As Out of Nowhere opens, the fictional town of Enniston, Maine, is facing significant changes as a result of an influx of Somali refugees, who alter the demographics of the town and the school. The novel portrays the challenges of integration in its first pages, as Tom says, “I saw this Somali girl on all fours on the staircase landing… I heard one guy say ‘Dude, what is she doing?’ ‘Facing Mecca,’ someone replied” (9). The reactions of Tom’s classmates to the girl’s prayer posture range from confusion to insensitivity; they feature a lack of awareness about Islamic practices, revealing a superficial understanding of Muslim rituals at best, and at worst a willingness to ostracize those they deem different from themselves. The Somali girl’s visible adherence to her religion epitomizes the struggle of refugees to maintain identity in a new environment and mirrors the broader narrative of the novel, where cultural differences are at the forefront of the town’s collective consciousness.

As in many young adult novels that center high-school life, the school itself is a site of highly specific and elaborated cultural practices to which newcomers must acclimate. For the Somalis, navigating a new country as well as a new school, these challenges are even more acute: “Every single day they had to show new kids how to do totally simple things, like move through the cafeteria line to buy lunch, or open a locker, or change classes when the bell rang” (42).