Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses depictions of genocide, war and displacement, depression, and other mental health conditions.

“Greater than my fear of what I could not do was a growing need to convey the refugee lives around me, to show our shared understanding of war and hunger for peace, our vulnerabilities and strengths, and to offer our powerful truths to a country I love.”

This passage acts as the thesis statement for the collection as a whole. Yang’s goal in collecting these stories is to amplify the collective knowledge of refugee communities in order to push back against anti-immigrant sentiment.

“Irene laughed with the friends she had made during the year of calling Minnesota home—blond Sarah, Felicia, an African-American; Kim and Linh, who were Vietnamese American; and Dina and Julie, who were Russian and had also left Minsk behind.”

This passage emphasizes the diversity of Minnesota, the author’s home state. The diversity of the group—including people born in America and immigrants from Russia and Vietnam—highlights The Importance of Community in Times of War or Displacement.

“Every Saturday, in those conversations, they become a full family: a mother, a father, and their children, voices celebrating their gratitude for each other’s safety and small successes.”

Awo Ahmed’s family is separated by war in Somalia: Awo lives in America with her mother and siblings while her father lives in Kenya. This passage indicates that their weekly phone calls are precious and essential to keeping the family together, highlighting the power of technology to support immigrants and refugees.