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Let Me Tell You My Story
Over the course of two years, a group of award-winning photographers, filmmakers, painters, and authors trailed and documented the flood of refugees pouring into the West from the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia, recording the refugees' firsthand accounts of who they are and what made them refugees. Spare, haunting, utterly magnificent, and profoundly human, this inspiring collection creates a portrait of the greatest humanitarian crisis of modern history. From the pregnant mother in the dusty warehouse-turned-refugee-camp in Greece to the emaciated child in a mud-filled tent in Bangladesh to the lone Sudanese crouched under an overpass in Italy--the people inside this remarkable volume of exquisite photography and resiliant stories will teach you that the surest way to draw humans together begins with the words "I want to tell you my story . . ."
232 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 2, 2018
Today marks the publication of one of the most extraordinary acts of consecration that I have ever seen, the book Let Me Tell You My Story, which contains photographs, poetry, and art of and by refugees. The refugees come Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and various nations in Africa. Most of them have found their way to Germany, Italy, or other European nations, often in crowded camps where their futures are far from certain. Their stories matter.
The book is a team effort by the Their Story Is Our Story organization, a group of writers, artists, photographs, editors, translators, and other volunteers who have consecrated their time and their considerable talents to the sacred effort of collecting the stories of a small fraction of the world's 22.5 million displaced people.
It is a beautiful book on just about every level. The photographs are stunning, the art is beautiful, and the stories are profoundly human. They are, as one might expect, precisely the stories that you or I or just about anyone else would tell if we were displaced by war and brutality and forced to take our families somewhere--anywhere--to protect their lives.
I don't want to summarize these stories because it is not the summaries that matter We've all seen the pictures and engaged in the arguments. Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the civil war in Syria, refugees have become the world's #1 political problem. Summaries of the collective experiences of these refugees--and even on occasional profile or two--have long been part of the political discussion.
The ugent thing that Let Me Tell You My Story does is transform a political problem into a series of human connections. Through the enormous efforts of the volunteers who put this book together--many of whose stories are interspersed among the stories of the refugees--we can see these people as people. We can listen to their voices in our own language.
Or we can turn away. We can see the problem as too big and too hard and too far away. Without a book like this, turning away would be the only real option that most of us have. Books like this make it at least possible to mourn with those who are mourning--even when they are 4,000 miles away and speak Pashto.
And this is what makes these stories sacred. Nothing is more urgently necessary for people who profess to be religious than to make human connections with people beyond our own communities of people more or less exactly like us. This is kind of the point of most of the things that we call "the scriptures."
Let Me Tell You My Story is itself a work of holy writ--holy because it makes it possible for us to start fulfilling one of our most important religious obligations. It helps us answer the question ". . . and who is my neighbor." Once we answer the question, of course, we have to do stuff--we have to start consecrating our own talents and treasures in order to provide relief.
Reading a single book--no matter how beautiful it may be--will not give food and shelter to refugees. That will take a lot of coordinated effort by a lot of people willing to consecrate their time and talents to building the Kingdom of God. All a book like this can do is turn our attention towards the human beings that we have been trying desperately hard not to notice.
If we can do this, though--and I mean really do it, really look people in the face and allow ourselves to listen to their stories--we just might find ourselves unable to look away until we have built the kind of world that our own faith has always told us we can build.
The Kingdom of God is within us. But we have to stop looking where it isn't.
Want to Read
July 19, 2018I can guarantee you I will cry.
This is such an important book in our day and age, and I can't wait.
This is such an important book in our day and age, and I can't wait.
August 29, 2018
I first came across the NPO behind this book - Their Story Is Our Story, Giving Voice to Refugees (tsosrefugees.org) - back in December 2017. I started reading the stories of refugees they were posting on social media. I looked at their photographs and portraits, seeing the depth of the pain and refinement in their eyes. It became immediately clear that these were people who'd been through things that far surpassed my imagination... and have survived.
I've since come to know many of them by name, knowing the details of who they are and where they've come from and why. Their stories, their determination, their hope for a better life, have completely changed my life. My perspective has forever been altered to see the world through a lens that reveals my every day abundance as a responsibility to give whatever I can to helping "the least of these." This book of their stories has the potential to change the worldwide narrative and bring happy beginnings (and endings) to these good people.
I've since come to know many of them by name, knowing the details of who they are and where they've come from and why. Their stories, their determination, their hope for a better life, have completely changed my life. My perspective has forever been altered to see the world through a lens that reveals my every day abundance as a responsibility to give whatever I can to helping "the least of these." This book of their stories has the potential to change the worldwide narrative and bring happy beginnings (and endings) to these good people.
January 6, 2022
giving humanity back to a population it has been repeatedly stolen from. stories I will be reading repeatedly for years to come!
October 4, 2018
The comment-free editing, the accessible layout, and the beautiful pictures left me feeling like I was personally listening to and gazing at the people in this book.
Given how overwhelming the refugee situation is, there is something calming about offering people the simple dignity of "listening" to (or reading about) them.
As the title suggests, the refugees are allowed to tell their own stories. There is little editorial comment and the stories and pictures are allowed to speak for themselves.
A nice feature of the book is that you can spend as much or as little time on the book as you have time for in a sitting. My first sitting with the book involved looking at each photograph or painting (they really are beautiful) and reading the titles, which are usually quotes from the text and act as mini-stories. In my second sitting, I had time to read the stories, most of which are only one or two pages long.
In short, I thought the book was thoughtfully laid out in a way that allowed the humanity of its subjects to take center stage.
Given how overwhelming the refugee situation is, there is something calming about offering people the simple dignity of "listening" to (or reading about) them.
As the title suggests, the refugees are allowed to tell their own stories. There is little editorial comment and the stories and pictures are allowed to speak for themselves.
A nice feature of the book is that you can spend as much or as little time on the book as you have time for in a sitting. My first sitting with the book involved looking at each photograph or painting (they really are beautiful) and reading the titles, which are usually quotes from the text and act as mini-stories. In my second sitting, I had time to read the stories, most of which are only one or two pages long.
In short, I thought the book was thoughtfully laid out in a way that allowed the humanity of its subjects to take center stage.
September 9, 2018
I rarely give a book five stars but this beautiful collection deserves every one. The photography is breathtaking and the stories will stir your soul. I read them one at a time, allowing the heartbreak and courage to work inside me until my heart was filled. I’ve found myself sharing the stories in conversation and working them into church lessons. These stories have value to the human family. They will change your perspective, enhance your ability to feel empathy, and remind you that we are all brothers and sisters. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
November 9, 2018
The news cycle will sometimes relay stories about refugees, but most of the reporting is about groups of people. This book humanizes the crisis by focusing on several refugees and allowing them to tell their own stories with the help of interviewers, translators, photographers, and even a painter.
The result is a collection of accounts that display the most horrible aspects of the human experience (destruction of property, torture, rape, killing).
It's heartbreaking to read the horrors that human being inflict upon one another--often in the service of absurd abstractions. Violence committed in the name of defending God and country has never made sense to me. Many of the stories are about Syrian refugees waylaid in Greece. However, there are accounts from refugees fleeing other Near Eastern countries, some Eastern European countries, and several African countries as well. Certainly, parallel stories exist for refugees from countries in Asia, Central America, and South America as well.
But just when I want to crawl in a hole and give up on all of humanity, this book gives me hope that people can be good.
_Let Me Tell You My Story_ also documents the most admirable aspects of the human experience:
Here are just a few examples of goodness described in this books pages:
economic sacrifices for family, friends, and strangers; carrying children for miles; nursing the sick, the sad, and the injured; teaching people a new language, a new job skill; providing food, shelter, and clothing; helping people process paperwork in order to function in an unfamiliar bureaucracy.
After being a witness to these stories, it's hard to do nothing. The book concludes with a list of suggestions, some of them very simple and not super costly in time or money. Just doing SOMETHING small and sharing a skill, expertise or a small sum of money can make a difference in the life of someone suffering.
If you don't read the book, at least check out their webpage by searching for _Their Story Is Our Story_.
I found out about this because I know a few of the volunteers who are members of my faith; however, their organization is an interfaith/interpath organization, which is also a positive, affirmative act in and of itself. WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!
The result is a collection of accounts that display the most horrible aspects of the human experience (destruction of property, torture, rape, killing).
It's heartbreaking to read the horrors that human being inflict upon one another--often in the service of absurd abstractions. Violence committed in the name of defending God and country has never made sense to me. Many of the stories are about Syrian refugees waylaid in Greece. However, there are accounts from refugees fleeing other Near Eastern countries, some Eastern European countries, and several African countries as well. Certainly, parallel stories exist for refugees from countries in Asia, Central America, and South America as well.
But just when I want to crawl in a hole and give up on all of humanity, this book gives me hope that people can be good.
_Let Me Tell You My Story_ also documents the most admirable aspects of the human experience:
Here are just a few examples of goodness described in this books pages:
economic sacrifices for family, friends, and strangers; carrying children for miles; nursing the sick, the sad, and the injured; teaching people a new language, a new job skill; providing food, shelter, and clothing; helping people process paperwork in order to function in an unfamiliar bureaucracy.
After being a witness to these stories, it's hard to do nothing. The book concludes with a list of suggestions, some of them very simple and not super costly in time or money. Just doing SOMETHING small and sharing a skill, expertise or a small sum of money can make a difference in the life of someone suffering.
If you don't read the book, at least check out their webpage by searching for _Their Story Is Our Story_.
I found out about this because I know a few of the volunteers who are members of my faith; however, their organization is an interfaith/interpath organization, which is also a positive, affirmative act in and of itself. WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!
February 24, 2019
This book contains a series of transcripts, photographs, and artwork of well above 100 refugees from a variety of homelands and at many different stages in their journey. It also contains various informational tidbits about the process that refugees take to find refuge. (It's tremendously difficult and involves enormous courage and risk.) These are all presented in a beautiful, well-designed hard bound book. The refugees, and their stories, are given priority here.
The book does an excellent conveying the humanity of its subjects. The whole design and content made me feel like I was sitting down and having a personal conversation with each subject. I came away with a (likely incomplete) sense of the hopes, dreams, sorrows, devastation, fears, and joys of the subjects. It was very moving and I hope I never forget it.
The book does an excellent conveying the humanity of its subjects. The whole design and content made me feel like I was sitting down and having a personal conversation with each subject. I came away with a (likely incomplete) sense of the hopes, dreams, sorrows, devastation, fears, and joys of the subjects. It was very moving and I hope I never forget it.
January 23, 2020
I bought this book when a member of the TSOS board came to speak at Olympus High School. I was inspired about what Melissa Dalton Bradford discussed with the students about the current refugee crisis in the world and I purchased this beautiful book to learn more. What a stunning book to read. I feel like I should read it once a year. The pictures are gorgeous and it is just hard to believe that these stories are really happening to people right now! I feel so blessed, lucky, and responsible to do something to help these people. It's truly amazing what poeple can survive and it also proves that there is a lot of evil in the world.
I highly recommend this book.
I highly recommend this book.
March 30, 2019
When I was doing research on Syrian refugees in 2014, it was a challenge to find first-hand accounts from the refugees themselves, even through the conflict there was about three years in. So my first reaction to seeing Let Me Tell You My Story was finally. An outlet for the voices of displaced people in the Middle East to Africa, their stories crossing borders and intersecting with strife and horror, but also hope. All they want is peace, their families safe, and a home to return to.
The only aspect of this book that did not resonant with me was the bios of Their Story is Our Story members. It distracted from the true focus.
The only aspect of this book that did not resonant with me was the bios of Their Story is Our Story members. It distracted from the true focus.
Read
October 22, 2018Hard to read, but such a powerful book! How can we turn our backs on these people? They are part of the human family, and they need our help.
September 28, 2020
A very painful yet powerful read. Every page is a true tale of horror and the struggle to survive. I had to put it down many times because it was so difficult to read of the atrocities these refugees have gone through. Each story is important, and could probably be told by thousands of others who have lived through similar situations. If this book doesn't soften your heart towards the plight of the refugee, nothing will.
December 6, 2018
A few weeks ago, I sat on my daughter’s bed and read my twin girls an unconventional bedtime story. It was from this book, Let Me Tell You My Story.
We read one narrative, and then another. Short personal accounts of individuals who fled their countries of origin in search for a life we admittedly take for granted. A life with physical safety, peace, clean water, three meals a day, the chance to attend school, sleep without fear, and freedom.
My daughters are in 6th grade and this year they have a new student in their class. She is from Afghanistan. They tell me she has the nicest smile, is always polite, and has a little sister who runs into her arms every time the two see each other at school. But she doesn’t speak English. And they do not yet know her story.
So in an attempt to help them understand the country she has come from, I began reading to them these refugee stories of courage and hope. I told my girls, “You have no idea what your new friend has experienced....
to read the rest of this review, please visit our website at https://segullah.org/daily-special/le...
We read one narrative, and then another. Short personal accounts of individuals who fled their countries of origin in search for a life we admittedly take for granted. A life with physical safety, peace, clean water, three meals a day, the chance to attend school, sleep without fear, and freedom.
My daughters are in 6th grade and this year they have a new student in their class. She is from Afghanistan. They tell me she has the nicest smile, is always polite, and has a little sister who runs into her arms every time the two see each other at school. But she doesn’t speak English. And they do not yet know her story.
So in an attempt to help them understand the country she has come from, I began reading to them these refugee stories of courage and hope. I told my girls, “You have no idea what your new friend has experienced....
to read the rest of this review, please visit our website at https://segullah.org/daily-special/le...
September 28, 2019
A very necessary book but so hard to read. I could only get through about 10 pages a day before I was in tears. I'd still recommend it to everyone though because the subject matter is so important. Just push through with a box of tissues and consider checking out the links and websites mentioned in the book when you're done.
February 1, 2019
Stunning photography and beautifully curated vignettes of refugee experiences, shared in their own words (occasionally a family member speaks for the individual). It provides a very human face to the refugee crisis, and these stories provide nuance about the experience that often gets left out of news articles or think pieces. It is powerful to hear refugees from around the world discussing their hopes, pains, and history. This is important work.
My only real criticism is that I would have arranged the sections in the book differently. The book's greatest strength is the way it favors refugees’ voices and their lived experience, so it felt jarring to have the TSOS staff's discussion of their involvement with refugees interspersed through the text. They were well written and relevant, but I would have liked to see them as an appendix in the back. Transitioning back and forth between their stories and staff stories prevents the emotional power that happens when you find yourself falling into refugee story after refugee story. You respond differently when it is someone offering their reasoning and values than when you hear someone's lived experience.
But still, this is a powerful book that was executed beautifully.
My only real criticism is that I would have arranged the sections in the book differently. The book's greatest strength is the way it favors refugees’ voices and their lived experience, so it felt jarring to have the TSOS staff's discussion of their involvement with refugees interspersed through the text. They were well written and relevant, but I would have liked to see them as an appendix in the back. Transitioning back and forth between their stories and staff stories prevents the emotional power that happens when you find yourself falling into refugee story after refugee story. You respond differently when it is someone offering their reasoning and values than when you hear someone's lived experience.
But still, this is a powerful book that was executed beautifully.
February 15, 2019
I'm still reading this, very slowly, because though every story is very short (some only two sentences), I still feel them deeply in my chest. I've always felt for refugees, but I used to be close to someone that had very little compassion for refugees, saying that they should "go back to their country and fix it" when I brought up violence. I wish I could give him this book. The photographs are beautiful and undeniably human. The stories, while brief, are so honest and impactful. Refugees don't only share what has driven them away, but also some of them share the emotional after effects, such as, "I'm feeling bad... my stress is growing.. I want to work." The book is compiled by an organization called Their Story is Our Story. Photographers, interviewers, and others who worked to create it also share snippets of their stories, reminding us that we do have experiences and feelings to relate. We are equipped to feel empathy, and we need to embrace it. I hope this book brings clarity of refugee realities to those who may not have it, and increases or urgency and compassion. Resist fear. Assist love. This book is important.
April 7, 2019
I love biographical works so I checked this out after seeing it shared on an author's Facebook page. When I realized it was a collection of refugee stories I was super skeptical thinking it was privileged people witnessing horrors of things happening to vulnerable people and then publishing about it. But this book genuinely made me wish for a ship to sail to Europe and pick up all these good people in camps and bring them to be my neighbors. If it can make me feel that way, then maybe it can help others gain empathy and understanding for refugees and soften hearts towards some of the policies that either negatively affect them abroad or prevent them from getting asylum in the United States. The book has some beautiful, high-quality professional photography and artwork, as well as some stories from the volunteers that give it a unique two-sided story that shows how humans can live in parallel universes on the same planet.
December 30, 2018
Beautiful book. Large, well laid out, lovely images, heart-wrenching stories. Seeing the refugee crisis on a personal level is important.
I think the stories could stand for themselves. The appendix was a lot of repeat of what was already in the stories (a lot of direct quotes- if you already read the stories, the appendix is not as necessary). Also they highlighted some of the interviewers/photographers/other people in the TSOS organization. I don't think they needed to add that. It sort of took away from the refugee stories. I do personally know one of the interviewers and I read her little snippet because of that personal connection, but the refugee stories are more important and can speak for themselves.
Still it does make you want to do something and brings my mind to the current asylum seekers at the US/Mexico border right now.
I think the stories could stand for themselves. The appendix was a lot of repeat of what was already in the stories (a lot of direct quotes- if you already read the stories, the appendix is not as necessary). Also they highlighted some of the interviewers/photographers/other people in the TSOS organization. I don't think they needed to add that. It sort of took away from the refugee stories. I do personally know one of the interviewers and I read her little snippet because of that personal connection, but the refugee stories are more important and can speak for themselves.
Still it does make you want to do something and brings my mind to the current asylum seekers at the US/Mexico border right now.
December 13, 2019
This book is so well done. It is full of beautiful pictures, paintings, and the stories of refugees, in their own words. Looking into their eyes and feeling the emotion of their stories made me feel as though I was truly with them, listening to them. I was filled with so much compassion and heartbreak, as I saw mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children going through things no human should have to endure. I felt connected to them as brothers and sisters. There are some moments of hope in this book, but lots of areas where action is needed. This is a good start and I'm grateful for the understanding and connection this book offered.
October 28, 2018
Reading these stories of refugees is heartbreaking but necessary to understanding the world refugee crisis. I’ve always read historical fiction and wondered what I would have done if I lived during those times? This book (and other accounts I’ve read) have not just moved me with compassion but moved me to action. Everyone has something to give and I like that this book is not just full of tragic stories but also ways we can help. The photography, art and writing make this a beautiful book that pay tribute to the humanity, strength and hope of the refugees.
August 31, 2019
Before I had read two dozen pages, my eyes were watering up.
Before I had read a hundred pages I decided to change my donations from a good US charity, to one that supports refugees.
I learned that these are real people who once had real lives and they want to get back to a normal lifestyle where they can live, work and play.
Before I had read a hundred pages I decided to change my donations from a good US charity, to one that supports refugees.
I learned that these are real people who once had real lives and they want to get back to a normal lifestyle where they can live, work and play.
January 6, 2020
This book is produced by a non profit organization to give voice to refugees. It spoke of “hope, courage and humanity”. These people need more than food, clothing and shelter. They need freedom, work, education, and a country to gather family and make a home with safety and security. The pictures express also the complex issues these beautiful people face each day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2020
Heartbreaking and eye-opening. Definitely inspired me to find ways to help. I learned a lot about the refugee crisis and how desperate people’s circumstances are in their home countries; it put a lot in perspective for me. Beautifully told stories and pictures, impossible to “rate”, but I’m giving 5 stars because I think it’s important that these stories are told and that people are aware.
December 4, 2021
Stunningly beautiful, heartbreakingly true, and notable for its brilliant simplicity. I appreciate that there was minimal mediation between refugees telling their stories to the readers; it was more powerful and dignifying this way. My respect and sorrow and comprehension were magnified, so I would consider this book as successful in its intention.
February 15, 2022
This book was compiled by an organization called Their Story is Our Story (TSOS)--the name alone is a sermon! It's 232 pages of stories and portraits gathered from European refugees. I thought I'd browse the pages, but it was too good to put down. I learned things about places and policies and lives that I had never imagined. It made me prayerful and thankful, and more determined to love.
October 18, 2018
The book itself is beautifully put together. It's got a great heft and feel when you hold it. The inside is just as impactful. The stories are heartbreaking, but human. The pictures and art draw you in.
October 30, 2018
This makes you want to go out and help someone! It also makes you appreciate why our soldiers are trying to help those in places like Afghanistan with freedom. The proceeds from this book go to help those refugees in need - get it! Beautifully put together.
August 10, 2019
Amazing book. Want to know the true refugee experience? Want to be inspired by human beings? This is an amazing book. Yes, the state of the world is creating this crisis and it is sad, traumatic and disheartening. But there is hope. These are stories that MUST ave shared.
May 28, 2020
I'm really grateful the heavy stories were "interrupted" with the stories of the people who help refugees. I liked the variety of ways (poetry, long tales, paintings, short paragraphs)to tell the heartbreaking journeys of people.
September 11, 2020
This book is a compilation of first hand accounts of refugees making their way to Europe. They come from Africa and the Middle East and tell harrowing stories of fleeing for their lives. Visually appealing, the book includes paintings and photographs which bring the stories to life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews