I received an ARC from the publisher of this graphic novel. I'm a graphic novel kick, so this was right in my wheel house. The illustrations were great, just simple black and white. I enjoyed the story as well. The story follows two families coming from Syria and figuring out life in America. The story line was a little hard to follow, I didn't realize it was two families until nearly the end. The transition between family stories could have been better. But overall this was a great graphic novel.

I received this book free from Henry Holt & Company, Metropolitan Books, and Netgalley for my honest, unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It follows the story of a family of refugees from Syria who must flee after the start of the civil war. I liked how the author and illustrator flipped back and forth in time, showing us the families past and current situations. I would have loved a little more of the story, but it was overall great! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Can you imagine being a refugee moving to America when Donald Trump is elected president? I can't fathom what they must think, how they felt... but this book gives us a glimpse into the life of Syrian refugees moving to America in 2016. It was wonderful to see how much help that some receive, but it was so sad to see the racist remarks and threats from others. I really enjoyed this story, and I hope to read many more stories like this! This is what America should be about.

This graphic novel is a 'real life' account of a Syrian refugee's family resettling in Connecticut in November 2016.....it documents their arrival, job search, school/community orientation, daily calendars & struggles to assimilate & gives voice to their fears, hopes, & wonder at their new surroundings. It tells from each of the parent's perspective & the kid's too. It also speaks to what they were fleeing from. The artwork is in black/white/gray hues & is a perfect compliment to the text. I liked that at the end the author spoke to how this project came to fruition, & he also updated the reader as to how the family is doing now. This is a real good book, a quick read .....& I'd recommend it to everyone!
I received this e-ARC from publisher Henry Holt & Company/Metropolitan Books via NetGalley, with the understanding that I'd read it & post my own fair/honest review.

In the Fall of 2016, the Aldabaan family receives word that they have been approved to travel from Jordan to the United States. Brothers Ibrahim and Issa are able to emigrate with their families, but they are leaving behind their mother and another brother and family. This is after they have all fled war-torn Syria. The eldest son, Naji, can't wait for the family to start their new lives in the United States, but the political climate has Ibrahim and his wife, Adeebah, unsure of what they're going in to. Once in Connecticut, they receive help from IRIS, a refugee resettlement agency, and told that they need to become self-sufficient within four months. The whole family adjusts to oddities of America, such as basements and Life Alert. Naji and his sister, Amal, start school and are treated as outcasts. The family constantly wonders if they've really left behind the worse life.

My heart is breaking after reading this book. This is such a powerful and important story, and a great way to build empathy. For those who supported the Travel Bans or any other policies limiting refugees, I would hand them this book as an example of how public policy impacts decisions and lives of real people. At the beginning of this story, Ibrahim and his brothers are faced with the difficult decision of leaving their elderly mother in Jordan.

Imagine receiving a text message from your parent that says you might not see them again because of political fears. Politics aside, this would be devastating to most people to know that when they got on the plane, destined for a better life, they were saying goodbye for the last time without knowing it.

This story is also an important empathy-builder even for those who thing they are doing the best they can. In the story, the family has help from a refugee resettlement group, who send tutors to help the kids learn their English. One of them refers to the oldest son as a "kid", even though he's seen things like dead bodies and his desolate town. As a person who works with students, I know I'm guilty of calling them all kids at some point, but many of them, not just refugees, have had such experiences that wouldn't qualify them as children anymore. Acknowledging the struggles someone has endured before you met them is so important.

The illustrations are a little basic, but powerful. The focus is very much so on the family and their beginning days of resettlement, and the illustrations serve as a humanizing element to the words spoken by each person. While the drawings may seem to be plain, each character is individual and nuanced, so I never had trouble telling any of them apart.

Yes, there is some political conversation included here as it relates to the policies on immigration and refugees, but that should not keep it out of libraries, even in conservative areas.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This was a really beautiful and bittersweet look at the experiences of immigrant families in the United States. THe Pulitzer Prizes were well deserved and I would love to see a follow up series in the future.

I wasn't familiar with this story from its original home in the pages of the New York Times, but was immediately won over with its deeply moving perspective of the life of a family of Syrian refugees in America. Starting with their home life in Syria, and then leading through their sudden departure and subsequent abrupt change in lifestyle on arriving as strangers in a strange land, from start to finish this graphic novel gives the reader an alternative look at the life of an refugee - beyond the headlines and the distorted lens of the media, and beyond individually held prejudices.
It's a sobering read, understanding what people go through to keep their family alive, escaping from persecution and war, and the sacrifices they make along the way - having to decide who to leave behind, having to compromise when it comes to accepting a job, etc etc.
My only complaint is that it felt too short. It left me wanting to understand more, and that it only scraped the surface. So a good starting point and introduction to an important subject.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy of Welcome to the New World in response for an honest review.

Welcome to the New World tells the story of a refugee family who moves from Jordan to the United States during the initial days of the Trump election. There is some very beautiful story telling going on in this graphic novel. The graphic novel is incredibly personal and human, providing the unique characteristics of the family and their story. The characters are nuanced, and the author makes it easy to understand how they are feeling. I think the aspects of how well meaning people can still act poorly was interesting and well done. Midway through the book we learn what the family went through prior to their move, which I think was a very good choice as it gives the reader time to know the characters as individuals first before seeing them purely as victims. The graphic novel also does a good job showing the struggles between staying and leaving, and the challenges that come with both.

At times the dialogue can feel a bit clunky (especially in the beginning) and the narrative choppy, which likely is due to the format in which it was originally published. The art style is simplistic but works for the narrative.

I would recommend this book to anyone as I think it gives a very nice portrait of the struggles of being a refugee in the US.

This is a work that was carefully crafted in order to represent the struggles, external and internal, of a Syrian refugee family in the States after the 2016 election. I appreciated the behind the scenes explanation of how this project was crafted from photos and extensive interviews. Overall, an engaging piece of work and important glimpse into the life of refugees in America.

This graphic novel depiction of the challenges a family of Syrian refugees faces when they come to the U.S. matches up pretty well with documentaries I have seen. I cannot imagine going through everything they had to go through — the war, imprisonment, being separated from family, and having to start over in a strange country. A worthwhile read.

Very compassionate work of comics journalism, telling the story of a Syrian refugees coming to America and trying to built better, safer lives here. On one hand, it shows vividly that the immigrants are just people like us, despite all the superficial differences; on the other, it absolves in some way contemporary America, proving that even in Trump's era there are many good folks here, who are ready to help those in need.

If you love "Persepolis", you will definitely love this one too.

Thanks to the publisher, Metropolitan Books, and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

Graphic novel of the immigrant experience -- in this case from the perspective of a family of Syrian refugees who came to the U.S. just as Trump was elected. Most such graphic novels I've read were created by one of the characters involved, but this one seems to have been written by someone who interviewed a couple of refugee families and then combined them into this quick story of about 100 pages. It feels slight.

I liked the teens trying to figure out how to do prayers while at an American high school (they gave up) and a few other anecdotes, but I would've liked to get to know the family better, beyond just that it was hard adjusting, some racists made it harder and some nice people made it slightly easier.

There are a couple of scenes that make the story feel like it's not fully cooked, but rather thrown together quickly before all the flavors have come together. According to the rules of the immigration program in this case, the family must be self-sufficient in four months. There's a looming dread, but nothing ever comes of it. And there's a scene where they get a voicemail saying the caller is going to kill the whole family if they don't leave the country within 24 hours. An FBI agent comes. And that's it. Neither thread is pursued.

It's a good story but could've been better if it'd cooked longer, in my opinion.

As for the artwork, it did the job but was not distinctive. Very simple.

Grade: B

#WelcometotheNewWorld #NetGalley

This graphic novel is based on interviews conducted by Halpern and Sloan, first published in the New York Times and which chronicles the Aldabaan family and their choice to move to America. Their first day in America happens to be election day of 2016, right after Trump has won the election.

Reading this offers several points of view including that of Ibrahim (father), his wife, and one of thier kids, Naji. I think they did a nice job of exploring the multiple stressors of the family as a whole as well as individual characters. I won't write much more, because I don't want to spoil.

However, I have mixed emotions about the presence of ownvoices within it. My understanding is that the authors interviewed two families and then compiled the interviews into this graphic novel. I haven't been able to find if the families had benefitted but I hope so.

A touching nonfiction comic book that tells the story of a Syrian refugee family that flees to America in search of a better life. The place they find isn’t the land of hopes and dreams they imagined. This comic does a wonderful job of telling the refugee story from the perspective of the refugee. I highly recommend it.

Compelling - following a Syrian family coming to America as refugees on election day 2016 - but ultimately it feels unfinished. We see bits and pieces of their life, but it stops seemingly in the middle of things. We see very little of their interaction with people outside of their own family and sponsors; I wanted to know more.

Great story about a family of Muslim refugees from Syria who move to the USA on the day Donald Trump is elected, and face not only the fact that suddenly their family members are no longer welcome here, but also the racism and prejudice that so many newcomers to this country have to face.
Received it as an ARC from Netgalley but appears to be missing several pages at the end, abruptly stops at page 96.

This was a great find.
Leaving you wondering what will happen.
This story brings you into the experiences of an family, much like your own, trying to experience the American Dream.

Even though this graphic novel is less than 100 pages long, you come to care about the different members of the Aldabaan family. In addition, Halpern very skillfully shows the complexity of emotions and the challenges refugees face when they come to the US; especially for those who have come in more recent years.

The art style complimented the story very well. It was in some ways minimalistic: just black and white with usually just as much background detail as needed to convey location, etc. But, since the story is so powerful, this meant that the art didn't get in the way of the story. It made space for the reader to focus on the Aldabaans.

I especially recommend this to anyone who is looking to better understand what refugees experience when they leave to resettle in a new country. Though, I would not say this is any kind of definitive source, but it can be a good starting point for more reading and researching.

Welcome to the New World is a short graphic novel about a family of Syrian refugees who move to Connecticut. Ibrahim Aldabaan, his wife and 2 children escaped war-torn Syria via Jordan and moved to the US on the eve of Trump's election in 2016. The American political situation makes them nervous but America still promises a safer life than in Syria. They work with an agency who provides them with a sponsor and guidance for 3 months. The family works to settle into their new life in America. The kids take English lessons and Ibrahim searches for a job. They worry about being exposed to anti-muslim sentiment.

This was a good read about the refugee immigrant experience. The story mostly focused on their lives during their first few months in the US. We see the struggle of the kids trying to fit in at school and Ibrahim's time working low wage jobs in an attempt to support his family. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys immigrant experience stories and anyone who wants to read more about refugees.

This is an amazing story of a family of refugees from Syria who arrive in America the day that the current occupant in the white house, won the election.

It is truly a heart breaking story. There is hope, but most of it is sorrow, and the book ends earlier than the same story it is based on, that ran in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/26/opinion/sunday/welcome-to-the-new-world.html" target="_blank">New York Times.</a>

The characters are all very real, because the author based them on real people. He has been with them since they arrived in the U.S., and been telling their story, up until the final installment of the strips, which unfortunately, were left out of this book, for some reason.

So, while I recommend the book, for its stark look at the truth about what happens to refugees when they come to the U.S., I also recommend reading the final chapter in the New York TImes link above.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.