Asylees

Children's Literature

Across the course of human history there have been all too many people who have had to flee from their homelands and seek protection in another land. Such asylees usually have to prove that their enforced return to their former residences would result in death or persecution. Every year thousands of people seek asylum in Canada and the United States. The story of such refugees is presented in Asylees one of the latest additions to the "Changing Face of North America" series. Staeger attempts to define the varied reasons people seek asylum in North America. In addition the author touches upon the individual and collective stories of asylum seekers from places such as Cuba, Haiti, and the Middle East. Throughout the book Staeger balances the more generalized text with human interest stories that highlight the stakes of asylum seeking. By telling the stories of people who flee devastation, political dictatorship, enforced subjugation, and even genocide, Staeger has done a service to younger readers. This is a book that tells the story of people who sacrificed so much to try to survive. If there is one slight criticism of this fine book it is that its title is a word that most readers will be unfamiliar with and which almost appears to be a spelling error. Hopefully readers unfamiliar with the term asylees will not skirt it on the library shelf as it does have a great deal to offer. 2005, Mason Crest Publishers, Ages 12 up.
—Greg M. Romaneck

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Covering both the U.S. and Canada, these titles provide fairly detailed treatments of their subject matter. The introduction and foreword are repeated in each volume. Aykroyd and Staeger then devote chapters to where individuals have come from, with both discussing Cuba and Haiti, and Refugees also spotlighting Indochina, the Middle East, and Europe. Much of the material is similar, although Asylees contains chapters on the law and process of attaining asylum. Deported Aliens delves into methods of controlling the flow of undocumented immigrants, deportation proceedings, and alternatives to removal. All three books are current and clearly written, with a minimum of minor errors. Boxed material, bar graphs, and sepia-toned or full-color photographs contribute to a pleasing, open format. However, some of the images seem to function merely as filler. Consider Refugees over Asylees if budgets are tight; all three books present solid report material.-Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.