Essay Review on the Refugee by Alan Gratz Essay
In the book Refugee, Alan Gratz tells three stories of refugees at different times. They are all similar and undoubtedly very tragic. These are the stories of people who have endured all sorts of hardships of fleeing from their homeland with the sole purpose of surviving somewhere else. The attempt to link three rather diverse stories into a single whole is successful due to the similarity of the characters. Despite the different reasons that prompted Isabel and Josef to leave their native country, and the fate of their loved ones that affected the emotional state of the children, they are similar in that the road to a new life is not easy for them, but they have to go through it to escape from death.
Both Isabel and Josef left their native country to survive. In 1939, Josef and his family boarded the ship St. Louis to find refuge from the Nazis in Cuba (Gratz 35). The official who issued the visas fell out of favor, and the President of Cuba decided to recoup himself in this way: they retroactively canceled visas for Jews. The story of Isabel takes place in 1994 during the collapse of the USSR and the rebellion in Cuba. Isabel, like many other Cubans, decided to sail with her family on a homemade boat 90 miles from Havana to Florida.
Both Isabel and Josef risk a lot on the way to a new life, and this path is not easy for them. Isabel and her family face all kinds of dangers, such as the threat of imprisonment in a Cuban prison, hurricanes, storms, drowning, sharks, dehydration and starvation (Gratz 74). The burden of waiting, the injustice and the consequences of staying in Dachau are so terrible that people would rather end their lives by suicide than go there again. Therefore, Josef also finds himself in a difficult life situation due to the need to change the country of residence.
The reasons of the outside world that forced Isabel and Josef to leave their native countries are different. A Jewish boy, Josef, flees Hitler’s Germany, and his mother has to make a terrible choice which of the children to save. Even if they make the journey successfully, neither Cuba nor America refuses to accept refugees. Isabel and her family have a chance to escape: Clinton announced that those who have already landed are not subject to deportation (Gratz 131). In addition, unlike Josef, Isabel is not fleeing from the war, but from the political regime, and her race is not being destroyed.
What happens to the heroes’ family is also different. Isabel lost both her friend and grandfather in the open ocean in a few days. However, at the same time she found a younger brother, which allowed the Cuban girl to find hope (Gratz 163). At the same time, 13-year-old Josef’s father goes crazy after Dachau, and the child is forced to watch his family disintegrate.
The main characters of the book Refugee by Alan Gratz are children who have long become adults. Despite the fact that Isabel and Josef are representatives of different countries, different nationalities, and different times, they are united by a thirst for life. The characters must escape from their country to save their lives, but they are at no less risk of death on this journey. Even there is no place for these people in their native country, they have a hope to survive.
Gratz, Alan. Refugee . Scholastic Press, 2017.
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Literary Fusions
Integrating literacy in K-12 classrooms.
Book Review: Refugee by Alan Gratz
April 23, 2018 By Jessica
Refugee by Alan Gratz was chosen for two T exas Library Association lists: The Lone Star List and The Bluebonnet List ! I didn’t even know that was possible. The other reason I chose Refugee from the suggested lists was the timely topic of refugees and how people react.
Why I Finished It:
The only reason why someone would not finish Refugee is from heartache! This book follows three children and their families through horrendous times in history: Nazi Germany, Fidel Castro in Cuba, and Assad in Syria (still happening, unfortunately). Gratz shares fictional stories based on real events of how families have been brutally forced from their homes, separated from loved ones, and treated like property. Through his masterfully told story, he challenges us “regular humans” to take a stand, to be compassionate, and be willing to fight degrading treatment of humans in the face of danger. I finished it quickly, but it will stew in my head for a long time. This book easily goes down on my list of favorite books of all time: The Crossover , Deadline , and How They Croake d.
Who I Would Give It To:
HUMANS! All humans need this book! Regardless of the target audience (4-8 grade), Refugee is emotionally raw and forces the reader outside of their comfort zone to be more humane! And let’s be honest, these events are still happening in our world today, so there’s the current connection as well.
Integration Ideas:
Informal Research of Current and Historical Events
There is no denying that Gratz is a master of the written word, however much of the power of this story for me is in the fact that I knew the history! I know quite a bit about the treatment of Jews under Nazi rule, I knew less (but still enough) about Castro’s reign of terror, and I am familiar with Assad’s rule of Syria. Knowing the historical context on some level, made me connect with the children in this story in an intense way! I want my students to have that same connection, so I would divide my class into three sections and have them conduct informal research as a group on these three times in history. Then each group will present out to the others.
Here are some links to help (please note the sensitivity of the subject matter and preview sites before you hand them out):
- Larry Ferlazzo’s Blog – Resources (links and videos) on what’s happening in Syria
- Kid World Citizen – Maps, resources, videos and how to help sites
- The Guardian – Download a “where it all began” document
- Education World – Teaching the Holocaust
- Ducksters Education Site – World War II – Holocaust overview of information
- Scholastic – A Collection of Resources to teach the Holocaust
- US Holocaust Museum Site – Resources for students
- Encyclopedia Britannica – Fidel Castro
- CNN – A timeline of Castro
- Teaching Social Responsibility – Cuba and the US
- Ducksters – Fidel Castro
Theme and Essential Questions
We always pull out one or two major themes from a novel and create an essential question. Refugee is about survival and courage from the point of view of the refugee for sure, but it is also about the courage of those not directly affected, the courage to step up and make a change.
Possible essential questions:
- What responsibility, if any, do we have to strangers in a crisis?
- When is it important to fight for civil rights? How can a child fight for civil rights?
There are so many more possibilities with this powerful book, but I am passionate about creating social activists in my classroom. The ideas in Refugee really go nicely with bullying programs in schools and the idea of standing up for someone who is being abused, or becoming invisible, so the tables don’t get turned on you.
A few powerful points brought up in the book (and there are way more than what I’m sharing) are:
- How do people survive and change through such horrendous treatment? Do people become somewhat of a shell, devoid of feelings and with a broken spirit? Do they become outspoken and brazen? Do they try to hide and become invisible?
- Becoming a victim of a reign of terror can happen to anyone at any time if people allow it to happen. If people sit by and ignore these catastrophic events, they are silently condoning such behavior.
Vocabulary :
This book has great word choice and I pulled out some vocabulary. Please choose only a handful to teach! I also pulled out some content language/words to bring to students attention as they read.
- rationing (8)
- recoiled (9 & 181)
- indignation (17)
- summoned (28)
- melodious (30) ethereal (30
- catatonic (31)
- lurched (36)
- disinfected (40)
- waning (60)
- artillery (70)
- paranoia (74)
- asylum (90)
- dissident (100)
- ominous (108)
- profusely (115)
- inconsolable (133)
- dinghy (141)
- berating (148)
- oppressive (148)
- pandemonium (158)
- respite (160)
- incoherently (183)
- chastised (190)
- somber (224)
- instantaneous (240)
- condolences (241)
- mutiny (254)
Content words:
- swastika (3 & 35)
- brownshirts (3)
- synagogues (5)
- Kristallnacht (5)
- communist (8)
- Mu’adhadhin (30)
- Guantanamo Bay (42)
- yarmulkes (75)
- “The Storm of the Century” (154)
Research and Take Action
This book is too powerful to end when the students finish reading. Have them continue learning about refugees (past and present). Have them learn what they can do to help and what organizations are trying to make a difference. Here are some sites:
- Facing History and Ourselves Lesson Plan
- Amnesty International – resources to understand the refugee crisis
- Brown University – The Choices Program
- Annenberg Media – Curriculum Resources for Teaching about Refugees
- The UN Refugee Agency – Teaching Resources
- Pulitzer Center – What is it like to be a refugee?
- Refugee lesson plan
Author website – https://www.alangratz.com/writing/refugee/
We would love to hear your feedback on the book or lesson ideas!
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Reader Interactions
November 6, 2018 at 6:13 am
This information is very helpful.Thank you.
November 7, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Love your review:)
November 9, 2018 at 1:54 pm
August 24, 2019 at 8:39 pm
October 28, 2019 at 6:00 pm
I read the book. It was good. 😉
October 29, 2019 at 9:07 am
It is still one of our favorites!
October 27, 2020 at 6:05 pm
I’m reading the book right now for school but I honestly would read it in my own time!!! Great review btw.
October 28, 2020 at 3:12 am
Thank you. We feel the same way about that book. It is definitely a favorite with our students.
November 7, 2024 at 8:46 pm
I’m reading it currently and I was looking at so many different websites learning about things I never knew and this helped so much thank you.
November 8, 2024 at 5:53 am
We are so glad it helped. It is a really interesting history!
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COMMENTS
In the book Refugee, Alan Gratz tells three stories of refugees at different times. They are all similar and undoubtedly very tragic. These are the stories of people who have endured all sorts of hardships of fleeing from their homeland with the sole purpose of surviving somewhere else.
Refugee follows the stories of three refugee children fleeing conflicts in their home countries. The first protagonist, Josef, is a 12-year-old Jewish boy living in Germany in 1938, during the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Josef Landau is a twelve-year-old boy living in Berlin. In 1938, his home is raided by Nazi storm troopers, and his father is taken to the Dachau concentration camp. Six months later, his mother receives a telegram that her husband has been released, but the family must leave Germany immediately.
After a lifetime of regret that he did not break the rules to help the passengers of the St. Louis, he gives his family a life in America. Mahmoud overcomes his fear of visibility and dares to defy the guards in Hungary, leading his family and the other refugees to freedom in Austria and beyond.
Through the perils and forced courage of his protagonists, Gratz highlights the biggest tragedy of all refugee crises in history: the loss of childhood. Writing of the Syrian crisis, he notes, In...
This book follows three children and their families through horrendous times in history: Nazi Germany, Fidel Castro in Cuba, and Assad in Syria (still happening, unfortunately). Gratz shares fictional stories based on real events of how families have been brutally forced from their homes, separated from loved ones, and treated like property.
Need help on characters in Alan Gratz's Refugee? Check out our detailed character descriptions. From the creators of SparkNotes.
Discussion of themes and motifs in Alan Gratz's Refugee. eNotes critical analyses help you gain a deeper understanding of Refugee so you can excel on your essay or test.
Alan Gratz’s novel Refugee (2017) illuminates the worldwide refugee crisis through the stories of three children fleeing possible death with their families in different times and places. Though...
Gratz shows how plans go awry and how refugees are often at the mercy of others on their way to freedom and safety. This theme shows the high stakes of life for the refugees, for whom the dangers of life in their home countries are rivaled by the dangers they face on the road to freedom.