The stories of refugees who fled violence or persecution only to become trapped in the worst
refugee camps in Europe. Helen Benedict award-winning British-American professor of journalism
at Columbia University teams up with Syrian writer and refugee Eyad Awwadawnan to present
the stories of five refugees who have endured long and dangerous journeys from the Middle East
and Africa to Greece. Hasan Asmahan Evans Mursal and Calvin each tell their story tracing
the trajectory of their lives from homes and families in Syria Afghanistan Nigeria and
Cameroon to the brutal refugee camps where they are trapped in a strange and hostile world.
These are compelling first-person stories of resilience suffering and hope told in a depth
rarely seen in non-fiction partly because one of the authors is a refugee himself and partly
because both authors spent years getting to know the interviewees and winning their trust. The
women and men in this book tell their stories in their own words retaining control and dignity
while revealing intimate and heartfelt scenes from their lives.
