Refugees from the Middle East and Asia who have fled famine and violence and resettled in the US too often are isolated, disconnected, living in despair. Will their lives disintegrate?
Enter a group of ordinary Americans who recognized the need, created a solution, got results—and found their own lives uplifted in the process.
Author Patricia Martin Holt reports on Peace of Thread, a non-profit founded by Denise Smith, an Evangelical Christian who lived in Clarkston, an Atlanta suburb with refugees from 51 nations in a single square mile. Smith had previously learned Arabic during six years of mission work in Lebanon. She befriended refugee women and built on the fabric skills that many women brought with them.
Now the women are creating handbags and accessories and selling them on ESTY and in specialty shops. They are now feeling much more at home and credit their fabric work for helping them transition to stable lives.
Patricia Martin Holt demonstrates that good-hearted people, including Evangelical Christians from the South, are actively overcoming the national climate of fear and bigotry toward refugees—and are taking practical steps to overcome the problems of refugee resettlement. It turns out that we can work for world peace simply by lending a hand to those in need—in the same cities, counties, and neighborhoods where we live.
Brenda –
Review on Amazon.com: William D. Kennedy
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Stories of Creative Determination
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2020
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These are stories of women who fled their homes in the Middle East and Asia to escape threats of famine, injury or death. Sometimes leaving home suddenly with nothing but the clothes they wore, they eventually made their way to Clarkston. In this small Georgia town, with the help of the tireless and endlessly creative Denise Smith and Peace of Thread they found a new home and new purpose. I began this book to learn about refugees. Soon I found that I was simply reading about people. Lovely and loveable people who might be from anywhere. What makes them different is that they refuse to be defined by their past.
Brenda –
Amazon Review: Their World Is Closer Than You Think
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
(Full disclosure-My view of this book is somewhat colored by the fact that I volunteer for this organization and am friends with some of the people mentioned. However, I receive no financial benefit from my work or from this review).
Empower a Refugee: Peace of Thread & the Backyard Humanity Movement does much more than recount the history of a non-profit. It weaves the stories of women from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Congo together with the stories of women born and raised in the U.S. Each woman’s story is told in her own words (sometimes with the help of interpreters or family members). The refugees’ stories are heart-wrenching, but this is not a collection of sob stories. It’s a chronicle of hope, resilience, and friendship with emphasizes the wonderful things that happen when we come together.
Though dry in some places, the book is easy to read. Ample footnotes provide the cultural and political context behind refugees’ stories. I enjoyed the digital version, which allowed me to click on footnotes and go straight to the chapters I wanted.
Brenda –
Amazon Review: Joe Barber
5.0 out of 5 stars It takes a village…
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2022
I enjoyed learning about our ” new neighbors” in Clarkston and their journey from their native country to their new home and new lives. The footnotes were particularly helpful in reminding me of the history of each situation.
EMPOWER A REFUGEE has motivated me to think and examine my own life-situation and wonder what I can do to help.
Thank you, Patricia Holt, for all that you do, all the love you share, and making the world a better place.
Brenda –
Amazon Review: Barb Townsend
5.0 out of 5 stars “Let there be peace of earth and let it begin with me”
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2020
More like sitting at the kitchen table than “A Backyard Humanity Movement,” this book pulls you indoors, sits you right down, and compels you to straighten up and listen to some very courageous stories and facts. It serves up healthy doses of dignity and determination from the inside out. Author Patricia Holt stirs genuine compassion and understanding as she weaves the journeys of women who encounter hope amid resettlement through the inspired vision for change of Denise Smith, founder of Peace of Thread. Readers will be left with no crumbs on their plate, save the questions, “Who are my friends across the table–and even across the street?” “What things can I do that make for peace?” Thank you, threaders, for sharing your lives, friendship, and creativity, to forge a better future.
Brenda –
Amazon Review: Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A primer for what’s possible
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2020
Pat Holt has written a book that should inspire people who lament, “What can I do–I’m just one person” to get out there and do it. Pat also gives insight into the lives of refugees–how they lived before being forced to leave their home country, and how they work to adapt to their new lives. Anyone who’s touched by the plight of refugees should read this book.
Brenda –
Amazon Review: W Sosa
5.0 out of 5 stars REALLY COOL ORGANIZATION. GREAT BOOK.
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2020
MUST READ! Super easy and engaging. Peace of Thread is an incredible organization that empower refugee women in such wholistic and wonderful ways. Also purchased a one of a kind mask with my book purchase! Check out their Instagram if you need a mask and want to support the ladies you’re reading about! @peaceofthreadbags