At the Border Called Hope: Where Refugees Are Neighbours

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

Written by a prominent social activist, this book presents a religious
or ethical perspective on the refugee phenomenon. According to the
author, cost–benefit assessments of the refugee phenomenon tend to
overlook “the incalculable gifts of hope that many a refugee brings to
the spiritual geography of this time and place.” Her book comprises
descriptions of refugee experiences in Toronto, specifically in
connection with the agencies that have been established to assist them.
Some accounts deal with the refugees’ daily routines. Others focus on
their relationship with Canadian immigration officials, on whose
judgment they depend for their livelihood and, in some cases, their very
lives. Still others address the use and abuse of bureaucratic power and
discretion. Included in the book’s three appendices is a statistical
portrait of refugees around the world.

At the Border Called Hope is likely to be of most interest to refugees
and to those who are involved with refugees on either a professional or
a personal level.