This began as a connected series of comic strips that appeared in the New York Times. It was later turned into a book with many more strips after winning the Pulitzer. It's about a real family of Syrian refugees who came to America the same day Trump won the election in 2016. That however is not the main focus. It's about the family itself and how they had to quickly acclimate to life in Connecticut. Learning English, sending the kids to school, finding a job so they could support themselves, etc. It was very interesting to see their fears, both justified and imagined and how they dealt with it. I think it's always a good thing to be able to step in someone else's shoes and be able to see just how good we have it in the U.S. and at the same time see some of our failures from an outsider's perspective.

A really well-done and informative book about a refugee family from Syria. This is succinctly done and would be accessible for ages 13+ (depending on emotional intelligence).

This is a nonfiction graphic novel that follows a Syrian refugee family who lands in the US on the eve of Trump's rise to power and showcases the family's journey as it adjusts to a new life in the midst of rising hatred and islamophobia. Told from different perspectives, the graphic novel captures the family's impressions and struggles. This is a perfect recommendation for my students who have absolutely no clear understanding of what others go through to escape war (or any hardship for that matter), how difficult it is to move to a new country (not always as glamourous as Hollywood makes it to be), and how helping others and showing kindness makes a difference.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I think this is a very valuable story for everyone to read. It didn’t particularly work for me and my reading taste, but I see it’s value overall.

A heartbreaking true story, beautifully written with empathy and care for the real life characters. A great addition to a graphic novel collection.

This is a very interesting graphic novel about a refugee family who flees Syria right around the time of the 2016 presidential election. It really resonated with me because that is just about the same time that my husband, Ahmed, was trying to leave Egypt and come to America.... but then the borders closed.

I found myself drawn into the world of the characters, wondering what would happen next as they tried to make a safe new home for themselves but found that different, very difficult challenges still remained even once they made it to the USA.

One thing that really struck me was the fact that one of the main characters actually misses Syria even more once he has been in America and subjected to the harassment some hateful people direct toward immigrants. He missed his home, despite how much he was suffering there. It's heartbreaking.

My review for Shelf Awareness is here: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html#m16706

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/welcome-to-the-new-world-by-jake-halpern-illustrated-by-michael-sloan-in-shelf-awareness/

Absolutely heart wrenching and 3ye opening account of a Syrian refugee family moving to America and the struggles they face along the way. I think my only regret is that it wasn't longer and didn't dive deeper. I appreciated the interspersed flashbacks and how they connected to current moments, lending context to each person's reactions or behavior. It's a story that all Americans should know and empathize with and one that needs to be on school shelves across the nation.

This book left me with no words. I wasn't really cognizant of the fact that this is a TRUE story until I got to the afterwords. All I can say is wow. It is not easy to step into someone else's shoes when one has no concept of what the other is going/has gone through. This graphic novel helps to show those who live perhaps more comfortably not to take it for granted and to be more inspired to help others in need.

I had to fill out a doctor's form earlier this week and one spot to be filled in was "race". I put "human". It doesn't matter what we look like, what language we speak, what we worship, we are ALL human beings, with hearts and minds and thoughts and feelings. We are all worthy of dignity and respect and basic rights. We all want to be safe with our loved ones, without having to worry if we can have the basics, such as food, shelter, clean water, etc.

This book was nothing short of amazing and I will be recommending it to just about everyone who walks into our store. Such a good book with such an important story to tell. 5, we can do better for all humankind, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company/Metropolitan Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

A captivating true story of two families fleeing Syria and finding refuge in the US right as Trump wins the 2016 election. There are a few gaps or time jumps that were a little jarring, but the overall story is well worth a read.

Learning how and why people become refugees and the reasons for their need for a place to live is an important lesson to learn. It's never easy to assimilate into a new world. This story captures the family's experiences in navigating school, work, and trying to stay true to themselves.

Loved this story! You following a Syrian family from their home to the United States. Thought bubbles include how they are feeling as they are navigating this new world. I especially loved the afterword that gives an update on the family. Beautiful.

A poignant, but hopeful look into the lives of a family fleeing Syria as refugees in the United States. My heart goes out to this and other refugee families who have come to the US in hopes of a better life. This novel does a great job of telling their story, but finished quite abruptly. Aside from that, it was a wonderful read that I highly recommend.

'Welcome to the New World' by Jake Halpern with illustrations by Michael Sloan is a non-fiction graphic novel of one Syrian family as they immigrate to the US on the eve of the 2016 election.

Ibrahim Aldabaan and his immediate family flee Syria after Ibrahim escapes from prison. All the haste means they have to leave other family behind. Arriving at JFK on November 8th, 2016, they land in a world where the rest of their relatives are unable to come to the states because of a Muslim ban.

Their new world offers many challenges, like learning a new language an culture to finding work. Add to that the kind of fear of Muslims that some citizens have and you have a pretty tense story.

I really liked this story, expanded from a New York Times Pulitzer-winning graphic story. The illustrations are kind of rough sketches but add a nice touch to this true story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I have to admit that it was hard to rate this book. I loved the story and that it is based on true events and persons. I loved hearing the characters' story and see the events from their perspective. However, I have to say that, in particular in the beginning, this graphic novel was very confusing. Maybe it was because this is a graphic novel. I was missing some context and "world building." You are thrown directly into the events and there is not much background story to this GN. I think what also made the story a bit confusing for me at times was that Ibrahim and his dad looked so much alike and sometimes I had a hard time telling who was saying something in that particular situation. Later on, it was a little easier because of the overall storyline, but in the beginning when we learn about the family and their journey to the United States, it was hard to keep these two apart.

Overall, this is a story we all should know! Seeing the events before and after the election in 2016 was both heartbreaking and enlightening. I'm not a Muslim and learned a lot about their perception of our world.

This started off as an interesting read but the black and white art style wasn't my favorite and I think it could have been better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

This comic made me feel so much for the family, their many difficulties, all the things they went through, only to suffer more, in different ways. a Hard but necessary read

This is truly an amazing piece of journalism. It's reminiscent of Maus and Persopolis in today's age, showing "everyday Americans" the struggles refugees go through. It truly opened my eyes; I had only vaguely known about what's happening in Syria before reading this and now I am ready to join an immigrant welcoming service. The art is creative and a great way to push the story along. This book is incredibly clever. I would recommend it for all Americans to read to understand another's perspective.

I thought it was quite unique to have a refugee story set during our time(2016). You follow along as a family of refugees from Syria arrive in the US. The Aldabaan family receives word that they have been approved to travel to the U.S. Ibrahim and his family is going, his wife Adeebah and their kids, Naji, Amal, Hala, Rahaf, and Achmed. Ibrahim's brother and his family also arrived on the same day. While they don't live in the same town, they aren't that far away from each other. When they arrive, they are taken to their new home. A volunteer comes over to teach them everything they might need, and support them, enrolling the kids in school, helping them find a job, etc.
This graphic novel shows the challenges refugees face when they come to the U.S. I am not fond of the art style that was used, but it complimented the story well.

An engaging graphic novel about a family who flees the civil war in Syria, only to arrive in America on the day Trump is elected. Their worries about finding a job, earning money, paying rent, and feeding five kids are exacerbated by their fear that the family members who remained in the Middle East will no longer be able to join them in America. Struggles with learning English, starting school, and enduring Islamophobia mark their days, but the kindness of their sponsors and strangers buoy them up.

I was especially interested by the inclusion of the thoughts, conversations between, and inner lives of the people surrounding and interacting with the Aldabaan family. Most notably, the sponsors, and the landlord of the apartment the family makes their final home in. My only complaint, or disappointment, was I felt the last chapter, and therefore the end of the book, didn't have a satisfying conclusion. I wasn't looking for all the answers (which you get a lot of in the written epilogue), but I look for a feeling of...a chapter ending, you know? Like, the story of their lives may not be over, but this chapter--this book--is.