The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in the American Classroom

Journalist Helen Thorpe ’87 follows 22 refugee teenagers through their first year at an American high school to unspool the many obstacles they face in assimilating to their new environment. Thorpe also tells the story of a tireless English instructor in their Denver high school who works to teach the students — who collectively speak 14 different languages — basic language skills. In The Newcomers (Scribner) Thorpe details the immense challenges the refugee youths face as they try to adapt to their new country.