We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees in an Unequal America by Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau, Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau

We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees in an Unequal America
Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau, Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau
Page: 207
Format: pdf, ePub, mobi, fb2
ISBN: 9780520379053
Publisher: University of California Press
We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees in an Unequal America

Downloading google books as pdf We Thought It Would Be Heaven: Refugees in an Unequal America MOBI FB2 in English by Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau, Blair Sackett, Annette Lareau 9780520379053

Overview

Resettled refugees in America face a land of daunting obstacles where small things—one person, one encounter—can make all the difference in getting ahead or falling behind.
  
 Fleeing war and violence, many refugees dream that moving to the United States will be like going to Heaven. Instead, they enter a deeply unequal American society, often at the bottom. Through the lived experiences of families resettled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Blair Sackett and Annette Lareau reveal how a daunting obstacle course of agencies and services can drastically alter refugees’ experiences building a new life in America.
  
 In these stories of struggle and hope, as one volunteer said, “you see the American story.” For some families, minor mistakes create catastrophes—food stamps cut off, educational opportunities missed, benefits lost. Other families, with the help of volunteers and social supports, escape these traps and take steps toward reaching their dreams. Engaging and eye-opening, We Thought It Would Be Heaven brings readers into the daily lives of Congolese refugees and offers guidance for how activists, workers, and policymakers can help refugee families thrive.

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