Nonfiction

After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America

After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America

  • Downloads：4224
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-16 19:20:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jessica Goudeau
  • ISBN：0525559159
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The story of two refugee families and their hope and resilience as they fight to survive and belong in America

The welcoming and acceptance of immigrants and refugees has been central to America's identity for centuries--yet America has periodically turned its back at the times of greatest humanitarian need。 After the Last Border is an intimate look at the lives of two women as they struggle for the twenty-first century American dream， having won the golden ticket to settle as refugees in Austin， Texas。

Mu Naw， a Christian from Myanmar struggling to put down roots with her family， was accepted after decades in a refugee camp at a time when America was at its most open to displaced families; and Hasna， a Muslim from Syria， agrees to relocate as a last resort for the safety of her family--only to be cruelly separated from her children by a sudden ban on refugees from Muslim countries。 Writer and activist Jessica Goudeau tracks the human impacts of America's ever-shifting refugee policy as both women narrowly escape from their home countries and begin the arduous but lifesaving process of resettling in Austin， Texas--a city that would show them the best and worst of what
America has to offer。

After the Last Border situates a dramatic， character-driven story within a larger history--the evolution of modern refugee resettlement in the United States， beginning with World War II and ending with current closed-door policies--revealing not just how America's changing attitudes toward refugees has influenced policies and laws， but also the profound effect on human lives。

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Reviews

Kara ，

This is one of the best books I've read in a while。 It validates all of the refugee stories I've been blessed to hear。 It offers a historical timeline of refugee resettlement in the United States， which sheds light on our current context。 Together we float。 This is one of the best books I've read in a while。 It validates all of the refugee stories I've been blessed to hear。 It offers a historical timeline of refugee resettlement in the United States， which sheds light on our current context。 Together we float。 。。。more

Katie Rickard ，

One of the best books I’ve read this year。 Truly an amazing book。

Seth Horrigan ，

The stories were sometimes hard to read， and brought me to tears at times。 The contrasts of the experiences， and the way that Goudeau uses them to reveal shifts in the American public's approach to refugee resettlement is powerful。 Goudeau also effectively weaves in a clear account of US public policy over the past hundred years， and especially provides invaluable insight into the history of US policy since the 1980s and how it guides the overall infrastructure for welcoming people fleeing and s The stories were sometimes hard to read， and brought me to tears at times。 The contrasts of the experiences， and the way that Goudeau uses them to reveal shifts in the American public's approach to refugee resettlement is powerful。 Goudeau also effectively weaves in a clear account of US public policy over the past hundred years， and especially provides invaluable insight into the history of US policy since the 1980s and how it guides the overall infrastructure for welcoming people fleeing and seeking refuge here in the US。 。。。more

Judy Gordon ，

Gludeau offers a comprehensive， indepth view of the history， legislation， and recent actions affecting refugees as well as a blow-by-blow account of the lives of two refugee families。 The family sagas were vivid and painful in exposing the trials and tribulations of refugees with an emphasis on Syrians。 I found the method of alternating between the refugee stories and the factual information disruptive of the flow of the book though I did find both valuable。

Mimi ，

Heartbreaking description of two refugee families， interspersed with history of the US immigration policies。 If you need any more reasons to deplore the Trump presidency this book provides it。

Kevin Fulton ，

This book gives a deep dive into the lives of two refugee families。 You can feel their fear， hope， suffering， and joy throughout the book。 And as you read you get an overview of America’s legislation surrounding refugees and how that helps and hinders both their potential immigration and safety。

Caroline ，

wowow this was incredible。 the narrative nonfiction style is so gripping， and the two refugees whose stories are at the center are incredible to read about - the lives they left behind， the lives they had to begin， the ways in which this country’s isolationism and “better-safe-than-sorryism” have created lasting craters in so many people’s lives… i would really recommend this to anyone who’s interested in getting into nonfiction but isn’t sure where to start， because it almost reads like a docum wowow this was incredible。 the narrative nonfiction style is so gripping， and the two refugees whose stories are at the center are incredible to read about - the lives they left behind， the lives they had to begin， the ways in which this country’s isolationism and “better-safe-than-sorryism” have created lasting craters in so many people’s lives… i would really recommend this to anyone who’s interested in getting into nonfiction but isn’t sure where to start， because it almost reads like a documentary， if that makes any sense。 loved this。 。。。more

C Palomino ，

I loved these stories。 It’s impossible not to care about things that don’t seem to effect you when you hear about the real and personal struggles of others simply trying to do what’s best foe their families。 It’s heartbreaking to know how terrible America has treated those in need as refugees throughout history。 We can do better， America， we can do better。

Ange ，

Read for Booktube Prize 2021Rating to follow

Julie ，

I can not post a rating or discuss my thoughts until this round of the Booktube Prize is over but I will say that you should read this book。

Tricia ，

This book has such a beautiful way of weaving the stories of two refugee women and their very different experiences of resettlement in the US and also the history and current disruption of US policies on refugee resettlement。 It is beautifully written， educational， heart-breaking， and necessary as a story to tell and be heard。

Anna ，

Gripping stories of two families， interspersed with historical context of refugee resettlement in the USA。 I highly recommend it to anyone who works with or is curious about refugees in any country。 As a Canadian， I did find it distracting at times to come across the pronouns "we" and "our" while reading about refugee resettlement in the USA。 Otherwise， as someone who worked with refugees for 11 years， and who traveled to Myanmar as a young adult， I was spellbound。 Gripping stories of two families， interspersed with historical context of refugee resettlement in the USA。 I highly recommend it to anyone who works with or is curious about refugees in any country。 As a Canadian， I did find it distracting at times to come across the pronouns "we" and "our" while reading about refugee resettlement in the USA。 Otherwise， as someone who worked with refugees for 11 years， and who traveled to Myanmar as a young adult， I was spellbound。 。。。more

Angela ，

Hauntingly beautiful。 The story of two incredible， yet ordinary women who were forced to flee their beloved homelands， gave me a glimpse into the world of refugees。 Goudeau masterfully wove their stories together with facts about US policy and how it has changed over time。 This book inspires me to help refugees in some way。

Gretchen Malik ，

This book resulted in several after-midnight bedtimes for me this week。 Goudeau artfully weaves the stories of two women from Myanmar and Syria with the United States’ complicated history with refugees。 America has a vibrant past of compassion and responsibility to resettle families， and the consequences from the Trump administration coupled with COVID shutdowns has threatened a vast majority of the once thriving government and NGO resettlement groups。 This book serves to remind us of our humani This book resulted in several after-midnight bedtimes for me this week。 Goudeau artfully weaves the stories of two women from Myanmar and Syria with the United States’ complicated history with refugees。 America has a vibrant past of compassion and responsibility to resettle families， and the consequences from the Trump administration coupled with COVID shutdowns has threatened a vast majority of the once thriving government and NGO resettlement groups。 This book serves to remind us of our humanity and the need to fight for the humanity of others。 。。。more

Krystle Meyer ，

Read for the SemiFinals of the 2021 BookTube Prize for the Non-Fiction division。 This book focuses on two women， Mu Naw and Hasna， who are refugees who have resettled in Austin， Texas。 Mu Naw is originally from Myanmar and is part of one of the many groups （Karen） that have been historically persecuted by the Myanmar government。 She spent most of her time growing up fleeing persecution and living in one of the many refugee camps near the Myanmar border。 When she arrives in Austin， she has a husb Read for the SemiFinals of the 2021 BookTube Prize for the Non-Fiction division。 This book focuses on two women， Mu Naw and Hasna， who are refugees who have resettled in Austin， Texas。 Mu Naw is originally from Myanmar and is part of one of the many groups （Karen） that have been historically persecuted by the Myanmar government。 She spent most of her time growing up fleeing persecution and living in one of the many refugee camps near the Myanmar border。 When she arrives in Austin， she has a husband and two young kids。 Hasna is originally from Syria who was displaced from her home to Jordan because of the recent Syrian conflict and uprising under Basher Al-Assad。 Hasna is older and has several children and grandchildren by the time she is relocated to Austin， Texas。 Interspersed with their stories is a brief history of refugee resettlement policies and procedures in the USA。I ranked this FIFTH for my panel for the BookTube Prize。 It is one of the finalists， so I am in the minority on this one。The reason why I did so is that I felt like this book struggled with what it wanted to be。 The title is "After the Last Border，" so I was expecting to have two stories about two families AFTER they came to the United States and became refugees。 That's not the case。 Hasna's story is for the most part still in Syria， whereas Mu Naw's story is mostly in the United States。 I think BOTH stories are worthy of being told， but putting the two of them together was asymmetrical and disjointed。 And because we did not have two full stories of either becoming a refugee and the circumstances that led up to that OR what happens after refuge is granted， I felt like the book just scratched the surface。 Hasna's story， for example， is FASCINATING。 All of the parts about Syria and her family and the sacrifices they had to make deserve to be told。 BUT， I think it would have been more effective in the context of a book JUST about Syria where we had additional insights and perspectives。 Same thing with Mu Naw - I'd love to hear from more refugees about their struggles with actually transitioning to America。 Every book in my panel for the SemiFinals was a great book and should be read， so I had to make some harsh decisions about where to place the books in the final slate - that's why I ranked this book fifth。 I still feel like it is worthy of being read。 。。。more

Kim Becker （MIDDLE of the Book MARCH） ，

Read for the Booktube prize。 Star rating to follow after the round is judged。

Diane ，

Fabulous book。 It flows beautifully between very personal stories of two refugee women and their families and the history of the refugee resettlement program in the United States。 I thought I knew so much about refugees， but Jessica Goudeau really showed me a lot of new things in this book。

Harte Reads ，

Read for Booktube Prize。 Review to follow。

Kazen ，

Reading this book was a complicated experience because even though I loved it from the beginning - the narrative nonfiction is stellar - I started having questions。 Is the author the best person to be telling this story？ Does it matter， as long as the story is being told？ Is this super white gaze-y， or am I reading into things too much？Luckily I documented all of my thoughts as I went in a Booktube Prize vlog。 Watch that for the full story but in short - good narrative nonfiction， the discussion Reading this book was a complicated experience because even though I loved it from the beginning - the narrative nonfiction is stellar - I started having questions。 Is the author the best person to be telling this story？ Does it matter， as long as the story is being told？ Is this super white gaze-y， or am I reading into things too much？Luckily I documented all of my thoughts as I went in a Booktube Prize vlog。 Watch that for the full story but in short - good narrative nonfiction， the discussions about policy quickly got boring， good intentions， glad the story is being told。。。 but misgivings make it hard to give more than three stars。Content notes include: war， violence， trauma， sexual assault 。。。more

Katielin317 ，

This may be one of the best books of my reading year。 I love learning about refugees。 Their experiences are so different than my own， but their will to live a beautiful， safe existence very much reflects my own。 Reading their stories is such a needed reminder of how similar our goals are as humans。 This book follows 2 women from 2 different countries/conflicts and times。 It definitely relit my fire for refugees and their plight。

Stacey ，

Quite a powerful story of two refugees。

Norman Weiss ，

Interessante Darstellung der us-amerikanischen Flüchtlingspolitik am Beispiel zweier Frauen und ihrer Familien aus Myanmar und Syrien， die nach Austin， Texas， kommen。Die Autorin gibt die Erzählungen der beiden Frauen wieder， schildert ihre Ängste und Hoffnungen vor der Flucht sowie die ersten Schritte， die sie in der fremden Umgebung unternehmen。

Mary Anne ，

Extraordinary！

Eileen ，

Very interesting and topical - I learned a lot about refugees， Syria and Myanmar。 I enjoyed the detailed stories of the two women profiled， complete with details of their days back in their home countries。 Great idea to discuss refugees and resettlement by following these two stories。 Then interspersed were a few chapters on the history of refugee policy in the United States which was more dry but interesting background。 Really sad for one of the women whose experience turned out not to be what Very interesting and topical - I learned a lot about refugees， Syria and Myanmar。 I enjoyed the detailed stories of the two women profiled， complete with details of their days back in their home countries。 Great idea to discuss refugees and resettlement by following these two stories。 Then interspersed were a few chapters on the history of refugee policy in the United States which was more dry but interesting background。 Really sad for one of the women whose experience turned out not to be what she had prayed and hoped for due to a changing American political situation。 。。。more

Unchong Berkey ，

This is a close up look at the plight of two families seeking asylum in the U。S。， one from Myanmar and one from Syria。 The accounts are told from the perspective of the matriarchs of these families， and it is an intimate， grueling look into the their lives in their home countries， as well as into the process of resettlement in the U。S。 The most gripping parts for me were of Assad’s horrific treatment of his people in Syria and the refugee crisis that produced。 The most eye-opening part was how d This is a close up look at the plight of two families seeking asylum in the U。S。， one from Myanmar and one from Syria。 The accounts are told from the perspective of the matriarchs of these families， and it is an intimate， grueling look into the their lives in their home countries， as well as into the process of resettlement in the U。S。 The most gripping parts for me were of Assad’s horrific treatment of his people in Syria and the refugee crisis that produced。 The most eye-opening part was how difficult it is for some to escape terror and gain refuge。 。。。more

Kathy Burke ，

It was good but I didn’t find it a very "smooth" audiobook to listen to。 It was too chopped up with history （with some political bias）， for me to easily follow the two main characters story lines。 I did really enjoy learning about the two refugees experiences， particularly from places I wanted to know more about - also those refugee systems and how we treated them when they got to the USA。 It was good but I didn’t find it a very "smooth" audiobook to listen to。 It was too chopped up with history （with some political bias）， for me to easily follow the two main characters story lines。 I did really enjoy learning about the two refugees experiences， particularly from places I wanted to know more about - also those refugee systems and how we treated them when they got to the USA。 。。。more

Jill ，

Excellent book。 I learned a great deal about the history of immigration policy in the US。 The chapters on policy are short and concise。 The bulk of the book is the story of two women refuges。 It is heartbreaking and amazing。 It really helped to broaden my understanding of what people endure to immigrate and what they face once they arrive。

Melanie ，

Great book and found it especially interesting after having just finished The Warmth of Other Suns which focuses on migration within the US as black Americans fled from terror within our borders in search of a better life。 As in that book， this account follows two people and their families， detailing their lives as refugees and resettlement into the US along with historical accounting of the US's changing political and legal perspective on refugees from WWII to the Trump era。 Well done。 Great book and found it especially interesting after having just finished The Warmth of Other Suns which focuses on migration within the US as black Americans fled from terror within our borders in search of a better life。 As in that book， this account follows two people and their families， detailing their lives as refugees and resettlement into the US along with historical accounting of the US's changing political and legal perspective on refugees from WWII to the Trump era。 Well done。 。。。more

Kalley Reedy ，

Beautiful and compassionate。 Absolutely loved reading this book and learned so much。

Kellee ，

I appreciate books that are both well-written and well-researched， but this book goes beyond those things to become more than the sum of its parts。 It contains two stories about women， each a survivor of war and genocide， and the "research part" on the history of America's response to refugees。 As I kept turning pages， wanting to know what happened， I kept thinking about my privilege and how it's so easy to distance myself from these very real tragedies happening。 It's a tough read， but so so im I appreciate books that are both well-written and well-researched， but this book goes beyond those things to become more than the sum of its parts。 It contains two stories about women， each a survivor of war and genocide， and the "research part" on the history of America's response to refugees。 As I kept turning pages， wanting to know what happened， I kept thinking about my privilege and how it's so easy to distance myself from these very real tragedies happening。 It's a tough read， but so so important。 It is a moving portrait of refuge， and a book I would recommend to everyone。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0