City of Refugees

<b><b>A gripping portrait of refugees who forged a new life in the Rust Belt the deep roots they've formed in their community and their role in shaping its culture and prosperity.</b> <p/> This is an American tale that everyone should read. . . . The storytelling is so intimate and the characters feel so deeply real that you will know them like neighbors.--Jake Halpern author of <i>Welcome to the New World</i><br></b><br> War persecution natural disasters and climate change continue to drive millions around the world from their homes. In this tender intimate and important book--a carefully reported rebuttal to the xenophobic narratives that define so much of modern American politics (Sarah Stillman staff writer <i>The New Yorker</i>) journalist Susan Hartman follows 3 refugees over 8 years and tells the story of how they built new lives in the old manufacturing town of Utica New York<b>. Sadia a Somali Bantu teenager</b> rebels against her mother; <b>Ali an Iraqi interpreter</b> creates a home with an American woman but is haunted by war; and <b>Mersiha a Bosnian baker</b> gambles everything to open a café. <p/> Along the way Hartman illuminates the humanity of these outsiders while demonstrating the crucial role immigrants play in the economy--and the soul--of the nation (<i>Los Angeles Times</i>). The 3 newcomers are part of an extraordinary migration over the past 4 decades; thousands fleeing war and persecution have transformed Utica opening small businesses fixing up abandoned houses and adding a spark of vitality to forlorn city streets. Utica is not alone. Other Rust Belt cities--including Buffalo Dayton and Detroit--have also welcomed refugees hoping to jump-start their economies and attract a younger population. <p/> <i>City of Refugees</i> is a complex and poignant story of a small city but also of America--a country whose promise of safe harbor and opportunity is knotty and incomplete but undeniably alive.