Immigrants and Refugees (21st Century Issues Series)

Children's Literature

As you read this review people somewhere in the world are facing the dire choice of staying in their homeland and confronting the horrors of persecution, warfare, or destruction or fleeing to a new land. In other cases, individuals or families living in poor countries may be deciding to seek out a better life in a more prosperous nation. Migration and refugees are issues that have a long history. One need only think about America in the 19th and early 20th centuries to conjure up images of millions of immigrants flowing into the United States. In our own day and age civil wars, natural catastrophes, and economic dislocation all contribute to the ongoing phenomena of people pulling up stakes and heading out of their native lands. In this title of the "21st Century Issues" series author Cath Senker traces not only the history of emigration but also some important modern trends. Senker presents a number of factors that contribute both to the decision to leave a troubled homeland and the greeting emigrants may receive in their new country. Throughout this illustrated book Senker maintains a focus on the human face of migration and refugee status. The inclusion of "case study" segments that highlight individual people's experiences are particularly helpful to the reader. Taken as a whole, this is a thoughtful book and one that should be a valuable teaching tool for students. 2005, World Almanac Library, Ages 12 up.
—Greg M. Romaneck