Refugee Review
Reviewer: Vraj Patel
No SpoilersPerspective 1 - Josef:
Josef is a 12-year-old Jewish boy living in Berlin, Nazi Germany in the year 1938. Kristallnacht, or "The Night of Broken Glass" had just occurred, and the Nazis took Josef's father away to a concentration camp. Josef, his sister Ruthie, and his mother try to get him back, but in vain.
6 months after he was taken, they receive a telegram from Josef's father saying he was released from the concentration camp and must leave Germany immediately. Upon hearing this news, Josef's mother takes her children to a seaport where they meet up with their father. Here, they board the MS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees. The vessel is sailing to Cuba, where they hope to seek temporary refuge, and eventually, reach the United States. Will they safely reach Cuba?Perspective 2 - Isabel:
Isabel is a girl living outside Havana, Cuba during the year 1994. Fidel Castro is the President at the time. Food and other necessities are scarce ever since the Soviet Union, Cuba's main supplier, fell. Leaving the country is a crime, so everyone is stuck on the island. Isabel goes with her father and grandfather to Havana for some work, but suddenly, a riot begins. They leave, and later that evening, Castro makes an announcement saying anyone that would like to leave Cuba may leave. Isabel's whole family is excited. They finally get to get away from the dying country. Their family, along with their neighbors, the Castillo's, take their boat (which the Castillo's were secretly making) and set sail for the United States. Will they reach Florida safely?
Perspective 3 - Mahmoud:Mahmoud is a boy living in Aleppo, Syria in the year 2015. War is all around him. He is a quiet kid because his belief is that people who do not make themselves stand out will not get hurt. His family, which consists of his little brother and sister, and his mom and dad, live in an apartment in the torn city. One day, a bomb hits their apartment, destroying their home. They must find a new home, but not in Syria. They hope to leave the war-torn country and find a new life in Germany. Will they survive?
I really liked this Refugee. I would give it a 5/5. I enjoyed it because of the writing style/format and all of the different plots.
So, let's start with the writing style. Gratz wrote this book in chapters, but each chapter was a different person's story. For example, the first chapter was Josef, then Isabel, then Mahmoud, and it followed this pattern throughout the book. I liked this format because it kept me intrigued by everybody's story at the same time. It also made me want to keep on reading, as Gratz had many cliffhangers at the ends of chapters. The writing style in Refugee is not dry; there is some humor incorporated, so yay.
I also really enjoyed the different stories being told throughout the book. Gratz makes sure to make each person's account fit the timeline they were in. For example, he mentions Mahmoud's mother's pink iPhone many times, and how useful the maps tool is to them. Gratz wrote Mahmoud's family to make them act like someone from the 21st century. Also, it was just interesting. I never got bored reading Refugee.
I don't want to spoil the book, but all three of their stories connect at the end in a nice matter.
So yeah, check out Refugee if you like historical fiction, and want to get more insight on a regular citizen's life from Nazi Germany, Cuba, and Syria. See ya next time!
Great review! I liked how you dealt with multiple characters; you broke it down into three distinct descriptions and then added an image of the country associated with the corresponding character. These maps emphasized how far apart the individual stories take place even though they are all actually very similar. Refugee sounds like the kind of book that I'd enjoy reading.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I was drawn into this book through the wondrous portal known as the Scholastic Bookfair. I agree with pretty much all of what you have said. The idea of having a different point of view for each chapter is always an interesting one. One of my favorite book series, the Legend Trilogy, uses the same technique (granted both of the characters are in the same place, time, and can interact). I agree that it keeps the reader interested, as we always want to know more about the characters after the cliffhangers. The events within the plot kept my attention and at times I actually feared for the characters. Altogether this was a fun book to read and gives good views of what life was like from the real-life counterparts of the characters. I strongly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds interesting, and I usually enjoy historical fiction books, so I would probably like Refugee. One thing I thought was unusual about the book is that there are stories of 3 families from different countries and time periods that are seeking refuge, and I think it would be interesting to see how each of their stories are similar. I also like how you gave a brief summary of each family's story but still didn't give away the endings. Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and I found it helpful, so good job!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really interesting and I am going to be sure to check it out. I love the way you formatted the blog and it grabs the interesting of the reader and is easy to read. It os interesting that there is historical context behind the book and has the different perspectives. Amazing job!
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