Compare and contrast Hasna’s attachment to Syria and Mu Naw’s never-belongingness. How did those experiences impact their adjustment to life as refugees and, later, as immigrants to the US?

Analyze the fluctuations of American identity and sympathies for refugees. How was the general attitude toward Syrian refugees different from the American attitude after World War II toward the “boat people” (187) in the 1970s, and/or the anti-Communist dissidents? What factors account for these differing attitudes?

Analyze how trauma is explored in the text. How does trauma shape the refugees featured in the book? What does the text suggest about the nature of trauma and the process of coping with it?