Illustrated Memoirs
The Illustrated Memoir Project engages refugee and immigrant youth to write and illustrate true stories from their lives. The goal of this project is to foment intellectual self-trust in the participants, center their lived experience, enhance social emotional learning, and increase literacies. Through sharing these stories we strive to foster a richer understanding of the experience of refugee and immigrant youth and build a more welcoming global community.
Below are a few examples of illustrated memoirs created over the past four years. The memoirs are published under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND licenses. This license enables users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. They are published this way in the hopes that they can be used for educational purposes by a variety of users. Memoirs can be purchased at cost, we do not make a profit on the sales. If you would like to donate to support the work of Maketank Inc. and the Illustrated Memoir Project please visit our support page.
The Way / El Camino
by Milton
Milton’s illustrated memoir tells the story of a beautiful night sky he saw and how it changed the way he felt about himself and the world. His story is told in English and Spanish. To read his entire book click on the button below.
Stories of My Life in Burundi and the US
by Fabiola
Fabiola shares six short stories describing and comparing aspects of her life here in the US and in Burundi where she grew up, after leaving Congo. Her story is told is English and Swahili. To read her entire book click the button below.
The Lightness and the Darkness of the Future
by Sidra
Sidra’s memoir tells the story of her family leaving Syria to escape civil war and how they eventually came to settle in the Unite States with the assistance of the UNHCR. Her story is told in English, Arabic, and Turkish. To read her entire book click the link below.