Books on refugee crisis
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Books about refugees that make a great gift
Most of the following books were written by forcibly displaced authors; some by writers who champion the stories of refugees. The books may be memoirs, novels, or narrative nonfiction, but all the works reflect the experiences of displaced people.
Scroll down to learn more about each book, including quotes from the authors on why they chose to tell these powerful tales.
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
In this collection of stories written over a 20-year period, Nguyen explores questions of identity, love, and family as experienced by immigrants.
Viet Thanh Nguyen shot to fame with his debut, Pulitzer-winning novel, The Sympathiser, and its sequel, The Committed. At the center of each story, Nguyen explores how it feels and what it means to be a refugee. “I always felt displaced no matter where I was,”he says of his own experience growing up, forced from Vietnam to a series of cities in the United States.
Passionate about helping refugees, Nguyen is also an IRC ambassador.
Lupita Mañana by Patricia Beatty
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25 essential books about refugee experiences and migration
When the numbers involved are so large and the news so overwhelming it’s possible for those fortunate enough to be standing outside it to lose sight of the individuals and humanity at the heart of what’s become known as the ‘refugee crisis.’
Here, we share stories – including both fiction and non-fiction – of people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, extreme hunger or climate change, or have moved from one country to another in search of opportunity. With narratives that span continents and generations, and insights both hard and hopeful, each book gives a unique perspective, offering empathy and solace to those with shared experiences, and the opportunity to refocus and increase understanding for those without.
Here are our reading suggestions of books about refugees and migration.
Fiction books about the refugee experience & migration
More bodies have washed up on the shores of a small island. Another over-filled, ill-equipped, dilapidated ship has sunk under the weight
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Merkel’s memoir reveals refugee crisis diplomacy, controversial Istanbul visit
Merkel, who served as Germany's chancellor for an uninterrupted 16 years from 2005 to 2021, published her 736-page autobiography, “Freedom: Memoirs 1954–2021," on Oct. 26.
The book sheds light on the migrant influx of 2015 and her consequential meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, which triggered backlash from both German politicians and the public.
A particular point of contention was a photograph of Merkel seated on an opulent, gold-gilded chair next to Erdoğan at Istanbul’s Yıldız Palace.
"My visit to Istanbul was fiercely criticized. The reason? Two chairs — or rather, ‘thrones,’ golden-colored armchairs. I sat on one, and Erdoğan on the other," Merkel wrote.
"It was alleged that I had cowered before Erdoğan in his palace like a supplicant and that I would even kneel down in front of him for an understating on the issue."
The timing of her visit, two weeks before Türkiye’s parliamentary elections, also drew accusations, she said.
"Türkiye had an indispensable
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