Honors Literary Types - Refugee

Chapter 1- Josef

Nazis broke into Josef’s house. They told his father he couldn’t practice law anymore, as he was a Jew. They came for Josef’s father. Josef peed himself. The night of broken glass happened that night. They wouldn’t leave without Josef’s father.

Chapter 2- Isabel

Isabel lives in Cuba 1994. She’s 11 years old. Food is being ration and they’re communist. People are starving. She has a friend named Ivan. They tried to save the cat. Ivan and his father were building a boat to leave Cuba, which was forbidden.

Chapter 3- Mahmoud

Mahmoud was 12, and liked to slide under the radar. A bomb could fly any moment. He lives in Syria. Syria was ruled by Bashar Al Assad. He made people who didn’t like him “disappear” It was hard to get food in the city. He has a friend name Khalid. Then they stopped, as to keep the bullies away. Then he died in an airstrike a year later.

Chapter 4- Josef

He and his family had to leave their home. They were going to Cuba. He and his family had to wear a star signifying they were Jewish. They were to meet their dad in Cuba. German boys were shamed and mistreated in they didn’t join the Hitler youth. He had a friend named Klaus who had to join for fear of shame. A Hitler Youth found him all because he wanted to take off his armband and buy a newspaper.

Chapter 5- Isabel

Havana began to riot and her father and grandfather were in the middle. People were sick of Castro. If her father were caught, he could be sent to jail and not let out. A policeman started beating her father, but Luis, Ivan’s older brother who’s also a policeman saved him. But the cop vowed to find her father and have him put in jail. He would not get out. He had to leave Cuba that night.

Chapter 6- Mahmoud

Mahmoud’s water doesn’t work. He has a baby sister. His mom used to work in medical care but quit when his sister was born. His house got blown up. Debris landed on him but he got out. His whole neighborhood was hit.

Chapter 7- Josef

The Hitler youth was taking him somewhere. The boy didn’t turn him in. His father was there. He hadn’t seen him in 6 months and he was scrawny and bald. He was frantic. Traumatized.

Chapter 8- Isabel

Her papi was beaten badly and had to leave. Lito recommended that he just hide in a cabin in the sugar cane fields. Castro came onto a broadcast and said anyone who wants to can leave. Lito was her mother’s father. Isabel said they should all go. She asked Ivan’s family to take them with them. She got gasoline from a fisherman.

Chapter 9-Mahmoud

He was trying to find his family and found his brother. Then his mother. They were all alive. His mom stayed back to grab stuff, then came out. His father wanted to go to Germany. He saw they were accepting refugees.

Chapter 10-Josef

They were on the MS St. Louis. It was better than anything they’d ever known. Their papa was still traumatized. Everyone was on their way to Cuba to escape the Nazis.

Chapter 11-Isabel

They were scared that Castro would change his mind. People with CNN came to them on their way out trying to question Isabel. Other people outside of her family were trying to leave too. The police were just standing and watching. Then they came for her father or so they thought. It was Luis’ girlfriend. Then they started getting shot at, because the police were drafted and couldn’t leave. They had 90 miles to go with a gunshot hole in the boat.

Chapter 12-Mahmoud

They were on their way out. Then they ran into people and they couldn’t tell which group it was. Waled saved the day. The group of men warned them the direction they were going was dangerous. He told them to go south. Their car started getting shot up and the rebels began to fight back. One of the soldiers died. They left all they had left behind in the car.

Chapter 13- Josef

They were making a synagogue on the ship Josef was excited for bar mitzvah. His father was too paranoid to come. He was now a man. Josef overheard stewards talking about the possibility of them not being allowed into Cuba. They thought something was off and fear consumed Josef.

Chapter 14-Isabel

Senor Castillo, Ivan’s father, was the captain of the boat. Amara was Luis’ girlfriend’s name. Lito, Isabel’s grandfather was flirting with her. Isabel just wanted a place where her family could be together and happy. But their boat motor died.

Chapter 15-Mahmoud

They reached the border of Turkey. There were hundreds of people there. All they had was 2 phones, money, and their documents. His dad had heard of a smuggler that was good at getting people into the EU. His dad then found them a ride.

Chapter 16- Josef

They’ve been on the boat for 10 days. Josef was at a tour of the ship’s controls and rooms. He asked the captain if they were racing other ships to Cuba and he denied it. There was a man onboard who was singing a Nazi song. He didn’t like Jews. Below decks was the real world.

Chapter 17- Isabel

They’ve adults were trying to cool the engine and get the water out of the boat. Luis used to be a police officer and he had a brother. He could have left, but didn’t. He regretted leaving. Lito doesn’t like Isabel’s father. Clave is a type of music and her grandfather thought she’d never learn it now. Lito wanted to go back. Then something started heading right for them.

Chapter 18-Mahmoud

The man at the border told them the boat would be there the next day, so they’d have to wait. Waleed stopped talking as much and being as crazy. There were 3 families in each room in the hotels. A boy approached them trying to get paid if he told them somewhere to stay. He led them to what had previously been a mall. Then the boy got them to buy life vests.

Chapter 19-Josef

Josef’s father was having an episode. He kept thinking the Germans were coming for them. But they were only slowing for a funeral. The man who died, died of cancer. His father calmed down then wanted to go to the funeral. His father was is Dachau. He had seen too many men without funerals. Schienndick tried to get the German/ Nazi flag buried on top of the body. The captain cut in and shut that down. His father was no where near the same.

Chapter 20-Isabel

A tanker was heading to them. They were in the shipping lanes. They were panicking. They didn’t want to be seen, for fear of being sent back. Luis had gotten the engine to start. Ivan’s father fell overboard. Isabel went in after him.

Chapter 21-Mahmoud

The smuggler told them their boat wasn’t leaving again. It had been a week. There was always a reason they couldn’t leave. Two Turkish men came and told them they had to pay 5000 pounds a night each. They left. Mahmoud started waving people down trying to get them to help. A man said they could stay in his car dealership. The man was a Palestinian refugee. He’d lived they for 67 years. The smuggler said the boat was ready again. The man offered to take them, and the boat was there.