The plight of refugee cannot be fully understood unless you personally know one. In a recent segment on Chelsea Handler’s TV show on Netflix, she interviewed a cadre of different refugees living in London. Each of them had different experiences and each had their own beliefs, some even siding with the nativism which has been taking root all over the world. The one most heartbreaking and familiar sounding story, was the one who lost his wife and his daughter in Syria.

He had a life of his own living in Syria, as an accountant, making comparable income and living in a mid-level house, which he lost once civil war there broke out. This is a story, each different and the same, I must have heard more than few times and each time, it is heartbreaking. These stories barely get told, in the varying colors that they require. So, when I heard about Kate Evans‘ Threads from The Refugee Crisis, I felt, at least for me, that it was required reading, as she collects different experiences, from all over the world.

In opening story, “Threads,” the reader gets a shotgun view of how a refugee camp is situated, and just how impermanent things are there while many lives remain in limbo, in what seems like forever, while different politicians play to the crowds. In “Safe in France,” the seriousness and frequency of unprovoked attacks on refugees gets highlighted in this story. The need for escape is highlighted n “Bollywood Fantasy,” as refugees gather in a makeshift restaurant, to watch a movie in Hindi, that most of them barely understand. In the last story that I will highlight, “Triple Three in One Action,” what the volunteers that these refugee camps must go through, as it is not all what it seems.

Overall, an excellent book, which gives the reader the many different experiences of everyone who is involved, not only the refugees but also the people who run these camps. The stories by Evans are told in a way which you not only understand their plights but feel as though you may not be able to live a day in any of their shoes. The art by Evans is a cross between realistic and paste art, which give sit a first person feel. Altogether, a powerful book that gives the reader a better understanding of what a refugee has to go through.

Story: Kate Evans Art: Kate Evans
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy