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The Ungrateful Refugee
The Ungrateful Refugee | Dina Nayeri
12 posts | 14 read | 26 to read
In her first work of nonfiction, winner of the 2018 UNESCO City of Literature Paul Engle Prize Dina Nayeri--an author whose "exploration of the exile's predicament is tender and urgent" (The New Yorker)--examines what it means to be a refugee through her own story of childhood escape from Iran, and through the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers.
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andioop
Pickpick

“By the time I was thirty, I had given that hungry immigrant girl everything she wanted.”
A pick for anyone interested in _beginning_ to understand the refugee experience.

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RobinGustafson
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I have my long weekend reading set: a powerful memoir and a novel that has been patiently waiting for me #currentlyreading

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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

It‘s so easy for the #ownvoices of refugees to get drowned out in conversations about aid and migration. Dina‘s book told a fantastic story of her journey from Iran to America but most importantly I appreciated reading something that centres the dignity refugees lose when they live in camps where food and clothes are thrown to them from the backs of vans. Essential read for anyone who‘s never been a refugee I think

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Emilymdxn
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Will 2030 find him lecturing in a university, or driving an Uber, washing dishes, cleaning homes whose shelves hold a fraction of the books he once owned? These questions torture the mind and yet the world will say ‘he made it out! He is safe!‘ He has a metal container to live in, good to eat. But charity and welcome are different things. Why do we ask the desperate to strip off their dignity as the price of help? You never forget the moment you

Emilymdxn Were part of a shivering horde, when another human threw you your food, when you slept in mud alongside your confused children, when you shoved and grunted beside other faceless people, some of them former architects, doctors, teachers. It can break your spirit as fast as hunger. 4y
ChasingOm Wow. Powerful. 4y
55 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Emilymdxn
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Back in hospital waiting room with my relative who‘s unwell. I know it‘s a silly tiny complaint, but my main wish atm is that hospitals have cafeterias again. It‘s obviously not possible with covid but I‘d give anything for a cafeteria to wait in, an average tasting sandwich and some scalding hot instant coffee. It‘s weird the things we get obsessed with during lockdown. The other day I actually missed the gym. This book is fantastic which is good

Megabooks Oh I‘m so sorry. Here, they are just now allowing people other than patients in the building. Sending hugs and I wish I could teleport you coffee and a pastry. 💕💕 hang in there, dear. 4y
Emilymdxn @Megabooks thank you 😊I think it‘s the same rules here pretty much, no one is allowed in but my relative isn‘t able to see very well at the moment so they make exceptions for me helping them not walk into things! I just had a sandwich and chocolate bar in the car park so small silver linings 💖 4y
Megabooks Can I just say...car park sounds so much classier than parking lot. In a car park, you eat real food like sandwiches. In a parking lot, you have full of GMOs Cheetos and Mt. Dew! Anyway, glad you were able to get a bite! 🤗🤗 4y
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TheAromaofBooks @Megabooks - I was actually thinking the same thing about car park vs parking lot 😂

Emily, I hope your relative is feeling better, and it's so nice that you're able to help them right now... I know being off work can sometimes be stressful, but it does mean you're free to do things you wouldn't always be around to do!!
4y
IamIamIam Good luck!! I used to work in a hospital and there's nothing like coffee shop food! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!! 4y
Emilymdxn Thank you @Megabooks and @TheAromaofBooks and @iamiamiam it‘s so interesting the different ways people see words! I guess when I hear parking lot I picture movie characters sitting on the roof of a classic American car somewhere in the Great Plains in the middle of a road trip, and car park just makes me think of overpriced concrete multi storey parking somewhere suburban and English haha 4y
65 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Emilymdxn
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Here‘s where I got up to yesterday with the #joysofjune readathon! I reckon I read about five hours but I forgot to turn my timer off during my d&d game so it just counted up on its own. I did so well at avoiding that this time but I was always gonna forget once! @Andrew65

Andrew65 Well done, going well 👏👏👏 4y
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Emilymdxn
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I completely forgot this week is #refugeeweek - I‘d been wondering when it was coming up but I‘ve had no idea what date it is for a while now. Next up I‘m going to read this book about refugee experience in America. I‘m realising how few #ownvoices books about refugees I‘ve encountered in bookshops or online. Does anyone have any more recommendations? It would be awesome if we could share some of this in the hashtag #refugeeweek

Butterfinger Enrique's Journey is a nonfiction that I have been recommending. 4y
Liz_M Not all the books on this list may be exactly what you are looking for, but it's a start:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/114312.Refugee_Undocumented_Fiction
4y
68 likes2 comments
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EvaPriest
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“Nayeri‘s exploration of the exile‘s predicament is tender and urgent.”

—The New Yorker.

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LibrarianChels
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Pickpick

This should be required reading.

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charl08
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rabbitprincess Ooh, I spy All That Remains! My library ordered it, so I am waiting patiently for my hold to arrive 😁 5y
43 likes2 comments
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charl08
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Terrible pictures involving PowerPoint...

I'm sure the book event will be better than my photography skills.

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Liberty
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It‘s time for another round of “Let‘s Learn About Upcoming Books”: This is a book mail stack! These are the amazing books I have received in the past week or so that I will be reading for coverage consideration. What are you excited to read? 📚❤️📚

quietlycuriouskate I'm curious about this one. 5y
Emilymdxn I just finished Lanny and it‘s incredible!! Can‘t recommend highly enough 5y
MicheleinPhilly The Grammarians! 5y
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j.rye What a beautiful photo! 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @Emilymdxn I'm dying to read that one!! 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders The Secret Life of Sam Holloway sounds so interesting!! 5y
Redwritinghood I‘m looking forward to Lanny and Walking on the Ceiling. 5y
122 likes7 comments