refugee book essay topics

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Chapters 1-11

Chapters 12-21

Chapters 22-32

Chapters 33-43

Chapters 44-53

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

A high point of Josef’s ocean voyage is his bar mitzvah ceremony. How does this transition to manhood affect his attitude and behavior going forward?

Discuss the dictators who factor into each child’s story and the ways in which they make their presence known symbolically.

The theme of finding a better life is explored in each of the three refugee tales. How would each child define “a better life?”

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The Journey

In  Refugee , author Alan Gratz shares the stories of three young people looking for a place to live in peace — Josef in 1930s Nazi Germany, Isabel in 1990s Cuba, and Mahmoud in present-day Syria. Though they all come from different places and grew up in different times, they all share similar struggles as they seek out a better life for themselves and their families.

For readers of  Refugee , these stories provide an opportunity to learn about the harsh realities of war and economic crisis that motivate people to seek refuge. Through its structure and organization, the book is able to present complex themes and ideas in a way that enables students to fully grasp them. It also allows teachers like you to take advantage of a variety of thought-provoking activities and resources to help further students’ understanding of the ideas presented.

Perfect for in-class discussion — and a great option for  book reports  —  Refugee provides students with the chance to use their imaginations and make real-world connections. Overall, Alan Gratz titles like this one are an effective and beneficial way to study the genre of historical fiction .

During reading, it’s important to encourage students to reflect on the experiences of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud through writing and discussion. The following 12 prompts will help further students’ understandings of the stories detailed in  Refugee  by focusing on important details and themes, plus storytelling elements, such as point of view and structure.

On key ideas and details

1.  Discuss the reasons that Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud’s families leave their homes. What are the situations in each of their lives that force them to flee? How are their situations similar and how are they different?

2.  What is the theme of this book as expressed through the central characters? What do you feel is the most important idea in each of these stories? Provide examples in the plot of each story to support your ideas.

3.  Discuss the personalities of each of these young people: Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud. In what ways do each of them have to take charge of their families’ plights at different points in their story? Describe the points at which each young person has to act as an adult.

4.  How do the parents in each of these families change in the course of their journeys? Compare the fathers and mothers of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud, and discuss the ways that events in each story shape their responses to their situation.

5.  Compare the method of travel for each of these refugee families. How does Josef’s sea voyage compare to those of Isabel and Mahmoud? What is the most threatening part of each of these voyages and how do those threats create obstacles for the families as they travel? On craft and structure

6.  Josef says, “It was like they were invisible . . . people chose not to see them.” (p. 18) How does this simple statement reflect his experience on the train in Nazi Germany? Why do the people ignore them? Compare his experience to Mahmoud’s when he says, “They only see us when we do something they don’t want us to do.” (p. 214)

7.  Why do you think the author chose to tell these three stories in alternating chapters? What is the effect on the reader of moving back and forth between the stories from different periods of history?

8.  Who are the helpful people in each of these three journeys? Why do others treat the refugees with meanness and disrespect? How do these experiences affect each of the families and lead to the survival of certain family members?

9.  How does the author develop the point of view of each of the characters? What is the impact of seeing how many days each character has been away from home at the start of each section? How do the stories of these three children intersect in the end, even though they are separated by many years? On integration of knowledge and ideas

10.  Listen to the  Refugee audiobook . What is the experience of hearing the main characters speak rather than reading their words on the page? How does your perception of these stories change when you hear them narrated?

11.  Compare the stories of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud to others you have read about refugee children. There are many stories of Holocaust victims like Josef and his family, but few that recount events that are more recent, such as the war in Syria. Compare the experience of Mahmoud’s family to one described in a newspaper, magazine, or online article of your choosing.

12.  Research the history of the three dictators in these stories — Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro, and Bashar al-Assad. Discuss how the policies and beliefs of these leaders have affected the lives of the characters in each story. Are the lives of the people in each of these places still the same today or have their lives improved?

After reading, consider diving deeper into contemporary stories and experiences of refugees by asking students to find places in their own community that are helping refugees settle into a new life. Discuss with your students ways they could help young people seeking refuge become acclimated to a different country with different customs.  

(For more great reads for your students, check out the best historical and realistic fiction books for your classroom .)  

Shop Refugee and other Alan Gratz books below! You can find all books and activities at  The Teacher Store .

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128 Refugee Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Refugees are individuals who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict, or violence. Their stories are often filled with hardship, resilience, and hope. Writing an essay on refugee topics can shed light on the experiences of these individuals and raise awareness about the issues they face. Here are 128 refugee essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started:

• The impact of war on refugee populations
• Refugee policies and their implications for human rights
• The role of international organizations in supporting refugees
• Refugee children and their access to education
• The mental health challenges faced by refugees
• Refugee resettlement programs and their effectiveness
• Gender-based violence among refugee populations
• The experiences of LGBTQ refugees
• Refugee integration and social cohesion in host countries
• The economic contributions of refugees to host communities
• The legal rights of refugees in different countries
• Refugee camps and their conditions
• The experiences of unaccompanied refugee minors
• Refugee healthcare access and disparities
• Refugee entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency
• The impact of climate change on refugee populations
• Refugee identity and belonging
• The role of media in shaping perceptions of refugees
• Refugee advocacy and activism
• The experiences of refugee women in conflict zones
• Refugee trauma and mental health treatment
• Refugee education access and quality
• The experiences of refugee families in resettlement
• Refugee child labor and exploitation
• The role of religion in refugee communities
• Refugee storytelling and narrative resilience
• Refugee art and cultural expression
• The experiences of refugee athletes in international competitions
• Refugee political participation and representation
• The impact of COVID-19 on refugee populations
• Refugee youth empowerment programs
• Refugee language barriers and communication challenges
• The experiences of refugee healthcare workers in times of crisis
• Refugee environmental activism and sustainability efforts
• Refugee access to legal representation and advocacy services
• The experiences of refugee journalists and media professionals
• Refugee access to technology and digital resources
• The impact of displacement on refugee mental health
• Refugee access to clean water and sanitation facilities
• Refugee food insecurity and nutrition challenges
• The experiences of refugee artists and creatives in exile
• Refugee access to reproductive health services
• Refugee access to higher education and vocational training
• The impact of xenophobia on refugee communities
• Refugee access to financial services and banking
• Refugee housing and shelter conditions
• Refugee access to transportation and mobility services
• The experiences of refugee older adults and elderly populations
• Refugee access to legal aid and justice systems
• Refugee access to childcare and family support services
• The impact of trauma-informed care on refugee mental health
• Refugee access to sports and recreational activities
• Refugee access to disability services and accommodations
• The experiences of refugee healthcare providers in conflict zones
• Refugee access to emergency response and disaster relief services
• Refugee access to psychosocial support and counseling
• Refugee access to gender-based violence prevention and response services
• The impact of community-based interventions on refugee mental health
• Refugee access to addiction treatment and recovery services
• Refugee access to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services
• The experiences of refugee LGBTQ individuals in resettlement
• Refugee access to sexual and reproductive health services
• Refugee access to trauma therapy and counseling services
• The impact of cultural competency on refugee mental health services
• Refugee access to peer support and mentorship programs
• Refugee access to vocational training and job placement services
• Refugee access to legal aid and immigration services
• The impact of social support networks on refugee mental health
• Refugee access to community-based mental health services
• Refugee access to emergency shelters and transitional housing
• Refugee access to nutrition and food assistance programs
• The impact of language barriers on refugee mental health services

These essay topic ideas and examples provide a starting point for exploring the complex issues surrounding refugees and their experiences. By delving into these topics, you can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by refugees and the ways in which individuals and communities can support their resilience and well-being.

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Trauma and Coming of Age

Refugee centers on the stories of three children forced to flee from their homes: Josef , a 12-year-old Jewish boy fleeing Germany during World War II; Isabel , an 11-year-old Cuban girl attempting to cross the ocean to Miami in 1994; and Mahmoud , a 13-year-old Syrian boy caught in civil war in 2015. Because Gratz uses three children as the lenses through which readers experience the story, the book also tracks the coming of…

Injustice and Cruelty vs. Empathy and Social Responsibility

In Refugee , Gratz explores how non-refugees treat those who are journeying through or landing in their home countries, weaving patterns among the people who meet Josef , Isabel , and Mahmoud . Gratz employs two kinds of non-refugees in his novel: those who dehumanize or ignore the protagonists’ plights, and those who are empathetic and attempt to help. Gratz demonstrates how when a group of people is dehumanized, it is easier for others to…

Hope vs. Despair

Refugee ’s three storylines focus on three societies in the throes of their worst political crises, to the point where the society as a whole has succumbed to a kind of despair. Likewise, Josef , Isabel , and Mahmoud face myriad obstacles, setbacks, dilemmas, and severe tragedies as a result of those conflicts. But as much as they are unable to control the conditions that they are forced to face, the novel’s three protagonists and…

Family, Displacement, and Culture

All three of Refugee ’s protagonists are forced to flee the only culture they have ever known, but Josef and Isabel in particular fear the erasure of their personal cultural identity, or a future inability to connect to the place they once called home. Gratz refutes the idea that they will lose this sense of culture, however, due in large part to the fact that Josef and Isabel remain connected to a family that shares…

Invisibility and the Refugee Experience

One of the aspects of being a refugee that is particularly difficult for Mahmoud is feeling invisible. Mahmoud is the only one of the three protagonists whose journey frequently causes him to interact with people native to the countries through which he is traveling. As he moves from Syria to Germany, he grapples with the idea of whether it is better to be seen, or better to blend in with the crowd and make as…

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Teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz: 12 Creative Activities

One of the reasons I am so drawn to middle school ELA is the power of fiction as a tool for helping students develop a greater sense of empathy. I believe that there’s no better text to use for teaching themes of empathy, kindness, and the human experience than Refugee by Alan Gratz.

Fiction gives the reader a chance to see through a character’s eyes. I know that personally, as a reader, I often can gain greater understanding about issues such as personal struggles, sacrifice, or even the impact of global events, like war, when I explore them through the eyes of an individual character. 

This is why I get so excited about teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz . Packed with adventure, insights into the historical and modern experiences of refugees, and opportunities to build empathy and global citizenship, this moving book is a great choice for middle school readers.

Here are some of my best tips and activities to make the most out of teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz.

Pre-Reading Activities

I like to begin teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz by helping students build on their existing awareness of the themes and historical context of the novel.

First, focus the class with a quick game of “Do You Agree?” This is a no-prep activity – simply begin with all students standing up, and ask them to remain standing if they agree with statements like these:

• Fiction and storytelling has the power to change people’s minds and hearts.
• Sometimes we need to make sacrifices today for a better tomorrow. 
• There is strength in kindness.

Next, I might have students examine and reflect on the book’s cover, explore biographical information about the author, and then get into the overall structure of the novel.

It’s important for students to understand that the novel follows the story of three young refugees living at different times: Josef is a young Jewish boy living during 1930s Nazi Germany. Isabel is a Cuban girl during the 1994 rafter crisis. Finally, Mahmoud is a Syrian boy living through the Syrian Civil War in 2015. Although they are fictional characters, their tales are based on true stories. 

Chapters 1-6

While students engage with the first six chapters of the novel, I find it helpful to continue building background information. In my opinion, web quests are an ideal way to do this! Within a structured framework (where I provide research sources and guiding questions ), I like to get students explore articles and resources related to refugees and their experiences. During this web quest, students learn more about important terms. These include what makes someone a refugee, what a refugee’s experience leaving their home is like, and how they can help.

Another way to build background information is to have students learn more about the history of Germany, Syria and Cuba—the events that transpired (and led to) these 3 individual stories. You might use an historical timeline assignment , where students learn about these events in groups or individually.

First they read nonfiction articles about the important historical moments leading up to Kristallnacht in Josef’s narrative, the Malenconazo protest in Cuba in Isabel’s narrative, and the Aleppo bombings in Mahmoud’s narrative. Then, they summarize the article into the four major events that led to these moments in history. You might even like to turn the end result into an engaging bulletin board display!

Lastly, when teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz, I like to make sure students have a graphic organizer , where they can jot down important themes or recurring interconnected ideas from the novel. Because the novel is packed with so many important—and often interconnected—motifs, this helps students keep track of them. They can later use this as a reference when writing about the novel in a thematic final essay.

Chapters 7-12

The action in Refugee really intensifies in this second section when Isabel and her family leave Cuba on a makeshift boat. As this part of the book is set in 1994 (long before your students were born!), the class may need a bit of additional information about the Cuban Raft Exodus. Here, students can scan QR codes to explore more, including articles and captioned photographs.

Once they have had the opportunity to explore these articles, students then step into the role of a journalist covering the story at the time. Thinking creatively, drawing inspiration from the novel, students must consider how Isabel (and other characters accompanying her on the journey) would have responded to reporters’ questions while boarding their raft.

Chapters 13-18

By the end of the third section of the book, middle schoolers should have an increasingly strong understanding of how the characters’ stories are connected. At this point in teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz, I like to pause and introduce a creative writing task .

To begin, ask students to imagine that one of the three main characters (Josef, Isabel, or Mahmoud) has a magic bottle that, when dropped in water, can travel through time and space. Eventually, the note inside will be delivered to another character from the novel. 

Using text evidence, students take on the perspective of any of the three characters, and write a letter to one of the other characters. The goal in writing is to share the character’s life experiences, the challenges they have faced, how they feel, and their hopes for the future. In this task, students also have the opportunity to reply – in character – to either their own letter or a classmate’s note. For the reply, the content will largely focus on the connections between the two stories.

In my experience, assessments like this are very useful for checking in with my students. I can really tell who “gets it” and who might need a little bit more support with tricky concepts like theme.

Chapters 19-27

At first glance, a poetry assignment in the middle of teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz might seem out of place. But trust me! Students always rise to the occasion and often express very creative insights through poetry.

To begin, I teach a brief lesson on blackout poetry. I explain that a blackout poem is a type of found poetry that is produced by intentionally redacting (blacking out) the words in a text, often with a black marker. The words that remain form the new blackout poem.

Once students understand the idea, it’s time to create their own blackout poetry , using Refugee as the source text. I like to do this in a six-step process:

• Choose the source text and make a copy of the page (or pages!) the student wishes to use for their blackout poem.
• Students carefully read and analyze their source material.
• Working with light pencil, begin the process of leaving words unredacted (in other words, not blacked out!).
• Students should finalize their creative choices by reading over the poem carefully, making sure that it builds on a common theme and, more practically, can be read from left to right.
• Using a black marker (I’m partial to fine-tip Sharpies), students should “square off” their final words. One final double check might be in order here – there’s no going back!
• Students can now “black out” the rest of the page. They might like to incorporate some creative designs (i.e. shapes) into this process to emphasize themes.

Tip: Blackout poems are a fantastic way to refresh your Refugee bulletin board at this mid-way point of the novel!

Chapters 28-36

As students continue reading the book, they may be compelled to learn more about the experiences refugees may have in their own community. Teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz provides so many opportunities to make text-to-world connections, including exploring local current events.

Chapters 28 to 36 focus on the enduring theme of the impact of kindness on those who have fled their homes in search of a better future. With this in mind, there is an opportunity to help students see how they have the power to have a positive impact on refugees who are new to their country or community. 

Writing a letter of welcome to a newly-arrived refugee is a real-world task students can really get into. Even better, you may be able to seek out a place to deliver these letters within your own community. 

A handout with detailed instructions for writing the letter is included in my comprehensive resource for teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz . This resource also includes a pre-writing graphic organizer and a letter template.

Chapters 37-45

As the book builds to its climax across the three inter-woven narratives, students often appreciate learning about human rights. While teaching this section of Refugee by Alan Gratz, I like to lead two activities:

Refugee Human Rights Activity: 

In this task, I like to introduce students to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From here, I have them apply what they learn to the novel. First, students learn about the 30 universal human rights. Next, they can apply their learning as they analyze the human rights violations in Refugee . 

For this assignment, they must consider each of the three protagonists’ experiences. Working alone or in groups of three (taking on the perspective of one character each), they compose a paragraph that describes the violations each character experienced in the novel, using text evidence.

“The Perils of Indifference” by Elie Wiesel Activity:  

The Perils of Indifference is a well-known speech by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. This speech – which is widely available in audio, video, and print forms – is an ideal springboard to explore the ideas of indifference.

To make this task meaningful for middle schoolers, I like to provide task cards featuring quotes from the speech . Once the class has viewed the speech together, small groups of students can use the task cards to guide discussions related to the consequences of an indifferent attitude, particularly as it relates to refugees. 

If you like, this empathy-building task can be extended into a writing activity . For this task, students can reflect on a quote that resonated particularly strongly with them, and support their thoughts with evidence from either the speech or the novel.

Chapters 46-53

To conclude your novel study, your middle school readers will enjoy reviewing the plot of the novel with an engaging game! In the Refugee Plot Matching Mystery Quote Game , students sort out plot cards for each of the three narratives. When the game is completed correctly, a powerful quote related to the theme of the novel will appear!

I also love to finish teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz with meaningful final assignments. Here are three of my favourites:

“Refugees” by Brian Bilson Poetry Connection Activity: 

During this poetry response activity , students can make connections between Brian Bilston’s poem “Refugees” and Alan Gratz’s novel Refugee . Bilston’s poem , upon first read, presents a negative perspective of refugees. However, this all-too-common perspective gets flipped on its head when the reader is instructed to read the poem in reverse. Once students have had the opportunity to explore the poem, I get them to complete a response assignment , which contains guiding questions to support students as they compare the two texts. 

Refugee Final One Pager Creative Project: 

One-pagers are a creative way for students to demonstrate their understanding, interpretation, and analysis of a text on a single piece of paper. I find that visual thinkers really love this type of task!

For this final novel project, students will create three one-pagers , one for each of the plot lines in Refugee . I provide detailed instructions for what needs to be included on the one-pager, pre-writing graphic organizers for planning, and one-pager templates for each of the characters. The final presentation is up to each student!

Refugee Final Essay Topics: 

Another option is to finish off your Refugee unit plan by having students write a final essay. Ready-to-use topics are a low-prep way to introduce this writing task. (Note: My provided topics align with the thematic graphic organizer that students completed throughout the unit.)

There you go! I hope this post inspires you to try out teaching Refugee by Alan Gratz in your classroom this year! The resources mentioned in this post (as well as many more!) are available in the Refugee Novel Study Reading Unit bundle .

Looking for more complete novel study units? Check out these blog posts about other popular middle school novels!

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Refugee Discussion Guide

Click below to see the Scholastic Discussion Guide for Refugee created by Connie Rockman. It includes pre-reading and post-reading activities and questions for discussing key ideas and details, craft and structure, and integration of knowledge and ideas. Designed for grades 3-8.

Return to Refugee

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by Alan Gratz

Refugee essay questions.

What role does the concept of survival play in Refugee ?

Survival plays a significant role in Refugee as one of the book's major themes. The theme of people striving to live through trying circumstances is first introduced in Josef's storyline. As a survivor of Dachau, Josef's father knows the extent of the Nazis' brutality and is determined to force his way onto the MS St. Louis , seeing escape from Germany as his only chance at survival. Meanwhile, the Castillos' and Fernandezes' struggle to keep their homemade watercraft afloat amid storms and swarming sharks highlight the characters' efforts to survive. Mahmoud's storyline also touches on survival when his family members are stranded in the Mediterranean with fake life jackets, and he takes the life jacket of a dead man to save his mother. Despite the moral implications, Mahmoud's biological imperative to stay alive makes him act in ways he never thought possible.

What role does the concept of self-sacrifice play in Refugee ?

As one of the novel's most important themes, self-sacrifice plays a significant role in Refugee. The theme first appears in Isabel's story, when she sacrifices her treasured trumpet to obtain gasoline, which she uses to get her family on the Castillos' boat out of Cuba. Additionally, Lito's diversion of the US Coast Guard highlights the importance of self-sacrifice in ensuring his family's survival. Towards the end of the book, the theme comes up again when Ruthie informs Mahmoud that her brother Josef went to a concentration camp in order to secure her freedom. Josef's selflessness has a lasting impact, allowing Ruthie to offer refuge to the Bisharas many years later. In this way, Gratz shows how people's willingness to be honorable and put others' needs before their own contributes to a better world in which one person's freedom can extend to the freedom of countless others.

In what ways does Gratz explore the concept of visibility in Refugee ?

Defined as the extent to which someone attracts attention, visibility is a significant theme in Refugee . Gratz explores the theme chiefly through his portrayals of Josef and Mahmoud. In Josef's case, the anti-Semitic propaganda ubiquitous in 1930s Germany leads to him attracting unwanted attention, his Jewish identity broadcasted to everyone because of the yellow armband Jews must wear. As an experiment, Josef walks through the German sections of a train car without the armband and is treated with the humanity he once enjoyed. In Mahmoud's story, hostility between Shia and Sunni Muslims affects his day-to-day life, and he longs to disappear from notice so as not to attract the attention of bullies. However, Mahmoud changes his mind later in the novel, having realized that he and other refugees need the public to care about their struggle. To make himself and others visible, he leads a group of refugees across the country to Austria, attracting media coverage and gaining the compassion of people around the world. In this way, he regains his humanity by making himself visible.

How is displacement significant to the different storylines of Refugee ?

As one of the book's major themes, displacement plays a significant role in Refugee . In Josef's narrative, the rise of Hitler and the anti-Semitic policies of the Nazi Party progressively erode his German-Jewish family's cultural ties to Germany. In 1939, Josef's father is released from a concentration camp under the condition that he relocate his family outside the country, making their physical and cultural displacement complete. In Isabel's story, her family leaves their economically repressed and politically oppressive home in search of a better life in the United States, at the risk of losing touch with Cuban culture. In Mahmoud's narrative, his family endures the ravages of civil war until a bomb destroys their home, resulting in their physical displacement. Faced with unbearable circumstances, the Bisharas join other refugees, moving from one camp to another until they find refuge in Germany. For each of the three protagonists and their families, political conditions push them out of their homes and homelands.

In what ways does Gratz explore the concept of trauma in Refugee ?

The theme of trauma is a central focus of the novel. Gratz presents the theme most directly through Josef's father, Aaron Landau. After he spends six months at the Dachau concentration camp, where he endures starvation and psychological torture and is forced to witness Nazis drowning Jewish prisoners, Aaron is traumatized beyond recognition. While leaving Germany with his family, Aaron exhibits symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, manifesting mainly as paranoia. For instance, Aaron is too afraid to leave his cabin on the MS St. Louis , believing the Nazis on the ship will capture him. Aaron's inability to process his trauma eventually leads him to attempt suicide by leaping off the ship while it is in a Cuban harbor. He survives, but arrives in the hospital in such poor psychological condition that the Cubans don't return him to his family on the ship when it turns around.

Refugee Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Refugee is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

earthly analogy

Sorry, I'm not sure what you are asking here. Can you elaborate?

Refugee reflection pages 236-252

Sorry, this is only a short answer space.

Find three figures of speech

“Isabel woke to a warm orange glow on the horizon and a silver sea stretching out before them like a mirror. It was as though the storm had been some kind of feverish nightmare. Señor Castillo woke from his nightmare too, parched like a...

Study Guide for Refugee

Refugee study guide contains a biography of Alan Gratz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Refugee
• Refugee Summary
• Character List

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!

Copyright Statement

Content © 2024 Jessica Rogers and Sherry McElhannon of Literary Fusions and literaryfusions.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s authors and owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Literary Fusions and literaryfusions.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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.

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Essay on Refugee by Alan Gratz

Three kids have a common goal, to escape their horrible conditions. When the journey to freedom faces them with the worst & they go through the most dreadful situations something inside them changes and they learn to persevere. The book Refugee by Alan Gratz takes us through the escape of 3 different children. Joseff is with his family to escape being sent to concentration camps. Isabel is forced to leave after her home when Cuba goes extremely poor and living conditions are unsuitable for her and her family. Finally, Mohmand leaves after a warfare spreads through his country & his home.takes 

When we lose things we love we can still learn to persevere. Josef is living in a nightmare. Him and his family are Jewish and the Nazis have told them they are not allowed to practice their religion. They have no rights and are treated horribly. Josef's father is taken away for practicing his religion one night “Two of the Nazis yanked Josef's father to his feet and dragged him towards the door” (Gratz 3). After this tragedy occurs Josef's mother moves them out. Traveling across the world in  search of freedom proves harder than expected. When Josef’s father is released from Concentration camp, he is not the same father that Josef had grown up with and loved so dearly. “Josef gave his mother a frightened look that said What's wrong with papa?” (Gratz 37). 

After seeing his father like this the family soon realizes that Josef’s father is no longer a “father figure” and Josef starts to take charge. After his Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish celebration of man to boy, Josef becomes more responsible and instead of constantly talking about the mental loss of his father he steps in to become the father figure for his younger sister. “Maybe this is what becoming a man is, Maybe becoming a man means not relying on your father anymore” (Gratz 75). Weeks after his Bar Mitzvah Josefs father attempts to jump off the side of the boat. Again Josef is saddened by this, but sticks with his family and stays strong and really proves that whatever may face us can be pushed through.

When our hopes are crushed we tend to stop wanting to try to reach other goals, but no matter what we can get through it while changing and maturing as a person. Isabel’s home is located in Cuba and their country's economy is slowly plummeting. She is running out of food to eat and her family is slowing losing hope of staying alive in the conditions. Her family finally decides to escape with their neighbors, which includes Isabel’s best friend Ivan. They're boat is made of the worst materials, but after sailing for so long they finally come across land, in the Bahamas. They're so relieved to have finally found land. 

Unfortunately upon their arrival, they are told by a Bahamian officer “You are not allowed to land. Bahamian law forbids the entrance of illegal aliens to the Bahamas. If you step foot on Bohemian soil you will be sent back to your country of origin” (Gratz 175). At first everyone on the boat is discouraged and crushed, but after bystanders throw food and water to them, they continue their voyage and persevere until they reach Florida which allows them in.

Even at the lowest points of our lives, we can get through the worst. Mahmoud is a 12 year old boy living in Syria when a war breaks out that drives him and his family out of their home. As he searches for freedom he faces everyone's biggest fears. For example and ordinary taxi trip turns into a living nightmare “He expected to see the lights of a Serbian border town. Another tent city. Instead, they were stopped in the middle of a lonely stretch of highway surrounded by dark empty fields. And the taxi driver was leaning over the back seat with a pistol aimed straight at them” (Gratz 235). Although this experience scares Mahmoud and his family, he still continues on his journey to freedom. Although this experience is one of many that has turned Mahmounds brother into a expressionless robot. Through all of this Mahmoud learns to cherish his home and family and becomes more thankful for every little thing after his family is safe.

The book Refugee By Alan Gratz may seem like a tragic book that leaves us feeling sad, it is truly a book that teaches us a very important lesson. Even when we are faced with the worst we can get through it and change as a person for the better. This book proves this theme by showing 3 kids who go through the worst and still manage to keep an open heart and eventually find freedom. It challenges the idea that upsetting events turn us into sad people by proving that although we may be sad we have the ability to push through for the good of us and those around us.

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Educational Resources for Educators

Novel Study Activities for the book Refugee by Alan Gratz

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What an incredible novel this is! My students were intensely interested in and engaged with Refugee by Alan Gratz. It’s an incredibly moving book with so many opportunities for great discussions and critical thinking. While working through this novel with my students I came up with and compiled many activities to support our understanding of the text.

Background info on Refugee by Alan Gratz:

The story centers around 3 young people who each find themselves having to flee their country. Josef is a young boy from 1939 Germany who is fleeing the Germany with his family. Isabel is a young girl from Cuba in 1994 and she flees the country with her family to escape the regime of Fidel Castro. The third storyline is Mahmoud’s. He is a Syrian boy who also flees his country with his family. Each story outlines their perilous journeys to find safety in a new country.

Each chapter in Refugee lends itself very well to critical thinking comprehension questions that lead to great class discussions. I recommend this novel for students in 5th grade and up due to the more mature nature of some of the content.

Novel Study Activities and Ideas for Refugee by Alan Gratz:

I did some pre-reading with my students using picture books. Eve Bunting’s Gleam and Glow is a great one as well as My Beautiful Birds by Suzanne Del Rizzo .

I found this book trailer on youtube that I showed prior to beginning reading.

You can make a free account on Epic which has all kinds of fiction and non-fiction books for kids including many audio books. Refugee is included there as an audio-book and it has different people doing the voices for each character complete with accents. This is how we listened to the book as a read aloud.

After reading the first several chapters I sent home a homework assignment . Students had to pretend they were refugees being forced to leave their home, never to return. They had to get a parent to time them for 10 minutes while they packed a bag. When the time was up they were to take a picture of the contents of their backpack and then email it to me. I gave them Thursday-Sunday to complete the activity and then on Monday we shared our pictures and talked about why they packed the items they did. Several parents emailed me to tell me how much they loved doing the assignment with their children because it sparked some great conversations at home.

Here are some of the backpack photos:

I also created comprehension questions to go with every chapter though I didn’t  have them respond in writing after each chapter because the chapters are short. We would read through about 3 chapters (touching on each main character) and they would respond orally to a few questions. Then after another 3 chapters I had them respond in writing or on their chromebook to questions that I had already made up. Sometimes I would have them summarize the chapter and look up vocabulary as well. You can find my novel study in my TPT shop and it includes about 200 pages of comprehension questions and other activities. There’s a printable version as well as a digital version for Google Slides. Here are some sample pages – you can also find the homework assignment note to parents in this novel study as well as a recording sheet for author questions, among other activities.

My students had a lot of questions for the author of Refugee, Alan Gratz. So we recorded our questions and then watched a Q and A on youtube to see if our questions were answered. If questions aren’t answered students can tweet the author to see if he will answer. Here’s the Q and A on youtube:

Another activity you can do with your students is check out this scribble map .

The Scribble Map has pins in all of the places the characters went. When you click on each pin there is a quote from the book from that location. We would visit the Scribble map after each reading to see where the characters were on the map.

Another fun activity is starting a Flip Grid for students to response to questions. We connected with a classroom across the country from us who were also reading Refugee and then we all responded to the questions on the same flip grid. It was neat for my students to get to hear how other students were feeling about the same chapter. We connected to the other classroom through a facebook group for educators. If you’re looking to connect with other educators you can join my 3rd to 5th facebook group .

At the end of the book you can have students research various refugee groups to create a current connection for them. They can use Google Sites to create awareness pages for the refugee group they researched and make presentations to other classes or share their websites on Twitter.

This website has some great resources and lessons as well for looking at other refugee groups.

The website Canva also has a FREE Venn Diagram maker that you can use to compare the stories. I use Canva with my students for infographics as well but I recently found out about their Venn Diagram maker.

You can also have them write a new final chapter because they ending leaves them hanging on certain things so this gave them a sense of closure.

My students couldn’t believe that many of the events that occurred in this novel actually happened in real life so we often explored historical resources like this encyclopedia entry about the St. Lewis.

You can also show your students this video from Kids Meet where they meet a refugee.

I hope you got some great ideas to support your reading of the book Refugee by Alan Gratz .  Feel free to share any more ideas in the comments.

You can find my novel study in my store here .

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July 7, 2020 at 12:23 pm

This is excellent ! I am a remote learning tutor for the summer and these ideas were perfect for the families I am working with. Michele in New Hampshire

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Refugee (Alan Gratz) Lesson Plans for Teachers

Teaching Refugee (Alan Gratz)

The Refugee (Alan Gratz) lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. Inside you'll find 30 Daily Lessons, 20 Fun Activities, 180 Multiple Choice Questions, 60 Short Essay Questions, 20 Essay Questions, Quizzes/Homework Assignments, Tests, and more. The lessons and activities will help students gain an intimate understanding of the text, while the tests and quizzes will help you evaluate how well the students have grasped the material. View a free sample

Target Grade: 7th-12th (Middle School and High School)

Length of Lesson Plan: Approximately 177 pages. Page count is estimated at 300 words per page. Length will vary depending on format viewed.

Browse The Refugee (Alan Gratz) Lesson Plan:

Full Lesson Plan Overview

Completely customizable.

The Refugee (Alan Gratz) lesson plan is downloadable in PDF and Word. The Word file is viewable with any PC or Mac and can be further adjusted if you want to mix questions around and/or add your own headers for things like "Name," "Period," and "Date." The Word file offers unlimited customizing options so that you can teach in the most efficient manner possible. Once you download the file, it is yours to keep and print for your classroom. View a FREE sample

Lesson Plan Calendars

The Lesson Plan Calendars provide daily suggestions about what to teach. They include detailed descriptions of when to assign reading, homework, in-class work, fun activities, quizzes, tests and more. Use the entire Refugee (Alan Gratz) calendar, or supplement it with your own curriculum ideas. Calendars cover one, two, four, and eight week units. Determine how long your Refugee (Alan Gratz) unit will be, then use one of the calendars provided to plan out your entire lesson.

Chapter Abstracts

Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter of Refugee (Alan Gratz) . They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of important characters. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of Refugee (Alan Gratz) for either a student or teacher.

Character and Object Descriptions

Character and Object Descriptions provide descriptions of the significant characters as well as objects and places in Refugee (Alan Gratz) . These can be printed out and used as an individual study guide for students, a "key" for leading a class discussion, a summary review prior to exams, or a refresher for an educator. The character and object descriptions are also used in some of the quizzes and tests in this lesson plan. The longest descriptions run about 200 words. They become shorter as the importance of the character or object declines.

Daily Lessons

This section of the lesson plan contains 30 Daily Lessons. Daily Lessons each have a specific objective and offer at least three (often more) ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about Refugee (Alan Gratz) in a classroom setting. You can combine daily lessons or use the ideas within them to create your own unique curriculum. They vary greatly from day to day and offer an array of creative ideas that provide many options for an educator.

Fun Classroom Activities

Fun Classroom Activities differ from Daily Lessons because they make "fun" a priority. The 20 enjoyable, interactive classroom activities that are included will help students understand Refugee (Alan Gratz) in fun and entertaining ways. Fun Classroom Activities include group projects, games, critical thinking activities, brainstorming sessions, writing poems, drawing or sketching, and countless other creative exercises. Many of the activities encourage students to interact with each other, be creative and think "outside of the box," and ultimately grasp key concepts from the text by "doing" rather than simply studying. Fun activities are a great way to keep students interested and engaged while still providing a deeper understanding of Refugee (Alan Gratz) and its themes.

Essay Questions/Writing Assignments

These 20 Essay Questions/Writing Assignments can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment on Refugee (Alan Gratz) . Students should have a full understanding of the unit material in order to answer these questions. They often include multiple parts of the work and ask for a thorough analysis of the overall text. They nearly always require a substantial response. Essay responses are typically expected to be one (or more) page(s) and consist of multiple paragraphs, although it is possible to write answers more briefly. These essays are designed to challenge a student's understanding of the broad points in a work, interactions among the characters, and main points and themes of the text. But, they also cover many of the other issues specific to the work and to the world today.

Short Essay Questions

The 60 Short Essay Questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Refugee (Alan Gratz) by describing what they've read, rather than just recalling it. The short essay questions evaluate not only whether students have read the material, but also how well they understand and can apply it. They require more thought than multiple choice questions, but are shorter than the essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

The 180 Multiple Choice Questions in this lesson plan will test a student's recall and understanding of Refugee (Alan Gratz) . Use these questions for quizzes, homework assignments or tests. The questions are broken out into sections, so they focus on specific chapters within Refugee (Alan Gratz) . This allows you to test and review the book as you proceed through the unit. Typically, there are 5-15 questions per chapter, act or section.

Evaluation Forms

Use the Oral Reading Evaluation Form when students are reading aloud in class. Pass the forms out before you assign reading, so students will know what to expect. You can use the forms to provide general feedback on audibility, pronunciation, articulation, expression and rate of speech. You can use this form to grade students, or simply comment on their progress.

Use the Writing Evaluation Form when you're grading student essays. This will help you establish uniform criteria for grading essays even though students may be writing about different aspects of the material. By following this form you will be able to evaluate the thesis, organization, supporting arguments, paragraph transitions, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. of each student's essay.

Quizzes/Homework Assignments

The Quizzes/Homework Assignments are worksheets that can be used in a variety of ways. They pull questions from the multiple choice and short essay sections, the character and object descriptions, and the chapter abstracts to create worksheets that can be used for pop quizzes, in-class assignments and homework. Periodic homework assignments and quizzes are a great way to encourage students to stay on top of their assigned reading. They can also help you determine which concepts and ideas your class grasps and which they need more guidance on. By pulling from the different sections of the lesson plan, quizzes and homework assignments offer a comprehensive review of Refugee (Alan Gratz) in manageable increments that are less substantial than a full blown test.

Use the Test Summary page to determine which pre-made test is most relevant to your students' learning styles. This lesson plan provides both full unit tests and mid-unit tests. You can choose from several tests that include differing combinations of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, short essay questions, full essay questions, character and object matching, etc. Some of the tests are designed to be more difficult than others. Some have essay questions, while others are limited to short-response questions, like multiple choice, matching and short answer questions. If you don't find the combination of questions that best suits your class, you can also create your own test on Refugee (Alan Gratz) .

Create Your Own Quiz or Test

You have the option to Create Your Own Quiz or Test. If you want to integrate questions you've developed for your curriculum with the questions in this lesson plan, or you simply want to create a unique test or quiz from the questions this lesson plan offers, it's easy to do. Cut and paste the information from the Create Your Own Quiz or Test page into a Word document to get started. Scroll through the sections of the lesson plan that most interest you and cut and paste the exact questions you want to use into your new, personalized Refugee (Alan Gratz) lesson plan.

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Essay on Refugee by Alan Gratz

Can hope prevent death? The book “Refugee” by Alan Gratz, recounts the story of three refugees who each try to survive the challenge of being a refugee. Isabel lives in Cuba, but she became a refugee after her town riots because of a food shortage. Josef is a Jew living in Germany during the horrors of the holocaust. He flees to Cuba after Nazi soldiers storm into his home and take his father to a concentration camp. Mahmoud lives in Syria, but he leaves after his apartment gets hit by a missile because of the Syrian civil war. He becomes a refugee and he flees to Germany. All of these people go through terrible experiences and make it through looting, death, and rape by having hope. Hope is necessary to survive challenging times when Isabel falls off her boat when Josef escapes Germany to go to Cuba, and when Mahmoud survives crossing the Aegean Sea.

 One moment in Refugee where hope was necessary to survive a challenging time, was when Isabel fell off her boat. On Isabel's journey, she and her family want to seek refuge in Miami Florida in the USA. But when they are sailing to Florida a storm hits them and the storm forces Isabel off her boat. “Isabel fought her way back to the surface and gasped for air” (Gratz pg 136). This quote shows Isabel's fight to succeed and to make it to the US. This shows that Isabel has the hope to make it to the US because she wants to make a better life for her family and for herself, she wants to play her trumpet on the beaches of Florida.  ThisThis hope helps her get back onto the boat and fight through the storm. She waited for years in Cuba after Fidel Castro blocked all escape routes from Cuba. But now she can escape and make it to her dream where she could eat and have a great future. But Isabel succeeds not only in surviving, but she also makes it to the United States. “ Señor Castillo fell to his knees and kissed the ground. They had made it to the states. To freedom.” (pg 298). This quote shows how she and her family succeeded because of their success, and the hope that they had. They kissed the ground because of their hope to have a stable place to stay and where they can have the chance to succeed. This hope of surviving, helps them make it to their goal where they could thrive in the United States. Without that dying hope of surviving, they would not be so happy, in fact, they would probably die in the storm if they did not have the hope to succeed.

  Another moment in Refugee where hope was necessary to survive was when Josef fled Germany to go to Cuba. During the Holocaust Jews were put in concentration camps where they were tortured, starved, and forced to work for the Nazi war machine. “The landau family wasn't going to wait around to see what the Nazis would do next” (Gratz pg 2).  Josef and his family were not going to wait to be sent to one of the death camps. But they acted quickly because of their hope to survive. Many Jews at this time had no hope, and they stayed put and were killed. Therefore, because Josef and his family had the hope to survive the holocaust, he makes it to the boat and escapes Germany. “Josef watched as one of the other passengers got down on his hands and knees and kissed the ground. If he hadn't had his hands full, Josef might have done the same thing” (pg 273). This quote shows the hope that Josef and many Jews like him had during the tough times of the holocaust, and how they wanted to find a safe place for themselves. He is so hopeful to survive that he would kiss the ground. The situation was helpless in Germany but because of the hope of success Josef makes it to France where he could finally have the freedom that he was hoping to have for years. This means, that without this hope to succeed Josef would be another body put in the incinerator at Auschwitz. But because of Josef's hope and determination, he was able to survive the first part of the holocaust.

 A third moment where hope was necessary to succeed is when Mahmoud crosses the Adriatic Sea. Mahmoud was forced out of his home after a missile hit his home in Syria. In Syria, he was bullied for being a Shia Muslim, and he just wanted to fade away and become invisible. So he hopes to make it to Germany where he could not be invisible anymore, and he could become visible and where he could finally express himself. “We have to get to Europe, what choice do we have? God will guide us” (Gratz pg 142). This shows how the hope of making it to Europe can turn into determination. And this determination to survive explains how Mahmoud chooses to ride a dignity across the Adriatic Sea. This shows how hope can help you gain determination to survive tough situations. When he is crossing it, the boat floods, and he goes overboard. “ He kicked his way back to the surface and fought to keep his head above water” (pg 107). Because of his hope, he has a new determination to survive and to make it to Germany. “No we move forward. Always forward. And we don't stop till we get to Germany” (pg 107). This proves the determination that they have to survive and the hope of success. This determination was because of the hope to get to a safe country where they would be protected and where they would have a safe home to sleep in. Therefore, because of his hope, he makes it to Germany where he can finally not be invisible, where he finally could be a man, and where he finally can become visible.

In conclusion, to survive challenging times, you need hope. This is shown in the book when Isabel falls off the boat, when Josef escapes Germany, and when Mahmoud survives the Adriatic Sea. Hope helps people survive because without hope people do not have a good reason to survive. The people around these characters lost hope, and they stayed where they were. This caused them to be killed, tortured, robbed and raped. People need hope because sometimes that is the only thing that they have. Just like Joseph or Isabel or Mahmoud where they only had hope. They had no home no friends only hope, and that helped them survive.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Immigration — Refugee

Essays on Refugee

Hook examples for refugee essays, anecdotal hook.

Imagine fleeing your homeland, leaving behind everything you've ever known, and embarking on a perilous journey to seek safety and refuge. As we explore the experiences of refugees, let's step into their shoes and understand the challenges they face on their quest for a better life.

Quotation Hook

""Refugees are not terrorists. They are often the first victims of terrorism."" These words from António Guterres, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, underscore the misconceptions surrounding refugees. Join me as we dispel myths and shed light on the plight of those forced to flee their homes.

The Global Refugee Crisis Hook

The world is facing a staggering refugee crisis, with millions of people displaced by conflict, persecution, and environmental factors. Explore the magnitude of the crisis and the need for international cooperation and compassion in providing refuge.

Refugee Resilience and Contributions Hook

Refugees are not passive victims; they are resilient individuals who contribute to the societies that welcome them. Analyze the talents, skills, and cultural diversity that refugees bring to their host communities.

The Role of Empathy Hook

Empathy is a powerful force in understanding the refugee experience. Delve into the importance of empathy in fostering solidarity and support for refugees, and the role it plays in shaping policies and attitudes.

Children and Education in Refugee Camps Hook

Refugee children often face interrupted education and trauma. Investigate the efforts to provide education and psychological support to young refugees in camps and host countries.

Refugee Stories of Triumph Hook

Behind every refugee statistic is a unique and resilient individual. Share the inspiring stories of refugees who have rebuilt their lives, pursued their dreams, and made positive contributions to their new communities.

My Journey as a Syrian Refugee: Shedding Light on The Realities of The Crisis

Complexities of the global refugee crisis, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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Characters in The Novel Refugee

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Terrorism, War and The Religious Persecution of Refugees

Safety of refugees: the main struggles and violation of human rights, syrian refugee resettlement in america, the refugee experience in inside out & back again by thanhha lai, fighting ignorance: the documentary with representation of refugees and asylum seekers, iran - one of the largest refugee hosting countries in the world, understanding deconstructing discrimination through my experience at a thanksgiving dinner for refugees, representation of children refugees in inside out & back again and children of war, the effect of hostilities on the number of sexual assaults, refugee asylum in elysium by neill blomkamp: the concept discussed, nauru and manus island: crimes against humanity in the detention of refugees, the syrian war and rwanda, regional representation of unhcr in bahrain, a research on syrian refugee children’s assimilation into canadian society, the importance of remembering history: syrian refugee crisis, the issue of medical attention to syrian refugees in camps, the changes of technology and communication of denmark's concerns, a look at the acceptance of immigrants from syria, big data and refugees and the role of phone for migrants, malaysia’s dilemma in the rohingya issue.

A refugee, generally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national boundaries and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

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Refugee –related research themes & questions for students

(for more information, please contact Dr. Susan McGrath (link is external) at [email protected] (link sends e-mail) )

This list of research themes and questions has been developed by the Refugee Research Network (RRN) at the Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) at York University to encourage the generation and mobilization of research on refugees in Canada.  While the questions came out of Canadian experience, we hope there will be enough material that can be adapted in other contexts.

These priority areas of research are drawn from two reports generated by the practitioner community. The first, entitled: A Sector-Based Research Agenda: Issues Affecting Government-Assisted Refugees in Canada , was published on November 15, 2010, and compiled by Chris Friesen (ISS of BC) and Jennifer Hyndman (CRS). This research agenda focuses on government-assisted refugees and emerged in consultation with representatives from service providers across Canada. The second, entitled: Refugee Integration: Key concerns and areas for further research , was published on December 23, 2011, by the Canadian Council for Refugees (link is external) . The report emerged through a consultation with settlement practitioners, private sponsors, academics, and other stakeholders to identify priority concerns regarding refugee integration.

We invite faculty and students to work with us in responding to this community-generated research agenda. The field of refugee studies is interdisciplinary and all interested scholars are encouraged to engage with this project – whether from the professional programs, the arts, or the social sciences. While some of the research questions listed below may already have been addressed by researchers, the issues raised by the practitioner community would seem to indicate that the knowledge produced may not have been sufficiently disseminated. A useful response in these cases would be to develop comprehensive literature reviews and make them widely available online. Alternatively, there are questions that have not been extensively researched and could be studied in term papers or major research papers.

Students who participate in the project will have their peer-reviewed literature reviews and research papers posted on the RRN website ( www.refugeeresearch.net (link is external) ) as a resource and have an opportunity to submit their work for presentation at community-based and academic consultations and conferences. Travel support will be provided by the RRN to a number of students who have their research accepted for presentation at these events. In addition, students will receive training in developing research summaries from the Knowledge Mobilization Unit at York, where they will learn how to write about their work for non-academic audiences.

Researchers are expected to put the welfare of refugees first in any studies they undertake and to respect the principle of ‘do no harm’ that Mary B. Anderson (1999) outlined in her work on humanitarianism aid some years ago, i.e. no research should be undertaken if it has potentially harmful consequences in policy or practice to refugee welfare[1] . Our goal in compiling this community-generated research agenda is to improve the experiences of refugees and the policies and practices that support them. We acknowledge and understand that research can be put to unintended uses; as a result, it is important for students working on these questions to consider the potential impacts of the knowledge they produce.

• Settlement outcomes
• What are the settlement outcomes for refugees (e.g. labour market participation, use of provincial income support, impact of language requirement for citizenship, impact of religion/spirituality)?
• What factors contribute to barriers/successes and how can longitudinal settlement outcomes be measured?
• How should integration be measured? (E.g. alternative approaches to outcome measurement with regards to employment success and other integration factors; considering refugees’ ‘sense of belonging’ as measure of integration.)

By immigration category & length of time in Canada

• What are the differences in a) eligibility for, b) availability of, and c) uptake of settlement assistance services among GARs, PSRs, Refugees Landed in Canada, and non-refugee immigrants, across the provinces?
• How do the differences between refugee categories (i.e. inland refugees, GARs, and PSRs) impact settlement and integration experiences?
• Are there differences in integration experiences between different groups? (E.g. first and second generation refugee families; refugee children and children from other categories of immigration.)
• What are the consequences for inland refugee claimants of waiting for their claims to be processed? (Anecdotal evidence suggests that hardships experienced in the initial years in Canada can have profound and long-lasting consequences for integration.)
• What are the impacts of temporary status experienced by refugee claimants and those coming from protracted refugee situations?
• How do refugees find their first job?
• How does immigration status on arrival interact with other factors to influence access to employment over time? (Longitudinal study following first 5 years after arrival.)
• What is the impact of access to provincial employability programs on arrival?
• How do language, discrimination, education, and other factors influence access to employment upon arrival and over time?
• Do refugees face particular issues with respect to credential recognition and accessing appropriate employment? (E.g. are there psychological barriers to “starting again” that may prevent some refugees from getting their credentials recognized?)
• What might be some innovative ways for refugees with work experience in their home countries to use their skills? (Anecdotal evidence suggests that many refugees have transferable skills that go unrecognized.)
• What are the experiences of older adult refugees in relation to access to employment and labour market integration? (E.g. issues related to limited use of English/French. fragile health.)
• What are some alternative methods for measuring employment success?
• Do refugees face discrimination in the labour market?

Health, mental health, and trauma-related issues

• What are the mental health issues of GARs (government assisted refugees) and what treatment models and/or approaches are culturally appropriate?
• What are some affordable alternative ways of maintaining mental health? (E.g. social groups, physical activity, nutrition, etc.)
• Are there barriers to the uptake of mental health services by refugees? (E.g. issues around concepts of mental health; stigmatization of mental health.)
• What physical health issues do refugees face? (Including HIV/AIDS.)
• What are the health needs of older adult refugees and of refugees with disabilities?
• What are the impacts of health issues on social and economic integration?

Language training programs

• What are some of the barriers that refugees face in accessing existing language training programs?
• What are some of the shortcomings of existing language training programs for refugees? (E.g. lack of adaptation of language training for people who are illiterate or have low levels of education; lack of job-specific language training.)

Housing issues

• Do refugees face barriers in terms of access to housing?
• Does discrimination based on refugee status play a role in the housing market?
• What are the housing experiences of refugees outside of major urban centres?
• What is the impact of regionalization and of specific settlement areas on individuals and families?
• What is the relationship between place and housing experiences? (E.g. big city, small community; type of neighbourhood.)
• Is there a role for cooperative models of housing for refugee settlement?

Other economic issues that affect settlement

• How does refugees’ repayment of transportation loans impact their settlement and integration outcomes? (E.g. employment, language acquisition, high school completion rates. Particular attention to impacts on individual refugees versus families, as well as on youth.)
• What are the impacts on integration of refugees with family members abroad to whom they have financial responsibilities?

Settlement program coordination & evaluation

• Does centralization of settlement services in urban centres form a barrier to integration? (E.g. differences in access to settlement services outside of urban centres or where services are centralized; comparison of experiences between smaller communities and larger cities.)
• Can an evaluation framework be developed that addresses outcomes, is agreed upon by service providers and funders, and does not require the reallocation of resources from programs?
• Do particular pilot programs or experiments lead to improved outcomes for refugees? (E.g. Local Immigration Partnerships as good model of coordination.)
• Could alternative models of settlement program coordination be used?
• Do different provincial jurisdictions have an impact on access to settlement services and mainstream social welfare services?
• How well are various services coordinated within regions?
• Government Assisted Refugee (GAR) youth
• How well are GAR youth settling in Canada over time? How do family and integration-related factors/needs impact GAR youth’s settlement and high school completion rates?
• How do single/lone parents raising refugee youth who have daycare needs and are attending regular school fare?
• What are GAR youth’s experiences with accessing employment? (E.g. lack of access to employability programs.)
• Do refugee youth have unique education needs and if so, what are they and how can they be addressed?
• Need for longitudinal studies to follow youth progress over time.
• Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) funding
• Does the limited RAP funding structure reflect the different needs of refugees, especially the (perceived) higher medical requirements of GARs who arrived after new selection criteria were implemented under the 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA)?
• Is there a way to allocate settlement resources that corresponds to different levels of need for post-IRPA refugees?
• How effectively does RAP income support the settlement and integration of GARs? (Does it set them up for failure?)
• Cost-of-living or livelihood studies would be helpful – in large cities where costs are higher, a large study that documents food bank access would be relevant.
• Family reunification
• What is the impact of delayed family reunification on refugees? How do family dynamics change (including gender relations) and does this impact settlement?
• How do delays in reunification affect single/lone parents who face the double stress of raising children alone and supporting a spouse abroad?
• What are the integration experiences of refugees arriving with their families and how do those compare to those of refugees arriving alone and awaiting reunification?
• What has been the impact of the moratorium on applications for sponsorship of parents and grandparents?
• What challenges do refugees face due to family separation? (E.g. mental health issues; economic responsibilities, remittances.)
• Pre-arrival information-sharing
• How effective is pre-departure training for refugees? What is its impact on settlement outcomes?
• What gaps, if any, exist in pre-arrival orientation and information-sharing, and how can they be filled?
• Critical content analysis of orientation abroad materials would be valuable.
• Destination policy
•  What factors should be considered in destining refugees? Which factors drive secondary migration? What factors drive retention?
• How many refugees from one ethnic/national group should be destined to a specific location in order to maximize retention?
• How can better matches be created between destination and refugees’ needs?
• Protracted refugee situations (PRS)
• What are the settlement needs and outcomes of refugees from protracted situations compared to those from shorter term displacements? (Especially in terms of health and mental health needs and outcomes.)
• Do refugees from protracted situations require a special program that addresses their learning needs as these relate to language and professional training? (Development of a ‘Protracted Refugee Benchmark’ to address this?)
• Discrimination & stereotyping
• How can discrimination/prejudice against and stereotypes of refugees be addressed in host communities?
• What tools can be created to educate Canadian communities to dispel stereotypes and help prepare for the arrival of newcomers? (E.g. public awareness campaigns about the situations of claimants awaiting status determination.)
• What approaches can be followed to educate locally elected government representatives on the needs of the refugee population in their jurisdictions?

[1] Anderson, M. B. (1999) Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace or War, Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers; 3rd Printing edition.

RRN-refugee-related-research-themes-questions-2013.pdf

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Refugee By Alan Gratz

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‘Disability Intimacy’ starts a long-overdue conversation

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Book Review

Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire

Edited by Alice Wong Vintage: 384 pages, $19 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

To whom does desire belong? How about love and care? These are the questions at the heart of “Disability Intimacy,” a new book of essays and ephemera collected by the San Francisco activist Alice Wong, and the answers are painfully obvious: Those human experiences are for everyone. What’s less obvious to many, and acutely painful to some of us, is that those questions needed to be asked and answered. This book needed to exist.

It is a longstanding and unfortunate truth that disabled people are often seen as undesirable and even as unable to experience desire, love or care in the ways that all individuals do. As disabled people we understand how false that notion is and how harmful it can be. Giving and receiving love — physically or verbally, in a context of romance, sex, close friendship or family bonds — is as much our right to experience as anyone else’s, and our stories of intimate connections and losses are worth telling as much as anyone else’s. So I commend Wong and the collection’s 40 contributors for taking on this topic.

“Disability Intimacy” is not an extended lament. Many of its standouts are downright celebratory, as well as lessons in engaging storytelling. “The Last Walk” by Melissa Hung explores the grief of losing a beloved friend while simultaneously cherishing their last moments together and the sling bag that became a physical memory of her friend Judy. In “Hi, Are You Single?” by Ryan J. Haddad, one of the standout poems in the collection, Haddad explores the messy, awkward and welcome way a hookup can support their collective desire for pleasure.

Having contributed to and read Wong’s anthology from 2020, “Disability Visibility,” I thought I knew what I was getting into, but the two collections are quite different. It was disappointing to come away from “Intimacy” without a theme as clear as that of “Visibility,” perhaps in part reflecting the older collection’s more straightforward subject matter. Love is complicated. And 40 contributors is a lot.

As one of the first of its kind to attempt what it is attempting, “Disability Intimacy” has the unfair expectation to be everything for everyone, to answer the question of desirability for an entire community that is not monolithic. Wong refuses to shut out the “other” in favor of the conventionally digestible. This collection shines in its entries that take big swings, discussing topics such as BDSM, queer love and intergenerational relationships — and even laziness, a concept that one essay reclaims and celebrates as a purposeful act of rest, epitomized by the love between a father and son who connect over turning out the light and climbing in bed to take naps. In these pieces, the authors seem to be living as unapologetically on the page as they do in life.

Tucked among the essays, readers will be delighted to also discover poems and even a conversation between two disabled people of color about redefining intimacy for themselves, ableism and what they refuse to call intimacy. It’s a refreshing and effective shakeup of the anthology form. It’s also a lot to take in.

I had to reread certain sections as some of the points got lost along the way, and sometimes I found myself mentally rearranging the book because entries felt misplaced. Although many of the pieces could have been shorter, none should have been left out. Might the cause have been better served with these many entries divided between two volumes? This could have encouraged the reader to sit with the thoughts and feelings that come up rather than rushing onward.

There is often a lot of pressure placed on books of this kind that amplify marginalized voices or tackle taboo topics, but remember: Sometimes a book does the world a service not because it is encyclopedic or full of answers but simply because it raises questions and starts conversations.

In the end, what we readers ask of ourselves is what counts. Whom do we allow ourselves to desire, and why? Toward whose stories do we gravitate, and whom do we leave in the margins? How will we expand our own worldview?

Keah Brown , a journalist, activist, actor and screenwriter, is the author of “ The Pretty One ” and “ The Secret Summer Promise .”

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