Describes how refugees from different countries and religious traditions view Americans and how they adjust to life in the United States. In the aftermath of September 11, Americans have more in common with refugees: both have experienced panic, loss, disruption, and vulnerability. Identity is no longer based on territory. Topics include: (1) the author’s life in Nebraska and first encounters with refugees from all corners of the world; (2) stories told by refugees, including adolescents and families fleeing Saddam Hussein’s persecution of the Kurds in Iraq, Kenyan refugees, and families from Vietnam, Laos, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Croatia; (3) the endurance of cultural values; (4) the confusion caused by images in the American media that promote materialism; (5) the importance of cultural brokers to help newcomers traverse the paradoxes of American life; (6) the role of schools in helping refugees bridge the past and the future; (7) the struggles of refugee teenagers caught between their familiesand the larger culture; (8) the experiences of young refugees who are their families’ primary wage earners and liaisons to the English-speaking community; and (9) mental health risks of refugees, attributes of resilience, and cross-cultural healing.
