Alan gratz way of writing makes the characters seem like their are going to be okay but then something shocking happens.
The book Refugee by Alan Gratz is about three different families during different periods in history trying to escape their country. The book was published on july 25 2017. This book is not part of a series so there is no need to read other books before this one.
In 1939, a young jewish boy named joseph Landau and his family are trying to escape nazi occupied germany when his father get taken away to a concentration camp. Joseph, his mother, and his sister ruth plan to take a cruise ship, named the St. Louis, to Cuba as soon as his father gets released from the camp. When they meet his father at the docks he is a shriveled and scared man. His father runs aroun the docks dodging sailors and workers because he believes that the nazis are still after him. When they make it on board his father stays hidden away in their room. Shortly after Jospeh goes on a tour of the boat and he hears a nazi song being sung in the engine room. When the boat docks in Cuba they are told that they are not allowed to come ashore and stay on the board. A group of nazis who discovered the Josephs father had PTSD come to josephs room and break and rummege through their things. This sends Josephs father into a panic attack and he jumps overboard not wanting to be sent back to Germany. He gets saved by officer Padron but ends up with several injuries and has to be sent to the hospital in Cuba. Officer Padron is seen as a hero by the Jewish passengers. The boat is sent away but the captain says he will try and send the passengers to countries other than germany. Joseph, his sister and his mother get dropped of in france. Not long after the nazis invade france and Josephs mother is givin a choice in which one of her kids gets sent to a concentration camp.
In 1994, a young girl named isabel is given the chance to escape cuba. After the collapse of teh soviet union Cuba is left with broken economy and under the rule of Fidel Castro. Isabel’s neighbors have built a boat to try and escape cuba. A riot in Havana breaks out and Isabels father decides that they need to leave cuba. Isabel trades her trumpet for some gasoline and uses it to get her family a spot on her neighbors boat. The familys get battered by storms when they get thrown of course and arrive at the carribeans. They are not allowed to leave the boat. Isabels friend Ivan get attacked by a shark and bleeds to death in the boat. At the end of the trip Isabels mother goes into labor. Isabels grandfather, Mariano Padron tells them the story of the St. Louis and how the refugees got sent away as Maimi becomes visible on the horizon. The Coast guard try to stop the boat but Mariano jumps into the water to distract them. Isabels mother gives birth right when they get to the shore.
Mahmoud is young boy living in Aleppo, Syria in 2015. For the past couple of years his county has been fight the syrian government and several other groups. When Mahmouds home is destroyed his family drives to the turkish border. They learn that Germany is accepting refugees. The family gets caught in a gun fight and have to walk the rest of the way to turkey. Mahmouds father gets a smuggler to take them to greece. The boat crashes into rocks and gets destroyed. Another refugee raft passes by a mahmouds is able to get them take take his baby sister to safety. The family eventually gets rescued by the greek coast guard. The family travels into hungary where they are kept in refugee camps. Mahmoud gets fed up and leads the rest of the refugees to austria. The refugees get welcomed in austria and Mahmouds family gets a train to germany. They ask around trying to find hana and eventually get accepted by a host family. The wife Ruth Landau tells them the story of her childhood and how she was taken away from her family. Ruth tells them that she will help them find Hana.
I really like this book because of how the author made all their situation very dire. This book is pretty memorable because of how it uses real-life events and connects them in a similar way.
This book brings up the issues of the struggle it is for refugees to find a new home. I gave this book a 5/5 because it is one of my personal favorites.
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