Welcome to the New World
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize
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- £12.99
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- £12.99
Publisher Description
THE GROUNDBREAKING GRAPHIC NOVEL
A story about ordinary people navigating a strange land, in even stranger times.
On the eve of the US elections, a Syrian family leave their world behind for a chance at the American dream. But as the first day of their new life dawns, they are greeted by the news of Donald Trump's victory. It's as if they arrived in one country, and woke up in another. What does that mean for their past, their future... their home?
Welcome to the New World began as a ground-breaking comic strip in the New York Times. Every week, the Aldabaan family's experiences would be retold as a cartoon strip – keeping step as events unfolded in real life. One Pulitzer Prize later, this stunning graphic novel fills in the gaps, gradually revealing an America which is full of contradictions: foreign yet familiar, ignorant but kind, cruel yet generous. It's also an intimate portrait of family dynamics and everyday fortitude, from the first day at a new school to getting a new job (any job!) against the clock. It seems that if you can't turn back, the only way to go is onwards.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This perceptive work of graphic journalism from Halpern (Bad Paper) and Sloan (Zen of Nimbus series) collects their Pulitzer-winning New York Times series, which follows one refugee family, the Adalbaans, on their journey from war-torn Syria to Connecticut on the eve of Donald Trump's election. Once arrived, they are given an absurd three months to find work and integrate into American life before their aid runs out. At the center is Naji, the oldest son of Ibrahim and Adeebah, whose pop-culture-driven American dream gets a sharp reality check when he encounters bullies and boredom. Some elements of the story are all too familiar among immigrant narratives the humiliation of scrounging for work, terrifying encounters with racist harassment but Halpern and Sloan's smart use of humorous and heart-wrenching details particularize the family's story while effectively conveying their political message. For example, Adeebah has many legitimate fears about life in Connecticut, but she is also very worried about bears (she's heard rumors they invade yards). And when an elderly neighbor shows Naji her Life Alert bracelet, Naji imagines fleeing Syrians pressing buttons on their wrists as they escape a burning city. Moments like this underscore the world's inequalities while uplifting idiosyncratic moments of connection. Sloan's loose-lined art is simple but evocative both in poignant and playful scenes. For readers raised on Persepolis, this moving documentary portrait hits home.
