Immigration Stories from a Minneapolis High School: Green Card Youth Voices

by Tea Rozman Clark (Editor), Wellstone International High School Students (authors), Kao Kalia Yang (Foreward)

WINNER- 2016 Moonbeam Children's Book GOLD - Multicultural Nonfiction Chapter Exceptional resources for English and social science classes, adult learners, EL classrooms, and book clubs. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Essays

176 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2016

Reviews

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is more than a good read, it is an experience. You will wonder at their strength, be impressed by their sensitive and loving natures, and understand the immigrant and refugee experiences just a little better. Give as gifts to your friends and family who have been taken off into the sunset of racism and bigotry. And buy loads for your friends and family who self identify as social justice citizens. The stories are compelling and awesome, loving and shocking, scary and courageous.

This book should be read by every high schooler in Minnesota. Every. Single. One. It's time to set aside false barriers and become neighbors and friends.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite inspiring and informative quick read. Was honored to get to attend book reading event in which 3 of these young adults shared their stories of immigration. Would highly recommend the book. It is an easy read and left me feeling more aware, inspired as well as hopeful. I would read a couple stories at a time as they were quite powerful.

[Beki Eikum · Rating 5 out of 5]

These true stories of youth who immigrated and attend a Minneapolis high school are inspiring, challenging, and totally worth the read. So many of lived multiple years in refugee camps before coming here, or were separated from their parents and loved ones for YEARS. So much resiliency and beauty.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

enlightening

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every immigrant's story is different and worth being told. My students and I enjoyed this book.

[Nausheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essays in this book are very powerful. Sometimes we are too wrapped up in our own immigrant narratives, of how our elders came to America for a better life. We don't realize that for our children, their memories of home and their childhood are of love, fun, friends, and family they leave behind. This was such a great book to help me see that.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring stories from high school kids who have come to Minnesota to live out their dreams, live in safety with their families, and receive an education. What could be more American?

[Cindy Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

POWERFUL personal narratives of students who migrated from thirteen different countries and currently attend Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis, MN. Thank you so much Paige Fors for introducing this book to me. Beautiful pictures of each of 30 immigrants students, along with their stories in their own words and links to video versions. Often heartbreaking - most of the students have spent the vast majority of their brief lives without a parent who has immigrated first. Stories of reuniting with parents who have been absent most of their lives share common threads of feeling "weird" and missing grandparents who raised them. Many have spent years in refugee camps, most have learned at least two languages before coming to the US and needing to learn English too. Most have fond memories of their countries of origins and long for the family and friends left behind. They each have unique dreams for their lives in America - but they all seem to value the opportunities and possibilities available to them in the US. They almost all dream of college - some so that they can chase the American Dream, and some so they can return to their country of origin and help.

Loved the reactions to snow and Minnesota weather :-) - and the confusion about the bus system seemed universal. Reading their stories sure made me more empathetic to the challenges of immigration. Can't wait to use this book with my students this fall!

[Marin Lindberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Green Card Youth Voices: Immigration Stories from a Minneapolis High School is not only a book for educators, but a book for neighbors, students, grandparents, religious leaders, politicians, businessmen, the corner store owner, doctors, retail workers…everyone!

Green Card Youth Voices touches on the themes of education, requirements for survival, refugee background, the family unit, courage, language and self-fulfillment.

This book immediately started to build consciousness for equity in me and stirred me on in tangible ways even in this short time. It has impacted not only my thinking and knowledge as it applies to what I do in the classroom and at work, but in my daily life as well. I’ve already found myself being more reflective about my actions, intentional about my questions and relationships and conversations.

The detailed description of the process some students took to come to the US gave me insight on the complicated adjustment it is to become part of the educational system we have here in the US. Not only that, it gave me insight into how some students feel when approaching school, so that I am better able to (hopefully) meet them where they are at as we all work towards equity in our every changing world. Green Card Youth Voices is a must-read for everyone!

[Kate J · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main topic of this book was about immigrant youth attending Wellstone International High School and/or MCTC and their experience coming to the United States. I enjoyed that it was told in first-person. I think there is a large misconception that many immigrants come here to "take jobs away from Americans," however, most of the stories in this novel were about people fleeing war in their country or suffering from extreme poverty. Many expressed that they wish to return to their country after receiving an education and/or after the political climate gets better. A lot of stories were about adjusting to American life and the English language.

I enjoyed reading this book, I don't know if it was mentioned, but each story read as though the story-teller was speaking to the reader. Basically, it sounded as though these stories were transcribed, and while I know there was digital story-telling going on, it also mentioned that these stories were personal essays (which to me, means writing). So the specific medium used was a bit confusing.

Either way, I enjoyed it. I loved that the stories were accompanied by a picture of the storyteller, because it allowed me to visualize them in their story.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on several different levels. First of all, as a teacher, I could tell the assignment they'd been given and the questions they'd been asked. As a teacher of ESL students at the university level (the terminology is ELL or multilingual students at the K-12 level), reading this book was a reminder of the wide variety of challenges these students face. As a person, this book provides an opportunity to enter the lives of young people from other countries whose lives are full of love, loss, difficulty, and hope.

Each story is 2-3 pages long and is accompanied by a full-color photo of the student. The language is such that it would be readily accessible by English speakers from late elementary on up, perhaps intermediate ELL/ESL students. The format also makes it easy to read story by story without the pressure of finishing the whole book.

[Kayla Ruplinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I received this book as part of an All School Read event at my high school and I thought it was really interesting reading about different immigrant stories and how coming to the United States has changed their life in some shape or form. I think it’s really important that we learn about these types of stories to gain a new perspective on the people around us. So many of us come from different backgrounds and learning about them really opens your eyes to a whole new world that I think this book allowed me to do. This isn’t a book that I would normally pick up and read but I’m glad I got the opportunity to do so!

[Abby Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The youth of America is the future of America. As the stories in this book show, based on the resilience, bravery, and courage that the next generation carries, we are in good hands. In a time when immigration to the United States is increasing—by 2050, one in five Americans will be an immigrant—it is more important than ever to create a culture of empathy and appreciation for the rich diversity of experience immigrants bring.”

Super interesting.

[kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent sharing interviews throughout the book from Wellstone international high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each of the children featured are from a variety of countries and different cities. There is a photo of each one. They tell their story of coming to America.

Many are from countries that are war torn like Somalia. They have been living in refugee camps often in Ethiopia or Kenya. Haiti and other Latin countries are also represented. Including Mexico, Ecuador and Guatemala. One child is from China.

These children have lived in families that have been split up. Oftentimes parents have come to America first and they’ve had to wait 6 to 8 years for visas for their children to come join them. Combining the families after so much time apart is a challenge for many of these children. They’ve left behind friends and extended family like grandparents and cousins.

I thought the editors did a really good job with editing the interviews and the photos. There also are video links at the end of each chapter that you can watch each child share their stories. This book has several others in the series utilizing high schools from Saint Paul, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia.

These books are for teaching purposes to make immigrants more real in our lives. Mainly for other students, but as an adult, I thought this was a very well done project.

[Dana Kuehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the short essay style of this book! It was easy to read just a story or two at a time. This book gave such a powerful perspective on why many immigrants have to leave their homes and how broken our immigration system is by forcing families apart; many of these kids travelled here alone to escape famine, war or persecution. Their bravery and perseverance to gain access to things we in the US take for granted- food and basic education- brought me to tears many times.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read to see what these students' lives were like before arriving in Minneapolis. It is amazing to see how far they have come.

[Jennie Walker Knoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must-read - The stories by these teens in my own city of their experiences before and after coming to the United States were eye-opening, inspiring, and made me want to be a better neighbor.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing better than reading this is watching the accompanying videos (posted on their websites) of the same students narrating their stories themselves.

Love love love Green Card Voices.

[Regencyfan93 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am inspired by these stories of young people who came to the U.S. and who want to go to university in order to serve others. So many of them had a parent who left for political or economic reasons and whom they didn't see for years until the visa came through. I can't imagine growing up with my father or mother on a different continent than me for years of my life.

____________________________
My rating - 5 outstanding, 4 - I liked this and will re-read it, 3 - I enjoyed it though may not re-read, 2 - I kept going because I had to see how it ended, 1 - Whatever time I spent with this book is time I'll never get back to my regret.

[Mariahenly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful way to put a "face" on the lives of immigrants, many are coming to the US to start better lives away from war and poverty. They are stories of loss and hope and resiliency. The students are all seeking their dreams in a place where they can actually become reality. You will be surprised at the diversity of their experiences and histories. Plus the book includes a study guide for book groups or classroom teachers. The book has recently won the Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award and it is well deserved!

[Kari Mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When I came to this country, I saw they have heaven and they have the hell. But you can choose heaven, every day of your life, by the actions you take in your community. You are free to choose something you want to be. I choose to be a part of heaven by my actions and by my work. I know who I am. I know that people in the world need my knowledge. People of the world need the things I have in my mind. I try to do what I can to make an impact." - Dorette Nguelefack, Green Card Youth Voices

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Green Card Youth Voices is a powerful collection of essays. It's a short, easy read that, nevertheless, is packed with meaning and leads you to think deeper about the people living among us in society.

Everyone has a story, and the young immigrants who have written this book certainly prove that everyone has a story worth telling. Their stories should serve as an inspiration to others to never give up on your dreams and to not let anything get in your way no matter how difficult the struggle.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to see this published!