The Refugees book info and recommendations from remarkable people

The Refugees

February 7, 2017

Categories:Fiction

The Refugees is a compelling collection of short stories by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen that explores various aspects of the lives of refugees and immigrants. Through a series of stories that traverse different time periods and feature characters of different backgrounds and nationalities, Nguyen uncovers the universal truths that lie at the heart of the immigrant experience. From those who flee political turmoil and seek asylum, to those who travel in search of a better life, to those who are born into mixed backgrounds, Nguyen’s stories showcase the beauty, complexity, and resilience of the displaced.The Refugees offers readers a glimpse into the lives of people in search of something better, and captures the unique challenges they must face each day. Nguyen paints a vivid picture of the hopes and dreams of his protagonists, from the struggles of forming a new family abroad to adjusting to a new language and culture. With empathy and insight, Nguyen’s characters share the lessons they’ve learned about resiliency, identity, and hope in their search for a place to belong. Through the lives of Nguyen’s characters, readers gain a broader understanding of what it means to be displaced and the courage it takes to start anew.At its core, The Refugees is a powerful exploration of human connection and resilience. Through Nguyen’s evocative prose, readers are taken on a journey that exposes the real experiences of those who have been displaced and the unique strength of the human heart. A unique and captivating read, The Refugees will leave an indelible imprint on readers’ hearts and minds.

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Rendors (2)

Nobel Laureate in Literature

Peder Zane's Top 125

Pulitzer Prize Winners for History

Joyce Carol Oates

Writer

Peder Zane's Top 125

Nobel Laureate in Literature

Stories about people poised between their devastated homeland and their affluent adopted country . . . Viet Thanh Nguyen [is] one of our great chroniclers of displacement . . . beautiful and heartrending . . . Nguyen’s narrative style—restrained, spare, avoiding metaphor or the syntactical virtuosity on display in every paragraph of The Sympathizer—is well suited for portraying tentative states . . . all Nguyen’s fiction is pervaded by a shared intensity of vision, by stinging perceptions that drift like windblown ashes.

T. J. Stiles

March 7, 2017

Biographer

Pulitzer Prize Winners for History

I’ve just finished a few very interesting books, including Nell Irvin Painter’s The History of White People. Last fall I read Viet Thanh Nguyen’s splendid novel, The Sympathizer, and have his new book, The Refugees, next on my list. It’s important for narrative nonfiction writers to read fiction. I’m also reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit.