Actors Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, and author Alan Gratz join us this week to talk about the refugee crisis, and how they are giving voice to the children affected.
First, we speak with Alan Gratz, a children's author whose most recent book, Refugee, hits shelves July 25, 2017. The book follows three children from three periods of history fleeing three different evils: Josef, a young Jewish boy fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s; Isabel, a Cuban girl whose family sets out on a raft bound for America in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015, who hopes to escape the violence and destruction of his homeland and begin a new life with his family in Europe.
Later in the episode, we talk with Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody. Mandy is an actor and singer whom you may know from his roles in "The Princess Bride," the Showtime series "Homeland," or as the voice of Papa Smurf in the recent movie "Smurfs: The Lost Village." Over the past few years, Mandy and his wife, actress and writer Kathryn Grody, have worked with the International Rescue Committee, traveling to Greece and Serbia to meet with refugees living in limbo in the refugee camps. They join us in the studio this week to share some of those stories.
Additional resources:
- Pre-order a copy of Refugee by Alan Gratz: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local independent bookstore
- See more of Alan Gratz's work
- Watch Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody's emotional reunion with the Alassy family
- Watch Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody talk with refugees, including the 10-year-old artist Farhad Nouri
- Follow along with Mandy Patinkin's work with the International Rescue Committee
- Learn more about the International Rescue Committee
Guests:
- Alan Gratz is the author of several books for young readers, including Prisoner B-3087, Code of Honor, and Projekt 1065. He lives with his family in North Carolina. Find him online at www.alangratz.com or on Twitter @alangratz
- Mandy Patinkin is an actor and singer. Find him on Twitter @PatinkinMandy and on Facebook here
- Kathryn Grody is an actress and writer
Special thanks:
- Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl
- Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson
- Produced by Emily Morrow
