Tempest-Tost

The Refugee Experience Through One Community's Prism

De: Robert Dodge

Narrado por: Benjamin Fife

Kahassai fled the Ethiopian Red Terror that killed his father and hundreds of thousands of others, trekking through a snake-infested jungle while hyenas followed him at night to find safety. Georgette crossed the Congo while the Hutus and Tutsis struggled for control as millions of defenseless people were murdered and displaced.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Asmi and Leela were children in Bhutan when soldiers burned their villages and drove out the Nepalese-speaking Hindus. Roy narrowly escaped Afghanistan after the Americans began bombing Kabul to drive our the Taliban. Mahn made it out of Vietnam only after his 22nd attempt. Mohammed survived daily beatings when imprisoned in Syria, though many of his fellow prisoners died.

What do these people have in common beyond tales of horror and hardship that caused them to flee their countries, leaving their homes, families, and previous lives behind? They all found a new place to live in Denver, Colorado, in the middle the country. But would they be welcome? Would they find a new home, a new beginning, in the "Queen City of the Plains", the golden door to their future? Or would they forever be the homeless, the tempest-tost?

In Tempest-Tost, author Robert Dodge attempts to answer that question by describing the circumstances that caused these Denver refugees to flee their homes and their experiences after they arrived in the Denver. This is the refugee story behind the headlines and political posturing. This is what coming to America has meant to refugees in America, as represented by various refugees communities that over the years have come to think of Denver, Colorado, as home.

Through their eyes.

©2017 WildBlue Press (P)2019 WildBlue Press

Great book on the daily lives and travails of refugees!

Great book on the daily lives and travails of refugees who have struggled to survive and finally made it somewhere that they don’t have to fear for their lives anymore, I like how the narrator adapts their voice to better suit who the ethnic background of the current story point they’re telling from.

Eye opening!

As americans its easy to lose sight of what others have to go through. Great deep dive on shat refugees go through.

Very informative

This is a great eye opener for people who are not affected by these kinds of things. And so very recent, it's scary to think. Unfathomable. I enjoy the narrator and all his narrations are amazing.

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

First hand accounts of immigrants journeys

I am a fan of many genres of literature. Most of my non fiction tends to be history, war, etc. do to the current climate and world views I thought I’d take a chance and give this one a try. It is a truly fascinating listen. The narrator captures the authors intents and the people’s voices and moods very well. I found the variety of the stories to be fascinating. Being only 2nd generation here on my dad side and listening to my grandparents stories as a kid I can relate and understand some of it. And in the other aspects the things that occur in so many other countries is just horrifying. A very educational listen. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

moving story

This was a moving story Great personal stories about where we are as a country and our attitude toward refugees.

Informative

Title: Tempest-Tost: The Refugee Experience Through One Community's Prism
Author: Robert Dodge
Format: Audio
Narrator: Benjamin Fife
Genre: Non-Fiction, history, political, immigration, refuegee
Narrator: 3.5/5
Book: 4.5/5

Tempest-Tost is well-written and informative looking at both the largest history of immigration in the U.S and the smaller microcosm of individuals who have come to the U.S. as refugees. Looking at the larger history while telling the individual stories, Tempest-Tost is both informative and heart-breaking. Breaking down the differences between different groups that are collectively called immigrants, Robert Dodge also looks are larger myths and stereotypes associated with the larger concept of immigration. Robert Dodge integrates the individual stories with the political climate without becoming too political. Overall a very good book that connects the smaller, individual stories with the larger, collective environment.

A note of the narration (since I listened to this on audio): Overall the audio was decent with very few, if any mistakes. However, the accents were terrible. You could almost hear Benjamin Fife preparing to delve into an accent - which were bad and distracting. I would have rather either had no accent (i.e. his regular reading voice) or a recording of the interviewees themselves.

I received this audiobook for free from StoryOrigin. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Insightful

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another. I think it is an interesting mix of background information (to allow the reader to understand the political or social issues at the time that cause these people to flee their homes), and quotes from the interview of these refugees. We also gain insight into what they’ve accomplished since being on American soil.

This is the fifth book I have listened to by this narrator ( Benjamin Fife ) and he does well narrating this content. Of course there aren’t really character interactions, but he does add an accent to the quotes of the people whose stories are told in this book. It’s pretty much the same accent throughout, but way better than I could accomplish and there are too many cultures to expect accurate accents.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessively described violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 4/5
Narration 4/5

A Great Listen

A very interesting book on the struggles of modern day refugees. It gives you a fuller view of the life experience that brought the various individuals to their new home in this case, Denver, Colorado. It's not always an easy transition for the refugees, many of them had never wanted to leave their countries but find themselves homeless without hope of change. It was very well written and I found it very educational. It is well worth listening too. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request, and have voluntarily left this review.

No one wants to be ousted from their homeland

It is good for us to face what some ethnicities must endure before having to leave their beloved homelands, and this book clearly recounts several of them. I was disappointed that instead of a call to action there was only more political rhetoric.
Ben Fife did an excellent job as narrator.