Out of Nowhere is a work of fiction inspired by actual events which have taken place in Lewiston, Maine. Tolerance, refugee and immigration issues, bullying and substance abuse are among the themes explored in the novel. Additional resources include:
Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town, by Warren St. John. Available in both adult and young adult paperback versions.
I Remember Warm Rain, published by The Telling Room, Portland, Maine. A collection of first-person, coming-to-America stories by Portland youth.
The Letter: An American Town and the "Somali Invasion." (2003) In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy a firestorm erupted when 1,100 Somali refugee relocated to a predominately white town: Lewiston, Maine. This documentary would be appropriate for both middle and high school students.
I'm Your Neighbor. This website is a treasure trove of "new arrival" literature for children. No teacher should be without it!
Somalis in Maine: Crossing Cultural Currents, edited by Kimberly A. Huisman, Mazie Hough, Kristin M. Langellier and Carol Nordstrom Toner. Non-fiction, excellent examination of the Somali migration to Maine, with special emphasis on Lewiston.
"They were very beautiful. Such Things Are." Memoirs from Dadaab, Kenya and Lewiston, Maine. Edited by Patricia Buck and Rachel Silver.
New Mainers: Portraits of Our Immigrant Neighbors. Photographs by Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest, text by Pat Nyhan, foreward by Reza Jalali.
The Somali Diaspora: A Journey Away. Photographs by Abdi Roble, essays by Doug Rutledge.
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