Ordering Information
$24.95, 6 x 9 in, PB, 264 pages, b/w photos
ISBN: 978-1-963714-24-1
Publication date: December 1, 2026
To order copies, please visit CasemateIPM.com or give them a call at (610) 853-9131.
Down the Braided River:
My Journey as a Deaf Refugee
by Bhawani Prasad Dangal with Julia Freeman-Woolpert
Bhawani was seven years old when Bhutan expelled his family in a little known ethnic cleansing campaign. He arrived in a Nepali refugee camp having lost not just his home, and shortly after, his hearing and his mother. He endured loss, stigma, and profound isolation. In the refugee camps of Nepal, the arrival of Nepali Sign Language classes changed everything: for the first time, Bhawani and other Deaf refugees could communicate, and a community took shape.
Two decades later, resettlement in Concord, New Hampshire brought a new form of invisibility. The local agency was unprepared to serve Deaf refugees. Isolated again, Bhawani responded by learning American Sign Language, teaching it to others, and becoming an ASL-to-Nepali Sign Language interpreter so that Deaf Bhutanese could finally speak with their doctors and caseworkers. He has since emerged as a leading voice in the Deaf Bhutanese-American community.
Bhawani tells this story simply, with warmth and wit.
More than 31 million people are currently refugees worldwide. Those with disabilities are among the most endangered and the least heard. Bhawani’s book is a rare exception — a Deaf refugee telling his own story, in his own words, on his own terms.
Readers’ Comments
“A deeply moving and insightful memoir, Down the Braided River illuminates the overlooked struggles and resilience of Deaf Bhutanese refugees through Bhawani Dangal’s extraordinary journey. It powerfully bridges cultures and identities, offering a rare and humanizing perspective on displacement, communication, and belonging.”
—Suraj Budathoki, New Hampshire State Representative; Co-Founder of Peace Initiative Bhutan
“Heartfelt thanks to Bhawani Dangal for sharing this powerful, moving story of resilience and courage: his happy childhood in Bhutan; his years in a refugee camp in Nepal; his migration to and resettlement in the USA. It is a story that offers countless insights, especially for those of us who have never been refugees, and who do not understand as well as we should what it really means to be Deaf.”
—Michael Hutt, Emeritus Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies, SOAS, University of London; author, Unbecoming Citizens: Culture, Nationhood, and the Flight of Refugees from Bhutan.
“As a fellow Bhutanese refugee, I found myself reflected in these pages in a way that is both humbling and profound. Bhawani’s story is not only his own—it is the story of thousands of us who were forced to leave behind our homeland, our identity, and everything familiar, and begin again in uncertainty. The journey from Bhutan to the refugee camps in Nepal and, ultimately, to the United States is marked by hardship, sacrifice, and resilience. This book captures that journey with honesty, dignity, and remarkable depth.
What sets Bhawani’s story apart is his experience as a Deaf individual navigating this already difficult path. While many of us struggled with displacement, language barriers, and cultural adjustment, Bhawani faced an additional layer of isolation that few can fully understand. Yet rather than being defined by these challenges, he rose above them—becoming not only self-reliant but a leader.
Reading this memoir, I was reminded of the strength found in the community and the courage it takes to claim one’s own narrative. Bhawani’s perseverance in the face of adversity is inspiring, not only to those who share his background but to anyone who has ever felt unseen or unheard. His journey is a testament to the enduring power of hope and a reminder that our differences can be our greatest strengths.”
—DHAN K TIMSINA, former Board Chair of Building Community of New Hampshire (BCNH); New Hampshire Union Leader’s “40 Under Forty” 2025 honoree; CEO, Universal Care Alliance
“Bhawani Dangal’s beautifully written autobiography provides deep insight into his childhood in Bhutan prior to its government’s program to forcibly expel its ethnically Nepali citizens; the extreme privations he and his family experienced during long years spent in a refugee camp in Nepal; and the challenges and opportunities he faced once resettled in the United States. He simultaneously details his experiences growing up hearing and becoming profoundly deaf, eventually learning to sign and creating close bonds with fellow deaf refugees. These two journeys combine, like the braided Himalayan rivers Dangal writes of, into a powerful narrative of resilience and community. Readers will come away with a deeper understanding of one of the biggest refugee crises of our time and with greater awareness how sign languages vary across the world. They will also enjoy getting to know the author and his family, through a compelling narrative that is in turns funny, suspenseful, and touching.”
—Erika Hoffman-Dilloway, Professor of Anthropology, Oberlin College; author, Signing and Belonging in Nepal
“While the Bhutanese refugee community is known for having a profoundly positive economic impact on New Hampshire and the entire country, Bhawani Prasad Dangal’s story as a deaf refugee from Bhutan is a reminder that refugee resettlement at its core is a humanitarian program. Bhawani spent two decades in a refugee camp where he learned Nepali sign language, allowing him to finally communicate with the world around him. Decades later when he was resettled in New Hampshire, he faced more isolation but on his own mastered American sign language, taught it to others, and helped Deaf Bhutanese in the U.S. connect with caregivers, educators, and others in their new communities. His story is an inspiration and a lesson for those of us devoted to welcoming refugees to America.”
—Jeff Thielman, President and CEO, International Institute of New England
“Bhawani’s journey from persecution and expulsion from Bhutan to rebuilding his life in the United States is a powerful story of searing resilience and grit. As a deaf refugee, he endures hardship with quiet courage and unwavering resolve. Paragraph after paragraph, persecuted Bhutanese readers will hear their own lives echo in his, while others are drawn into a deeply human story of deprivation, endurance, and renewal. In doing so, the book offers a compelling counterpoint to Bhutan’s celebrated ‘Gross National Happiness,’ revealing its human cost. To miss this book is to miss something essential.”
—Narayan Phuyal Sharma, LLM, founding member and research director, The BRAIN; former Bhutanese refugee (current US citizen); recipient of the Senator Roxanne Jones Fellowship
“This is a book we all should read. [Dangal’s] story is told gently—yet the reader must face the injustices as well as the celebrations. Whether you are Deaf, a professional interpreter, a student of interpreting, or a member of American society—you should get on board and take the journey down the braided river.”
—Laurie R. Shaffer, PhD, Assistant Professor, Director of the University of New Hampshire ASL/English Interpreting Program
About the Authors
Julia Freeman-Woolpert lives in Concord, New Hampshire. She retired in 2018 from the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center where she spent her career advocating on behalf of people with disabilities. She holds a B.A. from Boston University and a M.Ed. from Antioch University. She has worked as a mentor and advocate for refugees for two decades, and with Deaf refugees since 2011. She has traveled throughout Nepal and India and spent a week in 2010 visiting the refugee camps in Nepal. In her spare time she loves to garden and travel the rest of the world.
Bhawani Dangal is a Deaf American citizen who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Bhutan in 2011. He is a deeply committed advocate and leader in the Deaf Bhutanese-American community, including working as a Nepali Sign Language to American Sign Language interpreter. He is a graduate of the prestigious Road to Deaf Interpreting program and has served in numerous educational and advocacy roles including serving on the Board of the Himalayan Foundation USA. He was a main organizer and keynote speaker at the first-ever World Deaf Refugee Day in 2021 and again in 2023. In 2015, he was featured as one of Concord TV’s “Most Fascinating Individuals.” He now lives in Pennsylvania and enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons.
