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The Ungrateful Refugee
Book

The Ungrateful Refugee

What Immigrants Never Tell You

Catapult, 2019
First Edition: 2019 plus...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Bold
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

Novelist Dina Nayeri’s urgent, provocative stories recount her flight from Iran, her need to assimilate in the United States, and her frustration at the injustices and indignities refugees face. Volunteering at refugee camps in Greece and assisting asylum seekers in Europe, Nayeri encountered tragedy, sorrow, hopelessness, anger and apathy, but also courage, love and determination. Frustrated with Western institutions that keep asylum seekers out, she’s disappointed at society’s antipathy and suspicion. Nayeri’s memorable, fearless stories call for compassion and justice for the most vulnerable people in the world.  

Take-Aways

  • Dina Nayeri’s refugee experience in 1988 defined her life for two decades.
  • Nayeri couldn’t imagine any happiness without goals.
  • Refugees’ stories evolve over time and shape their identity. 

About the Author

Dina Nayeri is winner of the UNESCO City of Literature Paul Engle Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts literature grant. Her novels Refuge and A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea have been translated into several languages. 


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