Finding Refuge in Canada: Narratives of Dislocation ed. by George Melnyk and Christina Parker

Reviewed by: Finding Refuge in Canada: Narratives of Dislocation ed. by George Melnyk and Christina Parker Gemechu Abeshu Finding Refuge in Canada: Narratives of Dislocation. Edited by George Melnyk and Christina Parker. Edmonton: Athabasca University Press, 2021. 196 pp. $27.99 paper. Despite my professional fascination with the topic, I began reading Finding Refuge in Canada: Narratives of Dislocation with trepidation. It has been my experience that many manuscripts on this subject are either lengthy policy critiques or amateurish memoirs. Extraordinarily, this 187-page-long compendium organized into 14 chapters is enchantingly readable and Hitchcockian. I began reading this book from “Once a Refugee, Always a Refugee,” a captivating chapter by George Melnyk who came to Canada as a refugee in 1949 and now is a professor emeritus of communication, media, and film at the University of Calgary. His chapter tells such a compelling story I urge anyone to read it. This book, a compilation of first-person accounts by 17 contributors from diverse backgrounds—including the co-editors George Melnyk and Christina Parker— narrates the refugee experience in Canada. It includes perspectives from frontline workers, academics, advocates, refugee sponsors, and civil servants. Having gone through the book cover to cover, I appreciate that it appropriately acknowledges that millions of people are displaced each year by war, persecution, and famine, and the global refugee population is persistently on the rise. It also reminds the readers that although Canada is a benevolent country that accepts refugees from all over the world, refugees have encountered different types of reception upon arrival. Through the individual narratives, it becomes evident that Canada’s refugee system is inconsistent, disjointed, and struggling to manage the current backlog and continued influx of refugees. These narratives challenge mainstream public discourse about refugee identities and histories and provide profound insight into the social, political, and cultural challenges [End Page 181] and opportunities refugees experience in Canada. Through their accounts, the individual stories dress humanity onto the global refugee crisis and challenge readers to reflect on the transformative potential of more equitable policies and processes. These individual narratives emphasize the human toll that refugees endure, covering topics about arriving in Canada, how Canada responds to refugees, and the struggle for inclusion. This book, therefore, is a timely publication that calls to action those in positions of power and privilege to understand the nuances and intricacies involved in a process that has life-and-death consequences. Finding Refuge in Canada is informative, compelling, and apt for all readers: academics, advocates, policymakers, and service providers alike. I would recommend it to settlement workers, refugee sponsors, advocacy groups, students, and those interested in learning more about Canada’s refugee determination system and Canada’s varied responses to refugees throughout recent history. Gemechu Abeshu Centre for Refugee Studies York University Copyright © 2023 Center for Great Plains Studies

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