Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees
Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees
But decolonization can also mean the long process of acting to undo some of the harm that a government or system has caused to people who have historically been discriminated against. For example, in North America today there is a strong movement by Indigenous Peoples to decolonize, which means that different Indigenous groups and individuals are in the process of strengthening their ties to their traditional cultures, languages and traditions. When the governments of Canada and the United States removed Indigenous Peoples from their traditional lands and forced children to enter residential schools, these communities lost their language and their ways of life. As decolonization progresses, they are relearning languages, rituals and home building, hunting and other traditional skills that have been suppressed for generations.
Author Jen Sookfong Yee, the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants, grew up in a diverse Vancouver neighbourhood comprised of immigrants and refugees. Her childhood experiences influenced the way in which she thinks about diversity and the richness that can come from learning and interacting with people of different cultures. Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees focuses on human migration, evolving immigration policies, and the many reasons why people leave their home countries to seek a better life for themselves and their families. Some immigrants, for example, seek better jobs or education while refugees are often forced to leave their homes due to war, persecution or crime.
Divided into four chapters, Finding Home provides a brief history of human migration as well as personal, firsthand accounts of immigrants and refugees from various parts of the world. These candid accounts describe the challenges that face many immigrants as they adapt to their adopted country – the language barrier, employment, affordable housing, education, racism, and generational conflict – as immigrants try to adapt to a new culture while still trying to preserve the traditions of their own. What is most evident is the courage and resilience displayed by individuals and families who have fled horrific situations.
Many of the accounts speak of the benefits of living in Canada, benefits such as having freedom, meeting new people, feeling safe, and having more opportunities for education and work and ultimately, success. Throughout the book are “Migration Facts” and “Moving On” text boxes which provide interesting facts, one example being that, every day, 44,400 people are forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, famine or persecution. There is also a section devoted to famous immigrants and refugees, some examples being Malala Yousafzai, Albert Einstein and the Dalai Lama.
Illustrations consist of drawings, black and white archival photographs and colour photos. A table of contents, a glossary and an index are included. There is also a list of related print, online and video resources with a brief paragraph describing each one.
Timely and educational, Finding Home: The Journey of Immigrants and Refugees will foster among readers a greater understanding of human migration and empathy for the thousands of immigrants and refugees who seek a better life in their adopted country.
Gail Hamilton is a former teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.