Dying to Live

February 15, 2020
A little bit reminiscent of Studs Terkel's oral histories, this collection of refugee stories tells the contemporary tales of people forced to leave their homelands, and who seek a safer, more promising chance at life. Divided into three sections: Flight, Journey, and Destination, this collection contains dozens of conversations with individuals from places all around the globe including, but not limited to, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. A journalist and director of the International Reconciliation Program for the Jesuit Refugee Services, Vella had unique access to a wide variety of people and uses her correspondent skills to create an engaging, thoughtful collection of intense, firsthand experiences most readers will never have to endure personally. This carefully reported compilation, best taken in small portions, should spark thoughtful discussions about the forces behind displacement and migration, the challenges refugees face, the associated social and political changes to our world, and a sense of the more compassionate and just world we hope to create.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)