative and personal examination of the refugee experience.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother, and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel-turned-refugee camp. Eventually, she was granted asylum in America. Now, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with those of other asylum seekers in recent years.

In these pages, women gather to prepare the noodles that remind them of home, a closeted queer man tries to make his case truthfully as he seeks asylum, and a translator attempts to help new arrivals present their stories to officials.

Surprising and provocative, The Ungrateful Refugee offers a new, complete narrative of resettlement and re-calibrates the conversation around the refugee experience. But above all, here are the real human stories of what it is like to be forced to flee your home, to journey in hope of a better, safer life, and, for the lucky few, the struggle to start afresh in a new culture.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri is praised as a vital and powerful book that combines memoir, reportage, and essays. It offers profound insights into the refugee experience, often with compassion, tenderness, and a sense of urgency. Critics highlight its humane approach to telling unflinching stories of refugees, seeking to humanise those often demonised by media and authority figures. The book is seen as thoughtful, reflective, and essential reading, with some reviewers suggesting it should be compulsory for policymakers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786893499

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 June 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 256g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Dina Nayeri was born in Iran during the revolution and arrived in America when she was ten years old. She is the winner of a National Endowment for the Arts Grant and the UNESCO City of Literature Paul Engle Prize. The author of two novels - Refuge and A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea - and contributor to The Displaced, her work has been published in over twenty countries. Her stories and essays have been published in The O. Henry Prize Stories, Best American Short Stories, the New York Times, Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Granta and many other publications. She lives in London. @DinaNayeri | dinanayeri.com

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