There are more displaced people in the world today than at any time since World War II and these eight books put human faces to that staggering number. Written by survivors of genocide and war, an Olympic swimmer who fled Syria and a Pulitzer-winning novelist, they carry you from the camps to the crossing to the strange work of building a new life. They are difficult and they are essential, some of the most moving books you will ever read.
These are personal stories and essays, not legal advice on asylum, which is a matter for a licensed attorney.
Quick picks:
- Best overall: The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri. View on Amazon
- Most harrowing: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung. View on Amazon
- Best anthology: The Displaced by Viet Thanh Nguyen. View on Amazon
Surviving and fleeing
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
Loung Ung is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge. A child's-eye memoir of surviving the Cambodian genocide. Harrowing, clear and essential history.
Best for: A child under the Khmer Rouge.
→ View on AmazonA Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Ishmael Beah is a former child soldier. A landmark memoir of being a child soldier in Sierra Leone and finding a way back to humanity. Devastating and vital.
Best for: From child soldier to survivor.
→ View on AmazonThe Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya
Clemantine Wamariya is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, with a journalist. A shattering memoir of surviving genocide and the long, strange road to an American life. Unforgettable.
Best for: Surviving genocide, remaking a life.
→ View on AmazonButterfly by Yusra Mardini
Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer who fled Syria. The remarkable memoir of swimming a sinking boat to safety and later competing at the Olympics. Inspiring in the truest sense.
Best for: The refugee who swam to safety.
→ View on AmazonReflection and essay
The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri
Dina Nayeri is a celebrated author who fled Iran as a child. A brilliant, prickly meditation on what host countries demand of refugees, braided with her own story. Essential and bracing.
Best for: What we ask of refugees.
→ View on AmazonWhat Is the What by Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is a celebrated novelist. A novelized true account of a Lost Boy of Sudan's journey from war to America. Sweeping and deeply humane.
Best for: A Lost Boy's odyssey.
→ View on AmazonThe Displaced by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, as editor. An anthology of refugee writers reflecting on displacement and belonging. A chorus of essential voices in one volume.
Best for: Many refugee voices, one book.
→ View on AmazonThe Good Immigrant USA by Nikesh Shukla
Nikesh Shukla is a pair of writers, as editors. An essay anthology in which immigrant and first-generation writers reflect on identity in America. Varied, sharp and moving.
Best for: Essays on belonging in America.
→ View on AmazonHow we chose these
We looked for authors with real authority or genuine lived experience: immigration attorneys and economists, credentialed historians and scholars, award-winning journalists and the memoirists who lived these stories. Where a book takes a policy position, we note it plainly and let you decide. We describe and compare these books to help you choose; we do not reproduce their contents.
Please note: these are books, not legal advice. U.S. immigration law changes frequently and every case is different. For your specific situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney.
