As part of our Civic Engagement project, here's a selection of books, articles, podcasts, and other resources related to immigrant and refugee issues.
Questions? Suggestions? Contact us at info@mgpl.org or 847-965-4220.
Resources
Books for Children (Fiction)
- Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago
- Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin Kheiriyeh
- I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien
- They Call Me Güero by David Bowles
- The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
- Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
- Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Books for Children (Nonfiction)
- Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale
- Refugees and Migrants by Ceri Roberts
- Becoming Kid Quixote: A True Story of Belonging in America by Sarah Sierra
- Coming to America: The Story of Immigration by Betsy Maestro
- What is a Refugee? by Elise Gravel
Resources for Parents
- Unheard Stories: Building Empathy through the Global Lives Project, Global Lives Project
- Energy of a Nation: Immigrants in America, The Advocates for Human Rights
- Exploring Young Immigrant Stories, Teaching Tolerance
- Immigration Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5, Scholastic
Books for Teens (Fiction)
- Man Made Monsters by Andrea Rogers
- Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
- Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
Books for Teens (Nonfiction)
- We are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai
- How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
- Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi
- This Land is Our Land: A History of American Immigration by Linda Barrett Osborne
- Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for her American Dream by Julissa Arce
Books for Adults (Fiction)
- The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed Masood
- Infinite Country by Patricia Engel
- Of Women and Salt by Gabriel Garcia
- Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen
- The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
- Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Books for Adults (Nonfiction)
- The Deportation Machine by Adam Goodman
- White Borders: the History of Race and Immigration in the United States From Chinese Exclusion to the Border Wall by Reece Jones
- The Loneliest Americans by Caspian Kang
- Open Borders: the Science and Ethics of Immigration by Bryan Douglas Caplan
- Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation
- An African American and Latinx History of the United States by Paul Ortiz
- American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures
Articles
- We Do Not Come Empty Handed: The Economic Case for Immigrants (Time)
- In Defense of Immigrants: Here’s Why America Needs Them Now More Than Ever by Richard V. Reeves (The Brookings Institute)
- This is What It’s Like to Come to the United States as a Refugee by Julia Ioffe (The Atlantic)
- What Would You Do? Take an Immigrant’s Journey by Dan Zedek and Grainne McEvoy (Experience)
Documentaries & Videos
- The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (TED Talk)
- Forced to Flee: 6 Documentaries to Watch to Understand the Global Refugee Crisis (PBS Frontline)
- In the Shadows: Undocumented Immigration in America (Kanopy)
- Lost Boys of Sudan (PBS)
Podcasts
- Immigration Nation, Kara Lynum
- Immigrantly, Saadia Khan
- Status
- Only in America, Ali Noorani, National Immigration Forum
- American Refugee
Updated 10.28.24