Five refugees who've settled in Nebraska tell the stories of their lives before coming here, and of their journeys to and lives in the United States. Fraidoon, from Afghanistan, worked for years as a translator for the United States military and private contractors and ended up with a fatwa on his head. Nathan, a member of the Karen ethnic group in Myanmar, was born in a refugee camp in Thailand because of persecution of Karen people in their homeland. Nyarout grew up in South Sudan, in the midst of civil war. Recent arrival Shireen is Yazidi from Iraq; she was captured and tortured by ISIS. Diudonné, from Burundi, is mixed Hutu and Tutsi; he escaped to a refugee camp during the massacre of Tutsis by Hutus. Once here, each has faced new challenges, and their ability to cope and thrive is influenced by many things, from cultural considerations to past experiences to ongoing support. Some, like Nathan, who came when still a child, feel at home here. Some, like recent arrival Shireen, struggle with the immense trauma they've experienced. Some, like Diudonné, have found and created lasting community. These five individuals have very different stories but collectively they illuminate some of the dangers, violence, and other traumas from which refugees are fleeing when they seek asylum in our country. (Age 12 and older)

Five refugees recount their courageous journeys to America — and the unimaginable struggles that led them to flee their homelands — in a powerful work from the author of Beyond Magenta and We Are Here to Stay.

“From 1984, when I was born, until July 16, 2017, when I arrived in the United States, I never lived in a place where there was no war.” — Fraidoon

An Iraqi woman who survived capture by ISIS. A Sudanese teen growing up in civil war and famine. An Afghan interpreter for the U.S. Army living under threat of a fatwa. They are among the five refugees who share their stories in award-winning author and photographer Susan Kuklin’s latest masterfully crafted narrative. The five, originally from Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Iraq, and Burundi, give gripping first-person testimonies about what it is like to flee war, face violent threats, grow up in a refugee camp, be sold into slavery, and resettle in America. Illustrated with full-color photographs of the refugees’ new lives in Nebraska, this work is essential reading for understanding the devastating impact of war and persecution — and the power of resilience, optimism, and the will to survive. Included in the end matter are chapter notes, information on resettlement and U.S. citizenship, historical time lines of war and political strife in the refugees’ countries of origin, resources for further reading, and an index.