Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Isabel also deals with a fair share of trauma that expedites this maturity: two years prior, her grandmother Lita drowned during a cyclone in Havana, and on this boat trip Isabels best friend, Ivn, is killed in the water by sharks. His breath came quick and deep, and his hands clenched into fists. And why not? Three. Josef wasnt ready. Everything they owned was in these two backpacks. It was Waleed who spoke up. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Shelves full of food at the store, Seora Castillo said. what were two observations the boys made about lesbos from the boat? It was like a giant rummage sale, and it seemed like everybody in the camp was there. He was careful not to show his eagerness in front of his father, however. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." If his parents had died in the airstrike, would he want revenge on their killers? Josef tiptoed down the corridor. Why not? Isabel said. No ambulances came to help the wounded. A shabby-looking man stumbled out from behind the crates and luggage piled up on the dock, and Ruthie screamed. No! The shadows threw him to the floor. Josefs veins ran with ice. No more getting thrown in jail for disagreeing with the government. But what do you want to do when you get there? Seor Castillo asked. He wasn't literally invisible. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Tomorrow morning well have the sun to guide us. All that matters now is we get as far away from Cuba as we can, said Luiss girlfriend. From 2022 to 2028, it is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.8%. His home was totally destroyed. This isnt funny. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Josef looked deep into Officer Padrons eyes, searching for some sign of help, some hint of sympathy. And freedom. He had white hair that he wore swept back on his head, and even though there was no food, he had a middle-aged paunch to his belly. Students will see themselves in the young protagonists: children faced with tragic circumstances but who, at their heart, are just kids who love their families and want to live in peace. After what seemed like an eternity of looking over their papers, the border guard finally stapled temporary visas onto their passports and let them through. [6], For the 1983 science-fiction novel by Piers Anthony, see, https://www.litcharts.com/lit/refugee/characters/mahmoud-bishara, "That Huge Surprise in His Own Family Genealogy? Without Russias gas, they couldnt run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. Finally, the boat is actually there! Thank you. It was an old blue Opel taxi, traveling so slowly Mahmoud could walk faster. Asked by Bishara. Struggling with distance learning? He saw two stewards who had stopped to look over the side at the sea and came up behind them. She had to think of some answer to all this, some solution that would keep her family together. Get out of the car! he cried. A tag already exists with the provided branch name. Then, any left. My father just got out of a concentration camp. A new life. A social worker approaches Mahmouds family and asks if they are seeking asylum in Germany (Germany accepted 124,845 Syrian refugees in 2017 and the EU as a whole accepted 538,000 total refugees). Her name is Leona. The old fisherman sighed and took the squirming kitten from her. You can let us off at highway 214. Dad turned the car around and drove. It was usually held on the first Shabbosthe Sabbath, the Jewish day of restafter a boys thirteenth birthday. Refine any search. Where would they go? Please, take us with you!, At least take my sister! Mahmoud begged. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Fatima! Mahmoud and his mother fight to live in the Mediterranean, but the Greek Coast Guard finally saves the family. From that day forward, Mahmoud and Khalid were marked. Josef couldnt wait for his bar mitzvah. Mahmoud started his journey in Turkey, where, like so many others, he was smuggled to Greece in a rubber boat. A sign that they would eventually get to America. You saved her. The Jewish people on the ship were seeking asylum, just like us. Waleed didnt seem to get excited about much these days. In the second it took for the sound to grow from a breeze to a tornado, Mahmoud dropped his pencil, put his hands to his ears, and threw himself under the kitchen table. Isabel sipped from a bottle of soda. She wore a dark blue wool dress with a white sailors collar and carried her white corduroy stuffed Rabit-Bitsy, everywhere she went. Please! she cried. A synagogue, on board the ship? Papa said. Heart in his throat, skin tingling with goose bumps, Josef took the paper armband with the Star of David off his arm, slid it into the inside pocket of his jacket, and stepped through the door. Screamed in sheer blind terror. He felt like he was walking in a dream. I want to play baseball for the New York Yankees! Ivn said. He uses this skill daily, finding a new route home from school each day to keep himself and his little brother Waleed safe. Three times a day they ate delicious meals in a dining room laid out with white linen tablecloths, crystal glasses, and shining silverware, and stewards waited on them hand and foot. No station agents stopped to ask if they needed help finding their train. He stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should stay or go. Not that Waleed smiled much anymore. What was his first name? Even grumpy Seor Castillo chuckled. The boat! Papi called. But maybe this is what becoming a man is, Josef thought. Please, Isabel begged. Staring back up at them was the huge face of Fidel Castro! Isabel and her grandfather set her papi in a chair in their little kitchen, and Isabels mother, Teresa Padron de Fernandez, ran to the cabinet under the sink. People called out to one another in Arabic, and music from radios and TVs filled the air. 'No boat today. Thank you! Isabel cried. Renata and Rachel Landau is a well-known actress. Mahmoud's mother. Thank God youre safe! he told her. Like this book? Twelve-year-old Mahmoud Bishara is used to being invisibleit is how he survives. Josef! Lito! Her grandfathers name was Mariano, but Isabel called him Lito, short for AbuelitoGrandpa. Josef Landau, Isabel Fernandez, and Mahmoud Bisharaare the primary protagonists of Refugee. He shook his head, trying to clear the ringing, and spied his little brother. Not before coming home every day with horror stories about the people shed helped put back together. Isabel saw how many people were on the beach as they left the villages dirt road and carried the boat across the sand dunes. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Oh, turn it off, Papi said. Mahmoud could hear music beyond the fence. Angry and desperate, hundreds of refugees begin to riot and try to push through the fence. Josef had been a fool, and now he and his family were going to pay the price. Smoke rose from behind an apartment building. Fidel Castro, the man who ruled Cuba as president and prime minister, wouldnt allow anyone to leave the countryespecially not to go to the United Statesel norte, as Cubans called it. Josef, Ruthie, Renata, and Evelyne had to swallow their snickers as the steward reached down with his free hand and tried and failed to open the door. Dad waved their fears away. But I have this. She held out the trumpet. The kitten wasnt too different from her, Isabel realized: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. The capacity for global cooperation, as the pandemic shows, has shrunken to almost nil. When the refugees reach Austria, people greet them with cheers and throw them food, water, and supplies. All four of them burst out laughing, and Josef and Renata pulled the two younger children away before they could be caught. Isabel covered her ears and stepped away. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Al-Assad took military action against the rebel Syrians. Shes a baby. The woman was dressed in a white satin dress and veil. Dont take him! A few hours later, they watched from the promenade as tugboats pushed the MS St. Louis away from the dock, and passengers threw confetti and celebrated and blew tearful kisses good-bye. Josefs parents had always taken him to synagogue with them on Shabbos, even when other parents left their children with their nannies. The rioters and police traded rocks and bullets, and a man with a bloody head staggered past Isabel. That is when incidents like this occur, and the world calls the Cuban government cruel and inhumane. Amara laughed and Luis smiled. Without these stupid armbands, without the letter J stamped on his passport, would anyone know he was Jewish? Canoes with homemade outriggers. Lito! If you were caught trying to leave for el norte by boat, Castro would throw you in jail. Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 6 days, Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 8 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 10 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 11 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (3), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 14 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (4), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 17 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 2 days, Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (1), Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (2), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 4 days, Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (3), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 5 days (1), Mahmoud: Lesbos to Athens 2015, 12 days (3), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Mahmoud: Macedonia to Serbia 2015, 14-15 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (1), Mahmoud: Serbia to Hungary 2015, 15-16 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (3), Josef: Vornay, France 1940, 1 year, 1 month, 10 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (4), Mahmoud: Hungary to Germany 2015, 17 days. In all the times hed dreamed of this day, his father had always been there to recite a blessing with him. Continue reading. But now the streets were full of people yelling, Down with Fidel! We didnt ask for civil war! Fatima continues to go from tent to tent, asking about, Mahmoud: Serbia to Hungary 2015, 15 to 16 days from home, cries over all of the events of the past two weeks, he apologizes for giving, Mahmoud: Hungary to Germany 2015, 17 days from home, food, water, and other supplies. Waleed? their mother cried. Could it really be? How long will it take to get to Florida? she asked. The only sound was the soft crack of a bat and the roar of the crowd on the television. All she could think about was the ninety miles they still had to go, and the water pouring in from the gunshot hole in the side of the boat. (including. He sobbed with the effort of fighting off the mans fingers and hanging onto the dinghy. But they had never told Isabel and her family. Not so smart now, are you, pig? one of them had said. Refugee is a book that addresses a real-life issuethe tough lives of refugees from many times and places of the worldin an action-packed adventure that (I hope) young readers wont be able to put down. There were no trees, no shade, no parks or football fields or rivers. The fisherman came to his door, licking his fingers and frowning. No. Im just trying to get my family to safety, Dad told the men. Then he folded his hands over his stomach and said a brief prayer before reciting the first chapter of the Quran, the most holy book in Islam. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. He wore the same thing he did every time he was on television a green military jacket and flat round capand sat behind a row of microphones. BANG! Amahl Bishara, Tufts University . She could almost hear it almost And then the motor spluttered and died, and the music stopped. Fidel Castro had said that anyone who wanted to leave was welcome to go, but that was hours ago. But, more than a teacher, I am a learner! For Mahmoud Bishara,12, life in Aleppo, Syria in 2015 means trying to make himself invisible and making sure his younger brother Waleed is safe. Toward them. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Luiss girlfriend gasped and then suddenly exploded with laughter. When they reach the shore, Youssef kisses the ground and says thanks to Allah. Tomorrow, hed told Mahmouds father. Who is the main character in the book Refugee? His legs were like lead, and his eyes lost their focus. Mahmouds father gives the man what he asked for and hurries the family away. Mahmoud grapples with this question of whether it is better to be invisible or visible over the course of the novel as his family travels from Syria to Germany. Porter? Josef stood in wonder as another sailora German man without a Star of David armband, a man who wasnt a Jewput a suitcase under each arm and one in each hand and led them up the gangway. Among the people who join Isabel on the journey is her grandfather Lito, who is eventually revealed to be Mariano Padron, the Cuban officer who, decades ago, prevented Josef from entering Havana. And well have to get to Izmir, on the Turkish coast. Nobody knew a wave of revolutions would sweep through the Middle East, toppling governments and overthrowing dictators and starting civil wars. Maybe hed just been having a nightmare. It was a constant refrain in Castros lengthy speeches. As another life boat passes by, Mahmoud and his mother grab ahold. Instant PDF downloads. Izzat so? the fisherman said. Isabel waded into the water, the waves lapping up to the bottom of her shorts. A steep ramp ran to the top of the tall black hull, and hundreds of people were already on board, milling around under colorful fluttering pennants and waving to friends and family down on the docks. Josef felt the heat of that embarrassment all over again, the humiliation of being talked about like he was an animal. Mahmoud: Just Outside Aleppo, Syria 2015, 1 day from home. Something in the darkness outside his room moved with a grunt and a scuffle. refugee_-_alan_gratz was published by Mrs. Wilson on 2020-03-22. Your name must be Summer, because youre making me sweat! The girl smiled, but Isabels mother slapped Lito on the leg. Not nearly as many as there had been in Havana, but enough. Im Josef, he told the other girls when theyd all gathered themselves together. On foot? Youssef Mahmouds mom warned. He used her childhood nickname, like he always did. Which is usually that dog Assad. Mahmoud breathed again with relief. What do you think youre doing? the older policeman barked. Check Pages 1-50 of refugee_-_alan_gratz in the flip PDF version. By tradition, ten or more Jewish men, a minyan, was needed for a public service. The man reached out for them. Come on, Evielets do the bathrooms on A-deck! The girls tore away, and Josef huffed. Isabels stomach growled. Papi! The soldiers direct them to a route that avoids the battles in return for a ride. Some kids in Daraa, a city in southern Syria, were arrested and abused by the police for writing anti-Assad slogans on walls. Waleed and Mahmoud sat in the car with their mother while she nursed Hana under a blanket. Mahmoud, wheres your mother? Refugee Character Analysis Josef Landau Josef is a 13-year-old Jewish boy living in Germany in the 1930s. Sometimes it was the back alleys; there could be fighters in the streets, who were always targets for the opposition. Isabels eyes fell on Luis and his girlfriend, and she understood. Hed been released from a concentration camp called Dachau, but only on condition that he leave the country within fourteen days. Mahmoud is doing homework, stopping briefly at prayer time, when a bomb hits their building. It was getting harder and harder to get food in the city. My brother, just a boy, becoming a man at last. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. He starts to panic that, Mahmoud: Just Outside Aleppo, Syria 2015, 1 day from home. Ill be right behind you. The guards stand down, unable to stop Mahmoud without causing a fight. Renata Aber is Renata Abers younger sister. Mahmoud Bishara and his family live in war-torn Aleppo, Syria in 2015, four years after the Arab Spring had reached their country (the Arab Spring was a group of pro-democracy protests that occurred in several Middle Eastern countries in 2010-2011). Just for a little while, Mahmouds father said. One of the back tires exploded, and the car swerved wildly and screeched as his dad fought to keep control of it. It felt like ages since hed been inside a synagogue. Mahmoud and Waleed could disappear among the heaps of twisted metal and broken cement, and there were no walls to fall on them if an artillery shell went whizzing overhead. Youre not much to look at, are you, kitty? Isabel said. This wasnt what the tourists had paid for. like a bomb exploding, and Mahmoud went tumbling into the sea.. His papa looked nothing like the man whod been dragged away from their home six months ago. She was barefoot like always, and wore a tank top and shorts. Amara, she said. Cuba was a communist country, like Russia had been, and for decades the Soviets had been buying Cubas sugar for eleven times the price and sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear. Refugee (Alan Gratz) Read the first paragraph of Ch.22 . It hadnt always been this way. One such scholar is Mahmoud Mamdani who, although he shares many of Rouhana's concerns, makes a useful comparison between the Native American and Palestinian situations. The Nazis hadnt said it with words, but the message was clear: Josef and his family werent wanted in Germany anymore. Isabel caught up with her father and grandfather, then parted ways with them on the Malecn, the broad road that curved along the seawall on Havana Harbor. Banned from movie theaters in Germany because she was a Jew, Ruthie had seen her first cartoon on board during movie night and loved iteven if it was followed by a newsreel with Hitler yelling about Jews. Khalid (17) IWB does part of the story take place in 1939? Mahmoud learns to cope with these conditions by assuming a protective role over Waleed, and by learning to be invisible, keeping his head down and ensuring nobody notices him to survive. The boys pissed himself! The Nazis laughed, and Josefs face burned hot with shame. The trick was to be invisible. Rubble was strewn everywhere. And the crew wasnt just being nice because they didnt know Josef and his family were Jews. I dont remember much about him, but I do remember he always wanted to be a grown-up.