My City Was a Sparkling Jewel
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AUTHOR: KRISTEN OBARSKY
The stories shared by the youth in My City Was a Sparkling Jewel: Voices of Newcomer Youth from Afghanistan deeply moved me.
This collection comprises nineteen stories penned by displaced youth who fled Afghanistan in 2021 and resettled in Minnesota. Written with honesty and sincerity, the stories offer just a glimpse of their lives before, during, and after their resettlement. Their descriptions of the homes and lives they left behind paint a scene of a wholesome, beautiful existence: picnics, playing board games with friends, delicious food, kiteflying, and soccer. They fondly remember the picturesque scenes of big parks, large families, and tall mountains, and reminisced about how their cities were like “sparkling jewels” to them.
What especially resonated with me was the courage and bravery, as well as the hopes and fears, expressed in their journeys. Many have goals in medicine, education, engineering, business, and journalism. You can also sense a common undercurrent; while they are grateful for what they have, they miss Afghanistan and the families they left behind. They desire peace for their homeland and many hope to return again someday.
One of the most compelling features of the book was the QR code included after each chapter, allowing readers to listen to the youth reading and telling their own stories. I believe that hearing the voices of the youth added a special layer and humanized the stories on a much deeper level.
For me, storytelling is a way to empower the writer to validate and process what happened, while also educating the reader about the loving homes and countries they came from. Green Card Voices, the organization that published this book, along with its editors, presented the stories thoughtfully and included a conversation guide in the back of the book too.
I hope that this book brings healing to the displaced and helps others sympathize and recognize the hardworking and resilient nature of these youth. I hope these stories touch the hearts of others, as they did mine.