The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri truly is one of the best books I’ve read for a while! If you are concerned about the refugee crisis and wanting to get an insight into refugee minds, this book is for you. Dina is a former refugee from Iran, and this non-fiction work interweaves her own story with the stories of other refugees that she’s met throughout her life. Her way of writing is poetry, and she walks you through escape, the camps, getting asylum, and trying to resettle and integrate. She peeks into different legal systems around the world, but she also opens up the hearts and minds of refugees - the things they wish they could say or talk about or do without appearing “ungrateful.” It talks about the absurdity of the different labels we put on immigrants, whether they are the “good” kind or the “bad” kind, as if everyone isn’t human just trying to seek a better life. She describes the madness of waiting and wasted potential before asylum, and the insistent pressure to please and succeed after resettlement, for fear of being labeled as the “incorrect” type of immigrant. She discusses the misunderstandings around different cultures, and how refugees are forced to figure out how to tell their story in the way that makes sense to wherever they landed. It talked about how even if you are sharing facts, your true story, if you’re a refugee that isn’t always good enough and so many refugees fear not being “believed” for the rest of their lives, by anyone they might meet. It’s a letter from refugees everywhere, telling us what they wish we could understand. Truly one of the most important reads I’ve read in a while - should be required reading for anyone wanting to pursue work with refugees, or even those just interacting with refugees - which is just about all of us! Highly recommend.

I simply can not recommend this book more. In a time where hatred of refugees is common and a lack of understanding of them is more common, this book gives a whole new perspective. It is a crucial read for those who disagree with the necessity and urgency to care and also a necessary read for those that already know and help in even a small way.