City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life into a Dying American Town

In this immersive study, poet and journalist Hartman (Satyr) profiles three refugee families in Utica, N.Y. Drawing on in-depth interviews and close personal observation conducted over an eight-year period beginning in 2013, Hartman focuses on Sadia Ambure, a “bright, rebellious” Somali Bantu teenager who lives with 18 family members in a “formerly grand” house on Rutger St.; Ali Sarhan, an Iraqi interpreter torn between his American girlfriend and his sisters and mother back in Baghdad; and Mersiha Omeragic, a Bosnian refugee who runs a popular bakery out of her home and finally realizes her dream of opening a café, only to see it shut down by Covid-19. Interwoven with the personal triumphs and travails, including Sadia’s clashes with her mother, and Ali’s decision to take a job in Iraq, is the history of Utica, where the loss of manufacturing jobs beginning in the 1970s brought gang violence, drug dealing, and frequent arson but left behind plentiful and inexpensive housing. Though the abrupt shifts between families can be disorienting, Hartman draws an intimate and captivating portrait of the struggle to build new lives while holding on to old values. Readers will gain vital insight into the immigrant experience in America. (May)