by Jake Halpern
First published 2020
Jamil and Ammar arrive in America with their families on November 8, 2016, after fleeing Syria in 2012 and waiting four years in Jordan for their refugee visas. The brothers land in one country and wake up in another as election results reshape the national mood toward immigrants. Jake Halpern follows their daily struggles through mosques, schools, and job training programs as they build new lives from nothing. The families face the grinding work of learning English, finding employment, and navigating unfamiliar systems. When Ammar's family receives a death threat that forces them to abandon their town, the promise of safety in America proves fragile. Halpern and illustrator Michael Sloan document these experiences in comic form, showing how two families carry the weight of displacement while reaching for belonging in a country that remains divided about welcoming them.
Genres: contemporary, memoir, non-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: America, Jordan, Syria
Period: 2012, 2016
184 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury Publishing