If the bullies didnt notice you, they didnt hit you. Klaus had joined the Hitler Youth not because he wanted to, but because German boysand their familieswere shamed and mistreated if they didnt. As he watched them sleep, Josef wondered if anyone would really be able to tell they were Jews if they werent in a Jewish compartment, wearing armbands with the Star of David on them. But the only people who could afford to give her pesos were the tourists visitors from Canada or Europe or Mexico. He pulled the family with him into the stacks of crates, and Josef tried to keep up with him as he darted from place to place, dodging imaginary enemies. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Lights came on in houses nearby, and curtains ruffled as people looked out at the noise. Years. Fatima Bishara Character Analysis in Refugee | LitCharts Each one came up to Isabels chest. Refugee: Plot Overview | SparkNotes Isabel Fernandez is 11 years old in 1994, growing up in Havana, Cuba, under Fidel Castros communist regime. He wanted to be a professional baseball player when he grew up, and he was good enough that it wasnt a crazy dream. A social worker approaches Mahmoud's 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). No, no, you cant go through Azaz anymore, the soldier said. We didnt want to leave our homes! another man yelled. Mahmoud stared up at their building. Captains got the engines maxed out. Has to, the other said. It was a salsa tune she liked to play, but this time she listened past the music. Mahmoud Bishara is a 12-year-old boy from Aleppo, Syria who lives in 2015 in the book Refugee. The fear hed felt when they couldnt reach his father. The woman lurched out of the bathroom, looking even more green and desperate, and wobbled away. An irregular rhythm that lay over the top of the regular beat, like a heartbeat beneath the skin. In all the turmoil, a policeman caught up with her father and grabbed him by the arm. That afternoon, a group of Hitler Youth were waiting for Josef outside the school. Do you want to build a snowman? his father sang. Not that hes counting. The Brownshirt suddenly turned serious. Or run away. The bright lights of the camera swung away from Isabel and lit up what looked like a party on the beach. Clothes, food, sports, movies, travel, school, opportunity. The ship was called the MS St. Louis. Tomorrow, hed told Mahmouds father. Josef had never seen anything so big. Be quiet! the shadow yelled, and it tossed Ruth down on the floor beside Josef. An hour later, they were met on the road by four soldiers waving for them to stop. No boat today. While the passengers wait to be allowed to disembark, Josef encounters Isabel's grandfather, Mariano Padron, who is a Cuban government officer bound by duty not to let the Jewish refugees in, despite feeling sorry for them. Russian airstrikes have hit here and here in support of that Alawite pig Assad, and American drones are attacking Daesh here and here. Mahmouds eyes went wide. And why do you need gasoline so badly? To leave Cuba before my father is arrested. The fisherman wiped his lips on the back of his hand. Source (s) Refugee (Alan Gratz) Car horns beeped. She could almost hear it almost And then the motor spluttered and died, and the music stopped. Assuming we stop to sleep every night, thats a nineteen-day walk. She wont take up any room!, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs That prompted someone to break out food and drinks, even though it was late. Two more soldiers crammed themselves into the backseat, and the last one joined Mahmoud and Waleed in the back with their backpacks. Tedros, the highest-ranking UN official, visited the country to check on earthquake victims. He found one, put it on the counter, and paid for the candy. It had fallen five stories to the ground below, along with the outside wall. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Why did mahmoud and his brother receive poos of displeasure in the boat? She got a hand to the side of the boat and looked back. He then hears, cry out for help, but the dinghy isnt slowing down. They called it Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. Could they? Mahmoud's mother. Josef decided to find out. Youre Mariano Padrons granddaughter, arent you? the fisherman said. If youd just give me a chance to explain The Brownshirt ignored Papa and nodded at the other men. 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 had died so Ruthie could live, and one day welcome Mahmoud and his family into her house. Look! Not nearly as many as there had been in Havana, but enough. She was sure she had just heard the sound of breaking glass, but cars and bicycles kept streaming by under the bright sun on the Malecn like nothing had happened. In order to survive, Mahmoud learned to stay invisible. Josef wished they could stay on board the St. Louis forever. But maybe this is what becoming a man is, Josef thought. They had played shuffleboard and badminton, and the crew was putting up a swimming pool, which they promised to fill with seawater once the St. Louis hit the warm Gulf Stream. It was getting harder and harder to get food in the city. Ivn was lighter skinned than Isabel, with curly dark hair. Iraq and France talk about their relationship and fight against terrorism But I have this. She held out the trumpet. Ohlet me get someone to help you with those bags. Ivn was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. Mom! What would the United States be like? There are more refugees than at any time in the last 70 years. The cat skittered away underneath the house. Josef sacrifices himself when his family is refused refuge in Cuba, in order for his sister, Ruth, to be saved from the extermination camps. If the phones were out, he was probably working on trying to fix them. What these three young people from different times and places have in common is that they all become refugees, forced to flee on perilous . Daesh thought they were fighting the final war of the apocalypse, and anyone who didnt agree with their twisted perversion of Islam were infidels who should have their heads cut off. Russia, Iran, and Sunni Muslims are allied to Al-Assad and they are fighting the rebels who are backed by Turkey, the Gulf Arab States, Jordan, and partially the USA. But the food shortages had driven more and more Cubans to el norte. We dont have any gasoline anyway, Ivn said. I promise. Weve spent too much time talking about it and not doing anything. A wife! Castros face was everywhere in Cubaon billboards, on taxis, in picture frames on schoolroom walls, painted on the sides of buildings. Waleed! Is it enough? Isabel asked. But it didn't work out. We have to get out! Mr. and Mrs. Sarraf hurried back into their apartment, and Mahmoud carried Hana down the stairs, pulling Waleed behind them. They are taken to the home of an elderly German couple who agree to take them in until they get settled. Mahmoud Bishara. Until 2011, when the Arab Spring came to Syria. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Past the noise of the cars and trucks on the Malecn, past the people talking as they walked by, past the crash of the waves against the seawall behind her. Bullets whizzed by, then caught the car againping-ping-pingand Mahmouds dad threw open the drivers-side door and pulled Mom and Hana out with him. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Who are the characters in the book refugee? Refugee by Alan Gratz (16) One of Mahmoud's friends died in an airstrike. And the Kurds hold all this territory here. You can publish your book online for free in a few minutes. What were they doing? Thats what they wantedto get out of Syria using the fastest path possible. Together the shambling throng of refugees was ignored by the American drones and the rebel rocket launchers and the Syrian army tanks and the Russian jets. As another life boat passes by, Mahmoud and his mother grab ahold. Mahmoud sat in the middle row of desks in his classroom, where the teacher wouldnt call on him. Isabel closed her eyes and focused. 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). Some people fled from the chaos, but more people raced toward it, and Isabel ran with them. She panicked, her worst fears come true, and suddenly a blinding light lit her up. Tears sprang to Josefs eyes. Whats happened? Mr. Sarraf asked Mahmoud, and then he saw the missing wall and his eyes went wide. More importantly, we have our lives. The book revolves around three main characters from three different eras: Nazi Germany, 1990s Cuba, and modern-day Syria. Dad, our house is gone! Mahmoud told him. What do Mahmouds family keep hearing from the boat smugglers? and more. When Mahmoud and his family finally got to the front of the line, late in the day, Mahmouds father presented their official documents to the border agent. Mama pulled Ruth into her lap. Men with gunshot wounds. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. We will buy tickets as we go. Mahmoud explains how they gave, people who hadnt survived. Ivn gave names to everythingthe stray dogs who wandered the town, his bicycle, even his baseball glove. He treated them like real passengers. His teeth looked too big for his head, and when he smiled he looked like a cartoon squirrel. Isabel knew that, because her own father had tried and had been thrown in jail for a year. LitCharts Teacher Editions. More bullets whizzed by overhead, and soon the rebel soldiers whod been riding with them were returning fire, their automatic rifles booming in Mahmouds ears like he was in a barrel and they were beating on the outside of it with hammers. Thinking about Klaus made Josef think about other things, but he blinked away the bad memories. The boat was heavy in Isabels arms, and she was afraid of dropping it, even though there were five other people carrying it with her. Tell me something I dont know, Seor Castillo said. Our father is waiting for us in Cuba, Renata told them. But now the streets were full of people yelling, Down with Fidel! Please, take us with you! But everyone seemed to be having fun. Always quick to raise his hand in class, and always with the right answer. That is when incidents like this occur, and the world calls the Cuban government cruel and inhumane. He brandished a pistol at Mahmouds family and demanded money before forcing them to flee. Germany? The vacationers dropped their voices, and even though Mahmoud couldnt understand what they were saying, he could hear the disgust in their words.