NEWARK, NJ — “As my father and his siblings were riding the bus, he heard gunshots. He saw people dressed up as soldiers, bandanas on their heads.” So goes one of dozens of stories about immigration and identity, told by an “extraordinary” source: students in the Newark Public School District.

The district recently announced that is has published a student-authored collection of stories: “We Were Strangers Once, Too.”

The book – which is available on Amazon – gathers together 58 student stories that provide an “empathetic balm in a polarized world,” school administrators said.

Each individual story showcases a first-person account of the journey to the United States or an immigration experience, representing five continents and 24 countries, including places such as Peru, Ecuador, Nigeria, Palestine, Brazil, Portugal, Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala, Malaysia, Spain, Togo, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Liberia, Columbia, Trinidad, Bangladesh, Jamaica and Liberia.

The book is edited by Science Park High School English teacher Shawn Adler, who was among the shortlist of nominees for the $1 million Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, in partnership with UNESCO.

The unique educational project – which gives readers a window into many aspects of life as an immigrant child in America – has gained a fan in U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Newark resident, who said he was inspired by the “courage and vulnerability” displayed in the collection of stories.

“Each journey reflects a conspiracy of love—loved ones and countless others seen and unseen propelling them towards a better future—and each journey speaks to the strength, beauty, and enduring promise of this great city,” Booker said.

District administrators said all profits from the sale of the book will go back to the authors through student fund accounts at Newark Public Schools and Science Park High School, dedicated to providing resources for students who are experiencing food or financial insecurities.

Science Park principal Darleen Gearhart said that the book captures these “tales of resilience and vulnerability” and allows students to showcase the “strength of the human spirit and the power of empathy.”

“These young authors inspire us all to embrace diversity, celebrate difference and recognize the beauty in every individual narrative,” Gearhart said.