The New Kids by Brooke Hauser (thoughts)

You might have noticed I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for refugee and immigrant issues. Whether it’s a sprawling novel or hard-hitting nonfiction or elegant short story collection or fascinating memoir, it’s difficult for me to resist a book with such a topic. I also quite enjoy nonfiction books centered around education, teaching or learning, whatever age level, they always tempt me! So you can imagine how how irresistable I found The New Kids by Brooke Hauser when I came across it on Netgalley: Hauser is a journalist who spent a year studying a high school in Brooklyn that only accepts recent immigrants/refugees who aren’t yet proficient in English, getting to know the students and their stories. And the moment my request was approved, I loaded it up on Athie and read it straight through!

On the nonfiction scale, I would rate this as closer to ‘intellectual candy’ than ‘heavy hitting’: it’s smart, and Hauser does quite a bit of research into the background of a few students (and she seems to have corroborated what they told her, rather than accepting it at face value, as befits a journalist), but ultimately it’s an extended, engaging ‘human interest’ story. I mean this in a good way: I think Hauser set out to draw readers in and make them empathise with the students and the wide range of dilemmas they face, and she achieved her goal admirably! There are big issues touched on, as one might imagine, but Hauser keeps her scope tight, on the teachers and students. Are you going to see a in-depth analysis of US migration policy or how conflicts around the world affect human migration? No. But you will get to know actual teenagers whose lives are shaped by these forces, to get a peek into their current lives and the past that brought them to New York, to empathise with their sorrows and celebrate with their triumphs. I believe it’s what Kim would call narrative nonfiction, and thus would be a great choice for those who don’t usually read nonfic, as well as being a nice treat for us addicts when we need a break from the heavier stuff. ;) So I’d highly recommend this to a variety of readers: if it sounds at all intriguing to you, pick it up! I bet once you start, you won’t be able to put it down.

Suggested Companion Reads

• Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder (I almost didn’t link to my post, because it’s from when I was a baby blogger, and makes me cringe. Anyway, if you’re in the mood for another ‘in a teacher’s shoes’ narrative, here’s your fix! It follows the schoolyear in one fifth grade classroom.)
• Once Upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez (An investigate nonfiction book that looks at the lives of teenage Latina girls in the US, from various immigrant communities, and is framed around quinceanera celebrations-for those who didn’t go to high school for Texas, these are gala fifteenth birthday parties.)
• Hunger by Lan Samantha Chang (A novella and short story collection centered around Chinese immigrants in New York City and their children.)