City of Refugees

<b><b>A gripping portrait of refugees who forged a new life in the Rust Belt the deep roots they&#146;ve formed in their community and their role in shaping its culture and prosperity.</b><br> &#160;<br> 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.&#151;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 &#147;tender intimate and important book&#151;a carefully reported rebuttal to the xenophobic narratives that define so much of modern American politics&#148; (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 caf&#233;. <br> &#160;<br> Along the way Hartman &#147;illuminates the humanity of these outsiders while demonstrating the crucial role immigrants play in the economy&#151;and the soul&#151;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.&#160; Other Rust Belt cities&#151;including Buffalo Dayton and Detroit&#151;have also welcomed refugees hoping to jump-start their economies and attract a younger population.<br> &#160;<br> <i>City of Refugees</i> is a complex and poignant story of a small city but also of America&#151;a country whose promise of safe harbor and opportunity is knotty and incomplete but undeniably alive.