Refugee High by Elly Fishman

REFUGEE HIGH by Elly Fishman is a newly released work of non-fiction about a year (2017-2018) at a public high school in Chicago named for Roger C. Sullivan. Fishman, a former senior staff editor at Chicago magazine, describes the ups and downs of that time for several immigrant and refugee teens, their siblings, parents, teachers, and friends. These students come from Iraq, Guatemala, Tanzania, Burma/Myanmar, and Syria. It is not an easy transition for many reasons. According to the Illinois State Report Card, the students at Sullivan under-perform relative to the district and state; chronic absenteeism is quite high (63%), and the graduation rate relatively low (72%, versus a state average of 86%); plus, English Language learners represent a sizeable (45%) part of the student body. Fishman spent hours with these students and their families – she clearly cares for them and offered a brief update in her author’s note. I personally wish that she had also crafted an introduction to REFUGEE HIGH although she does a commendable job of sharing stories. Reminiscent of books written roughly 20 years ago like Freedom Writers’ Diary by Erin Gruwell or Inside Mrs. B’s Classroom (also set in Chicago) by Leslie Baldacci, REFUGEE HIGH offers an important look into the lives of students that Fishman shadowed and is likely to build compassion and empathy amongst readers, especially in the face of growing vocalization of anti-immigrant sentiments.

LOCAL EVENT: Glencoe Public Library will be sponsoring a virtual talk by Elly Fishman on September 21. The author’s site and the library will have updated information soon.