The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees is a 2018 graphic novel geared for young adults written and illustrated by Don Brown. A sympathetic account of the Syrian refugee crisis, which has persisted since 2011, the novel provides an accessible historical background for the displacement of millions of people. The plot is broken up into a series of vignettes that collectively illustrate the religious, cultural, and ideological diversity of Syrians who live at the mercy of a xenophobic geopolitical system. It also examines war-torn Syria, showing how difficult it is to escape the country in the first place. Brown’s graphic novel has received acclaim for its vivid illustration and implicit criticism of the refugee crisis, which is only recently being denounced by some global powers as an unconscionable social epidemic.

The graphic novel begins with an impression of the first months of the crisis in 2011. The danger in Syria escalates so quickly that millions of Syrians suddenly feel an imperative to leave the country, creating an exodus that overwhelms the countries on Syria’s immediate border. Understanding little about the depraved conditions of Syria or the suffering of Syrians, these nearby governments reflexively push back on the hordes of displaced people. Public resentment of Syrians skyrockets, and the mass media industry propagates rhetoric about the extremely high costs of aiding their sanctuary. This sentiment festers over the coming years; by 2017, a strong majority of citizens support stopping aid programs. Brown frequently refers to the disenfranchised Syrians with the titular phrase, “the unwanted.”

Next, Brown provides a background on the events leading up to the refugee crisis. It is preceded by decades of strife in Syria, including widespread poverty, religious and racial intolerance, and the rise of autocratic politicians who openly spurn democratic elections. The dissatisfaction of Syrians comes to a boiling point in 2010 as part of the Middle East’s Arab Spring. The Arab Spring originates in Tunisia, where urban areas are hit suddenly with violent mass protests. It then spreads like wildfire through Syria, where it ultimately hits the hardest. A major catalyst in Syria is the government-ordered torture of several boys who tag a wall with “Down with the regime” in their city of Dara’a. Syria falls into civil war over Assad’s cruel regime, which terrorizes and kills the citizens of the country it claims to represent.



The majority of Syrian refugees cross the border into Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. There, they are placed into makeshift tent cities without proper planning, food, water, and sanitation. They also form a number of barely self-subsisting villages in the hills. Brown illustrates the various ways in which Syrians flee: forced to be incredibly resourceful and often risk their lives, they have themselves smuggled, trek thousands of miles on foot, and even hastily build boats that sometimes sink. As a result of this desperate effort alone, thousands of Syrians die.

Brown ends the graphic novel with the success story of a family of refugees who make it to California against all odds. He explains that he intentionally refrained from using his book to explain the deep cultural history behind the Arab Spring and Syria’s anti-democratic legacy. He did so in order to highlight the experiences of innocent people who never consented to be the victims of any political or ideological war. The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees first and foremost validates the experiences of the survivors of Syria’s oppressive government.