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1-Page Summary of New Kid
Overall Summary
In “The New Kids,” journalist Brooke Hauser investigates the lives of recent immigrants to America. With more than forty-five different countries and twenty-eight languages represented, Brooklyn’s International High School at Prospect Heights is a microcosm of the diversity of America itself. The students interviewed for this book are facing universal challenges: learning English and navigating high school as a new student. But they also face specific challenges that can only be understood by immigrating to another country, such as getting used to American food or finding ways around laws that discriminate against them because they’re not citizens.
Hauser’s project is twofold. On the one hand, she wants to demonstrate that teenagers face similar concerns about friendships and fitting in no matter where they’re from. On the other hand, the personal stories of teens are gripping because they have overcome hardships and challenges to get where they are today. Hauser relies on interviews with students themselves as well as teachers, parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors to bring these kids alive for readers. Some of those featured include:
A teenager named Jessica comes to New York City to meet her father, who has abandoned the family. However, when she arrives, his new wife is unhappy with her presence and forces him to choose between them. When he chooses his wife over his daughter, Jessica must live in a small room by herself because he can’t afford another apartment for himself. He sneaks out every night to cook her spicy Hunan food but eats it alone because he must eat with his new family. Her eighteenth birthday goes by without him visiting – he’s too busy with his new wife.
Ngawang Thokmey escaped from Tibet when he was 11 years old. He made his way to India by hiding in a tiny suitcase that traveled for 24 hours, crossing the mountains from Lhasa to Nepal and eventually to India. Two years later, Ngawang and his brother joined their father in America. They kept a delicate truce with Chinese students at school.
Mohamed Bah, a fourteen-year old boy from Sierre Leone, grew up in a family of diamond miners. He was abandoned by his host family while visiting New York City and is now on his own. The book follows Mohamed as he tries to unravel the mysteries surrounding his background and get US documents.
Chit Su is a Burmese refugee who spent three years in a Thai refugee camp after fleeing Burma’s military junta. She came to the United States recently, but she doesn’t talk much because there are no other people from her country at her school. So it’s hard for her to communicate with anyone else.
Yasmeen Salahi is a young woman from Yemen who clings to her conservative culture and devout Muslim faith in the face of pressure from those around her to assimilate more with US mores. After her parents die, Yasmeen’s marriage has been arranged by her family. She will have to fight for guardianship of her younger siblings because Saif may not allow it.
The school also has a number of dedicated teachers who are multiculturally diverse. The principal, Alexandra Anormaliza, came to the U.S. from Ecuador at age nine and wants to make the school a happy place for everyone by creating an environment where students can learn together despite their differences in culture and ethnicity. Dariana Castro is another teacher who helps out with scheduling, explaining things to Yasmeen (the student) about why everyone was shocked when she told them that she wanted to marry her first cousin because it’s part of her family tradition.
