Welcome to the new world

Originally told as a Pulitzer Prize--winning New York Times series, this full-length compilation from journalist Halpern tells the true experience of the Aldabaan family, Syrian immigrant brothers who came to the U.S. via Jordan and settled in Connecticut on Election Day 2016. The account concentrates on brother Ibrahim and his wife Adeebah, along with their five children, as they struggle to acclimate to American norms while trying to find employment and attend school under the fear of deportation by the Trump administration. By turns heartbreaking and amusing, Halpern, who spent several years with the family, shows the bittersweet life the Aldabaans left behind and the pressure put on them to become independent within several months of their arrival (Ibrahim, a business owner in the Middle East, is pressured to take a minimum wage job at Friendly's to support his family of seven). Despite understated black-and-white illustrations, Sloan is able to convey the difficult circumstances in Syria, along with the love and support the family members offer one another. While readers may be tempted to dismiss this book as just another work of graphic nonfiction, this is journalism at its finest, allowing readers to identify or sympathize with the immigrant experience.

This perceptive work of graphic journalism from Halpern (Bad Paper) and Sloan (Zen of Nimbus series) collects their Pulitzer-winning New York Times series, which follows one refugee family, the Adalbaans, on their journey from war-torn Syria to Connecticut on the eve of Donald Trump's election. Once arrived, they are given an absurd three months to find work and integrate into American life before their aid runs out. At the center is Naji, the oldest son of Ibrahim and Adeebah, whose pop-culture-driven American dream gets a sharp reality check when he encounters bullies and boredom. Some elements of the story are all too familiar among immigrant narratives--the humiliation of scrounging for work, terrifying encounters with racist harassment--but Halpern and Sloan's smart use of humorous and heart-wrenching details particularize the family's story while effectively conveying their political message. For example, Adeebah has many legitimate fears about life in Connecticut, but she is also very worried about bears (she's heard rumors they invade yards). And when an elderly neighbor shows Naji her Life Alert bracelet, Naji imagines fleeing Syrians pressing buttons on their wrists as they escape a burning city. Moments like this underscore the world's inequalities while uplifting idiosyncratic moments of connection. Sloan's loose-lined art is simple but evocative both in poignant and playful scenes. For readers raised on Persepolis, this moving documentary portrait hits home. (Sept.)

Immersion journalism in the form of a graphic narrative following a Syrian family on their immigration to America. Originally published as a 22-part series in the New York Times that garnered a Pulitzer for editorial cartooning, the story of the Aldabaan family--first in exile in Jordan and then in New Haven, Connecticut--holds together well as a full-length book. Halpern and Sloan, who spent more than three years with the Aldabaans, movingly explore the family's significant obstacles, paying special attention to teenage son Naji, whose desire for the ideal of the American dream was the strongest. While not minimizing the harshness of the repression that led them to journey to the U.S.--or the challenges they encountered after they arrived--the focus on the day-by-day adjustment of a typical teenager makes the narrative refreshingly tangible and free of political polemic. Still, the family arrived at New York's JFK airport during extraordinarily political times: Nov. 8, 2016, the day that Donald Trump was elected. The plan had been for the entire extended family to move, but some had traveled while others awaited approval, a process that was hampered by Trump's travel ban. The Aldabaans encountered the daunting odds that many immigrants face: find shelter and employment, become self-sustaining quickly, learn English, and adjust to a new culture and climate (Naji learned to shovel snow, which he had never seen). They also received anonymous death threats, and Naji wanted to buy a gun for protection. He asked himself, "Was this the great future you were talking about back in Jordan?" Yet with the assistance of selfless volunteers and a community of fellow immigrants, the Aldabaans persevered. The epilogue provides explanatory context and where-are-they-now accounts, and Sloan's streamlined, uncluttered illustrations nicely complement the text, consistently emphasizing the humanity of each person. An accessible, informative journey through complex issues during turbulent times. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.