The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community

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Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003 - 386 pages
The New York Times's best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher connects us with our greater family--the human family.

Over the past decade, Mary Pipher has been a great source of wisdom, helping us to better understand our family members. Now she connects us with the newest members of the American family--refugees.

In cities all over the country, refugees arrive daily. Lost Boys from Sudan, survivors from Kosovo, families fleeing Afghanistan and Vietnam: they come with nothing but the hope and desire to experience the American dream. Their endurance in the face of tragedy and their ability to hold on to the virtues of family, love, and joy are a lesson for all Americans.

Their stories will make you laugh and weep, and give you a deeper understanding of the wider world in which we live. The Middle of Everywhere moves beyond the headlines into the homes of refugees from around the world. Working as a cultural broker, teacher, and therapist, Mary Pipher has once again opened our eyes--and our hearts--to those with whom we share the future.
 

Contents

Cultural Collisions on the Great Plains
3
The Beautiful Laughing SistersAn Arrival Story
24
Into the Heart of the Heartland
64
All that Glitters
83
Children of Hope Children of Tears
113
TeenagersMohammed Meets Madonna
161
Young AdultsIs There a Marriage Broker in Lincoln?
196
FamilyA Bundle of Sticks Cannot Be Broken
216
HomeA Global Positioning System for Identity
305
Building a Village of Kindness
325
Were All Here Now
350
Appendices
353
Becoming a Cultural Broker
356
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
357
Bibliography
366
Acknowledgments
369

African Stories
247
Healing in all Times and Places
275

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About the author (2003)

Mary Pipher, Ph.D., is the author of three bestselling books, including Reviving Ophelia, which was on the New York Times bestseller list for over 2 years. She speaks all over the country all year and has received a presidential citation from the American Psychological Association. She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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