The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown, 112 pp, RL 5

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown Published by Houghton Mifflin Purchased from Barnes & Noble Don Brown begins this chronicle of this ongoing humanitarian tragedy in 2011 with Arab Spring protests in the city of Dara'a. With stark imagery and straightforward text, he introduces readers to the 50+ year totalitarian regime of the Assad family and the horrors they enacted. Deciding they do not want to die, Syrians begin to flee the brutality and violence of their country. Rather than telling stories of individuals, Brown focuses on the insurmountable challenges faced by displaced populations. Refugees drown in a river trying to cross the border and they drown as they try to reach Western Europe on overcrowded smuggler's boats. The refugees use cell phones with GPS to navigate the new lands they are crossing and keep in touch with helpful friends and relatives already resettled. There are moments of kindness from strangers among the