The Middle of Everywhere: The World's Refugees Come to Our Town

The Middle of Everywhere moves beyond the headlines, into the hearts and souls of refugees as they seek sanctuary in a foreign land. Pipher shows us the effects of trauma on identity, perceives the characteristics of strong people who survive terrible events and go on to build better lives. These are the lessons to be learned from the people in this book: a better understanding of who we are, and a richer understanding of where we are.

Table of Contents:
Cultural collisions on the Great Plains -- The beautiful laughing sisters-an arrival story -- Into the heart of the heartland -- All that glitters... -- Children of hope, children of tears -- Adolescents-Mohammed meets Madonna -- Young adults--"Who arranges marriages for us in Nebraska?" -- Family-a bundle of sticks cannot be broken -- African stories -- Healing in all times and places -- Home-a global positioning system for identity -- Building a village of kindness.

About the Author :
Mary Pipher is the author of three bestselling books, including "Reviving Ophelia," which was on the "New York Times" bestseller list for more than two years. She received a presidential citation from the American Psychological Association, and is considered one of the great wise women of modern psychology. She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Review :
PRAISE FOR "REVIVING OPHELIA" "An important book . . . Pipher shines high-beam headlights on the world of teenage girls."--"Los Angeles Times" "Mary Pipher's "Reviving Ophelia" has the combination just right. [She] offers commonsensical, unthreatening solutions. Readers find Ophelia both heartbreaking and exhilarating."--"Time" PRAISE FOR "THE SHELTER OF EACH OTHER" "Mary Pipher is that rarity in these days of culture wars: She can talk about values without self-righteousness. She reclaims some common sense in the dialogue about family."--"The Seattle Times" "A canny mix of optimism and practicality gives Pipher's fans a way to resist the worst of the culture around them and substitute the best of themselves."--"Newsweek" PRAISE FOR "ANOTHER COUNTRY" "[The] combination of cultural and psychological factors is this excellent book's greatest strength. . . . She is especially acute at spotting pressure points where culture, both past and present, collides cruelly with individual emotional needs."--"The Washington Post" "Packs an emotional wallop . . . [Pipher] writes about the very topics, the very fears, that many readers have dodged their whole lives."--"Houston Chronicle" PRAISE FOR"REVIVING OPHELIA" "An important book . . . Pipher shines high-beam headlights on the world of teenage girls."--"Los Angeles Times" "Mary Pipher's"Reviving Ophelia"has the combination just right. [She] offers commonsensical, unthreatening solutions. Readers find Ophelia both heartbreaking and exhilarating."--"Time" PRAISE FOR"THE SHELTER OF EACH OTHER" "Mary Pipher is that rarity in these days of culture wars: She can talk about values without self-righteousness. She reclaims some common sense in the dialogue about family."--"The Seattle Times" "A canny mix of optimism and practicality gives Pipher's fans a way to resist the worst of the culture around them and substitute the best of themselves."--"Newsweek" PRAISE FOR"ANOTHER COUNTRY" "[The] combination of cultural and psychological factors is this excellent book's greatest strength. . . . She is especially acute at spotting pressure points where culture, both past and present, collides cruelly wit "[Pipher] gives new insights about the refugee experience. [Her] brisk, matter-of-fact style makes [this book] an easy read. . . . Readers will find [it] an eye-opening experience. . . . In a world obsessed with war and ethnic strife, Pipher's book shows us how to take steps toward peace."--The Lincoln Journal Star "As with her previous books, Pipher tells stories of real people and the joys and problems they experience in rebuilding their lives . . . Pipher shows that these new people have much to teach Americans about courage, love, and compassion."--Library Journal "If only a fraction of the advice in this valuable book were followed, cross-cultural compassion might become much more than just a handful of words beginning in C."--Kirkus Reviews "Most Americans never have to think of the little things . . . But Mary Pipher notices . . . [In this book, she] enters the hearts and homes of refugees who now live virtually from coast to coast. . . . Her work is a plea for others to join her in a campaign for understanding."--USA Today "Pipher, drawing upon anthropology, sociology, and psychology, offers a deft, moving portrait of the complexity of American life [and of the domestic] effects of globalization. . . . She writes in rich, empathetic language and with a keen, observant eye for detail and nuance. . . . Pipher writes directly and movingly about the complications of people's lives in a constant culture clash but is mindful to place them in a clearly defined social and political setting. . . . Pipher's ambitious undertaking of combining personal stories with global politics is wonderfully realized."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Practical advice delivered warmly is [Pipher's] trademark. . . . This is a humane book that strives."--The Washington Post Book World "Much of Pipher's work and personal interactions with Bosnians, Kurds, Dinkas, Vietnamese, and others have been with people on the cusp of adolescence through young adulthood, an appealing range for their peers to read about here. . . . Pipher emphasizes the culturally specific norms she carries with her and deconstructs how these and the norms of the young people who have come [here as refugees] offer everyone involved the opportunity to grow as human beings and become more fully engaged in the experiences of others. Student researchers, nascent psychologists, and native- and nonnative-born teens will find this is absorbing discussion material."--School Library Journal