Using composites based on real Syrian refugees, Brown’s graphic novel offers a chronology of recent events under the Bashar al-Assad regime that have led to civil war and the great waves of Syrian refugees streaming into Turkey and Europe. Tens of thousands are stuck (perhaps forever) in refugee camps where conditions are miserable. Others have made perilous journeys, only to be turned away by nations that are closing their borders. Although he never focuses on one person or family for very long, Brown humanizes his subjects, and makes readers feel compassion, if not outright anger at the way they are being treated. This powerful account is hard-hitting and, at times, painful to read, but it is a critical story for our times and will provide teens with information and insight into what’s going on behind the headlines of current news stories. (Age 14 and older)

In the tradition of Don Brown's critically acclaimed, full-color nonfiction graphic novels The Great American Dust Bowl and Sibert Honor winning Drowned City, The Unwanted is an important, timely, and eye-opening exploration of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, exposing the harsh realities of living in, and trying to escape, a war zone.

Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted.
Don Brown depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Shining a light on the stories of the survivors, The Unwanted is a testament to the courage and resilience of the refugees and a call to action for all those who read.