Summary of Dina Nayeri's The Ungrateful Refugee

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 When we arrived in Rome, we were taken to a refugee camp where we were lodged with other asylum seekers from all over the world. It was a temporary safe space for us until we could be processed and assigned a new country to live in.

#2 At the Hotel Barba, I had the chance to meet many different grandmothers and grandfathers from all over the world. I learned how to listen and enjoy the small details that come from a strange confluence.

#3 My family’s escape from Iran was the main focus of my life for years. I was always trying to better myself so that I could escape that country and its problems.

#4 I was able to overcome my fears and become a refugee, but not everyone is as lucky. The native born still view refugees as a threat to their privileged lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669351436

IRB Media

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Insights on Dina Nayeri's The Ungrateful Refugee

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

When we arrived in Rome, we were taken to a refugee camp where we were lodged with other asylum seekers from all over the world. It was a temporary safe space for us until we could be processed and assigned a new country to live in.

#2

At the Hotel Barba, I had the chance to meet many different grandmothers and grandfathers from all over the world. I learned how to listen and enjoy the small details that come from a strange confluence.

#3

My family’s escape from Iran was the main focus of my life for years. I was always trying to better myself so that I could escape that country and its problems.

#4

I was able to overcome my fears and become a refugee, but not everyone is as lucky. The native born still view refugees as a threat to their privileged lives.

#5

The notion of refugee is being used and abused by opportunistic migration. It is being used to shame those who are seeking a small taste of a decent life, and instead are given the label opportunist.

#6

I have spent the last three decades trying to understand my chaotic past, and in 2016, I began a journey to do so. I spoke with many refugees and asylum seekers, as well as naturalized citizens.

#7

As a writer, I was forced to recreate these stories based on the testimonies I received. I was unable to spot every false stroke of the brush, as I was too busy looking for evidence to support the testimonies.

#8

One night, Darius was attacked by a group of Basijis, a volunteer militia. He was saved by his friends, but the next day his mother found out and decided to kill him.

#9

The Iranian government did not allow Darius to stay in Iran, forcing him to leave. His family did not have the money to send him abroad, so he stayed in a halfway house for 2 weeks