Jessica Goudeau is the author of After the last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America. Goudeau holds a PhD in literature from the University of Texas and served as a Mellon Writing Fellow and Interim Writing Center Director at Southwestern University. She has spent more than a decade working with refugees in Austin, TX and is the cofounder of Hill Tribers, a nonprofit that provided supplemental income for Burmese refugee artisans for seven years. Mateen Rokhsefat and Sara Jamshidi talk with Jessica Goudeau about her experience of working with refugee families.
After the Last Border: Two Famlies and the story of Refuge in America
By Jessica Goudeau |
Refugees in America and their Resettlement stories
Amazon Notes:
“Simply brilliant, both in its granular storytelling and its enormous compassion” –The New York Times Book Review
The story of two refugee families and their hope and resilience as they fight to survive and belong in America
The welcoming and acceptance of immigrants and refugees has been central to America’s identity for centuries–yet America has periodically turned its back at the times of greatest humanitarian need. After the Last Border is an intimate look at the lives of two women as they struggle for the twenty-first century American dream, having won the “golden ticket” to settle as refugees in Austin, Texas.
Mu Naw, a Christian from Myanmar struggling to put down roots with her family, was accepted after decades in a refugee camp at a time when America was at its most open to displaced families; and Hasna, a Muslim from Syria, agrees to relocate as a last resort for the safety of her family–only to be cruelly separated from her children by a sudden ban on refugees from Muslim countries.
Writer and activist Jessica Goudeau tracks the human impacts of America’s ever-shifting refugee policy as both women narrowly escape from their home countries and begin the arduous but lifesaving process of resettling in Austin, Texas–a city that would show them the best and worst of what America has to offer.
After the Last Border situates a dramatic, character-driven story within a larger history–the evolution of modern refugee resettlement in the United States, beginning with World War II and ending with current closed-door policies–revealing not just how America’s changing attitudes toward refugees has influenced policies and laws, but also the profound effect on human lives.
Interview with Jessica Goudeau for Peacemindedly Podcast
(be posted on Nov. 5th)
YouTube Raw Footage of Conversation between Jessica Goudeau, Mateen Rokhsefat, and Sara Jamshidi for Peacemindedly Podcast
Please Consider to Pledge to Our Independent Peace Journalism.
Thank you.
Goltune is editorially independent, meaning we set our own agenda. No one edits our editors. No one steers our opinion. This is important as it enables us to stay true to our values.
We practice peace journalism: to cover stories, feature individuals and profile organizations that base their practice according to peace initiatives.
Every contribution we receive from readers like you, big or small, goes directly into funding our journalism. Please support Goltune, large or small. Thank you.
Thanks for helping us to fund our Peace Journalism. Here is our Square account: “Please help us to fund our peace Journalism.”
Send your contributions to our PayPal account: [email protected]
Or, contact us and let us know what we can do to deserve your support.