Somewhere in the Unknown World: A Collective Refugee Memoir

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2020

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Importance of Community in Times of War or Displacement

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses depictions of war and displacement, miscarriage, infant death, depression, and other mental health conditions.

Many of the stories collected in Somewhere in the Unknown World demonstrate the importance of community in times of war or displacement, highlighting that, at all stages of the refugee experience, community is essential to survival. Chapter 6, “When the Rebels Attacked,” emphasizes the importance of community specifically in times of active war. As she tries to navigate caring for her children in a warzone, the narrator, Siah, twice relies on members of her community for survival. First, a “neighbor and dear friend” (66) agrees to accompany her on a dangerous trip to buy diapers shortly after their neighborhood is attacked by rebels. The text suggests that the neighbor’s solidarity is the result of the fact that she is also a mother: “We both said, ‘Diapers are important.’” (66). The fact that Siah is not alone when she encounters the rebels ultimately saves her life. Later, as the rebels’ interrogation grows more violent, Siah encounters another member of her community, “a friend of my husband’s” (67), and “turn[s] helplessly toward him” (67) in a silent plea for help. The relationship between Siah’s husband and the soldier is strong enough that he deescalates the situation, and Siah and her friend are released. The episode suggests that Siah’s personal relationships helped to save her life, demonstrating the value of community in times of war.

The collection also suggests that a strong community is necessary for survival in times of displacement. Many of the refugees featured in the collection have dedicated their lives in America to supporting refugee communities. The Karenni refugee Kaw Thaw, the narrator of “Leaving with No Good-Byes,” worked as a translator in refugee camps before marrying an American aid worker and immigrating to the United States. In Minnesota, he uses his language skills and experience with refugee camps to “facilitate communication for Karenni, Burmese, and Kachin people in their search for resettlement” (89). The other stories in the collection speak to the importance of this work for refugees who cannot speak English or may be uncomfortable with social workers outside their culture. Similarly, the narrator of “In the Valley of Peace” describes how her youngest uncle, himself a refugee of war, pursued “a doctorate specializing in refugee children and education” (107) after coming to the United States. The uncle used his personal experience as a refugee “to speak to the traumas of war in the classroom” for refugee students (107). The collection suggests that this type of work is essential to refugee resettlement and that it requires a strong existing community.

The Unique Challenges of War and Displacement for Women and Children

The collection features a number of stories that highlight the unique challenges of war and displacement for women and children. Although the experiences described are not exclusive to women or children, these stories suggest that the traumas of war often amplify existing social and economic inequalities and vulnerabilities. Majra, the narrator of “Up Close, It Is Different” describes how her mother miscarried five times during the Bosnian War: “She did not have enough food, so the babies inside her died one by one” (59). In addition to malnutrition, the text suggests that the trauma of living through war contributed to Majra’s mother’s miscarriages. The unique pain of child loss for mothers is also depicted in “In the Valley of Peace.” The narrator describes how her grandmother blamed her husband for the loss of their children to war: “If he had not dreamed of a different future, if he had not risen up in protest, then her sons would be safe at home where they belonged” (99). Although both parents grieve the loss, the narrator’s grandmother feels particularly helpless because, as a woman, she is denied participation in political movements that doomed her husbands and sons. The collection also suggests that displacement poses unique challenges for women who are expected to uphold traditional gender roles. The unnamed protagonist of Chapter 10 maintains her household in refugee camps, housing projects, and beyond: “No matter the mess beyond its doors, the chaos of the unsteady world” is never allowed to enter her home (163). When the woman is diagnosed with severe depression, her husband, “used to the woman from the past” (163), does not try to alleviate these responsibilities, “so the pile [grows] higher and higher” (163). These episodes and others demonstrate the unique challenges of war and displacement for women.

The collection also highlights the unique vulnerability of refugee children. “The Strongest Love Story” features a family separated and displaced by war. In the heartbreaking reunion scene, the youngest child is described as “the one who had to part with her mother’s breasts at such an early age, a baby who grew up having trouble with food, a thin slip of a girl” (33). In “In the Valley of Peace,” the narrator describes her vulnerability when her family was fleeing Iraq: “I was so afraid, so little, and so unsure, and I clung to my mother, who held tightly to all four of us children” (103). The vulnerability of refugee children is an essential part of the collection’s depiction of the unique challenges of war and displacement for women and children.

The Necessity and Pain of Remembrance

The stated goal of Somewhere in the Unknown World is to collect and preserve the stories of refugees in America: “to show our shared understanding of war and hunger for peace, our vulnerabilities and strengths” (xv). The very existence of the collection is a testament to the necessity of recording and remembering these stories. In her prologue, author Yang describes how living in community with refugees allowed her to “bear witness to the heartache and the yearning of refugee men and women wanting to be understood” (xiv-xv), and inspired her to “tell the story of every person [she] spoke to” (xv). She expresses hope that “their stories will be helpful to their families and communities” (xv) by demonstrating the strength of individuals and the refugee community at large. The collection itself speaks to the importance of storytelling as an act of remembrance and honor. In addition, many of the stories within the collection suggest a desire for public and explicit remembrance. “Leaving with No Good-Byes” is narrated by Kaw Thaw, a Burmese refugee who left his partner and children in a Thai refugee camp and started a new life in the United States. Throughout the chapter, Kaw expresses regret at his actions and acknowledges their consequences. For Kaw, relating the story of “my stateless boys” is an act of remembrance that acknowledges the violence done while also honoring those left behind. Similarly, in “Sisters on the Other Side of the River,” Fong Lee narrates the painful story of how he “condemned two sisters to war” (179) while fleeing Laos with his family. Lee’s act of remembrance does not absolve him of his feelings of guilt, but it honors the girls and acknowledges their humanity as well as his own.

However, as these examples suggest, the collection also demonstrates the trauma that comes with memory and the painful burden of remembrance for survivors. The Prologue describes how, as a young girl, Yang heard the stories of her classmates, who were also refugees: “[T]he older children who had seen more than we had wanted to let their stories out, for us younger ones to carry the weight of their memories together with them” (xiv). The language in this passage emphasizes the unique pain and weight of these memories for the children: The stories are bursting out of them, too heavy to hold.