BOOK
REVIEW Huddled
masses Refugee Hotel
(Voice of Witness) by Gabriele
Stabile and Juliet Linderman.
Reviewed by
Renee Lott
On the cover of Refugee
Hotel, a Burmese family lodged in a California
hotel peers over the edge of a bathtub, gazing at
it as though they'd never seen one before.
It's one of many fascinating images from
this collaboration between photographer Gabriele
Stabile and writer Juliet
Linderman. Through striking
photographs and moving personal accounts,
Refugee Hotel offers a firsthand look at
the first days of refugees in the United States.
We follow along in their journey from
confusion-filled first nights in airport hotels to
the development of new lives.
The pair
does an exemplary job of weaving together visual
media and prosaic storytelling to create a unique
insight into refugee resettlement, drawing in the
reader from the first pages.
In
one particularly striking image, a Somali mother
gathers her children, all covered beautifully in
Somali fabric but with additional layers for
bitter, Midwest winter weather. They stand in the
hotel hallway, unsure of which room is theirs,
with looks of confusion on the mother's face while
the children huddle sleepily around her.
Many of the photos in the book are quite
ordinary, representing daily life for a typical
American - the only difference being that these
are the faces of those a world away from their
homes. Sabile employs pedestrian yet surreal
snapshots of children, weddings, and nature to
represent the uncertainty of new life in America.
In many, refugees seated by windows simply gaze
out on the world with expressionless faces.
Other images capture refugees acting out
familiar scenes of prayer and worship in new
places. There are images of women adorned in
bright African fabrics clapping and singing, a
congregation of people praying, a Hindu man
sitting cross-legged by himself in an empty hall,
and a solitary Muslim woman praying next to her
bed.
Amid Sabile's photographs, Linderman
includes an insert of beautifully written refugee
memoirs, bringing the reader into the intimate
lives of their authors. We learn not only of the
dire circumstances in their home countries, but
also of their complicated feelings toward their
new country. In one instance, an Iraqi man rails
bitterly against the American war machine that
uprooted him and brought him to the United States.
Linderman shares the stories of refugees
from Bhutan, Myanmar, Burundi, Ethiopia, Iraq, and
Somalia, illustrating the variety of calamities
that drive people from their home countries. Many
become refugees as result of armed conflicts and
in turn become reliant on international refugee
relief. Others are targeted for having the "wrong"
political affiliation, ethnicity, or sex.
Linderman also sheds some light on the
American cities hosting the freshly arrived
refugees: Amarillo, Minneapolis, Charlottesville,
Mobile, and Erie. Resettlement in Minneapolis and
Mobile happens with relative ease due to the low
cost of living and thriving economies in each.
Another factor is the significant refugee
population presence - in Minneapolis alone, over
30,000. For the remaining cities this is not the
case, with high unemployment rates and
intimidating costs of living greeting refugees
upon their arrival. It's a compelling yet
understated glimpse at the economic hardship that
must be overcome to live a decent, free life.
After their initial photography sessions
and interviews, Stabile and Linderman traveled to
the refugees' new homes months later to conduct
exit interviews on how they have taken to the
American lifestyle. All but one individual
interviewed for the book had adapted well and
showed no regret in coming to the United States to
settle. Even those who endure economic hardship
recall no regret whatsoever - they found life in
America far better than what they left behind.
Along the way, Linderman and Sabile give
us captivating insight into the despair that
confronts many refugees upon their landing,
without re-victimizing their characters.
Refugee Hotel (Voice of Witness)
was published by McSweeney's on December 11, 2012.
ISBN-10: 1936365626, pp 296.
Renee
Lott is a contributor to Foreign Policy in
Focus.
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In
one particularly striking image, a Somali mother
gathers her children, all covered beautifully in
Somali fabric but with additional layers for
bitter, Midwest winter weather. They stand in the
hotel hallway, unsure of which room is theirs,
with looks of confusion on the mother's face while
the children huddle sleepily around her.
