Helen Thorpe stops by BookPeople this Friday, January 19 at 7 PM to discuss her new book, The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom.
Adolescence is a hard enough period for anyone, but can you imagine going through your high school years as an immigrant? When you walk into a classroom in a new country, and almost everyone is of a different culture and speaks a different language than you, how do you assimilate?
These are questions examined in Helen Thorpe’s new book, The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom. Follow the lives of 22 immigrant students and those that helped them (specifically their teacher Eddie Williams) adjust to a whole new way of communication and life while struggling with the past that brought them to America. “This book is not only an intimate look at lives immigrant teens live, but it is a primer on the art and science of new language acquisition and a portrait of ongoing and emerging global horrors and the human fallout that arrives on our shores.” (USAToday)
Still not convinced this is a must-read book? Join us this Friday, January 19 at 7PM to hear Helen Thorpe speak about this new book and her experiences with these amazing teens.
For more, check out this Q&A with the author from Denver’s Westword, in which she says “…after spending a year and change with these refugee students and their teacher, I can say unequivocally that refugees are not a burden. They are a gift. We should feel honored to know them. All those who work with them experience in the process life’s deepest kind of fulfillment and joy.” A sentiment to remember in these times.
— Amy S.
BookPeople 