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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
slow-paced
i liked some essays, and others were so slow and difficult to get through. sometimes i felt like a lot of the essays could’ve delved deeper into discussions of immigration and many of them felt quite shallow to me, like a lot of these points have already been made and that they were just restating them. however, i did like the diversity of perspectives in this collection.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
There were some essays I wanted to live in forever and some that I thumbed through looking for the ending.. a solid but at time confusingly paced collection
Almost every essay in this collection worked for me on a craft and content level. There are so many stories here, and so many ways of telling them. And so many amazing writers! I came for Alexander Chee, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Jenny Zhang, Rahawa Haile, Porochista Khakpour, and Maeve Higgins. I loved all of their essays, and discovered some new favorite writers along the way, especially Tejal Rao, Fatima Farheen Mirza, Susanne Ramírez de Allerano, and Jade Chang. ‘Swimmer,’ ‘Chooey-Booey and Brown,’ ‘Your Father’s Country,’ ‘Skittles’ and ‘Return to Macondo’ are definite standouts for me. I will be seeking out the writing of the writers I didn’t know before whose essays moved the hell out of me. I highly recommend this book to every human. If nothing else, I’m sure you’ll find a writer you like here. I also want to check out the UK version now! It came out in 2016, same editors.
Thanks to Little, Brown for the ARC! Opinions are my own.
Thanks to Little, Brown for the ARC! Opinions are my own.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This was a really amazing read. Great range of topics and perspectives, all with the goal of simply humanizing the immigrant in a world that insists on othering. As someone born to an immigrant family in the US, and now living as an immigrant myself in the UK, I found it relatable while still learning quite a lot! Definitely going to pick up the original that focuses on the UK.
26 writers and 26 powerful essays on what America means. One of the best essays in this collection would have to be Jade Chang's "How to Center Your Own Story." It ended off the collection on a very strong note, almost a call to action for all immigrants/people of colour on how to respond to America, respond to microaggressions and how to tell not just a story, but your own story. "Return to Macondo" by Susanne Ramirez de Arellano was also very poignant in voicing my thoughts on colonialism and its relation to Manifest Destiny (yuck).
Two others that really stuck with me for their personal voice and is "No Es Suficiente" and "Skittles" by Dani Fernandez and Fatima Farheen Mirza. It saddens me that in this day and age, with so much knowledge going around on the Internet, and with people getting educated, that there are people who have to deal with racism on many levels on a near-daily basis. American Dream, my ass. I found these four essays memorable not because they're the final four and I have a clearer memory of them, but I found myself copying out more quotes and having to put my book down just to let some facts sink in. Nonetheless, I appreciated all these essays and the personal stories and experiences of the writers. (On a personal note they're reaaaally making me rethink this whole "I wanna move to America" thing)
Two others that really stuck with me for their personal voice and is "No Es Suficiente" and "Skittles" by Dani Fernandez and Fatima Farheen Mirza. It saddens me that in this day and age, with so much knowledge going around on the Internet, and with people getting educated, that there are people who have to deal with racism on many levels on a near-daily basis. American Dream, my ass. I found these four essays memorable not because they're the final four and I have a clearer memory of them, but I found myself copying out more quotes and having to put my book down just to let some facts sink in. Nonetheless, I appreciated all these essays and the personal stories and experiences of the writers. (On a personal note they're reaaaally making me rethink this whole "I wanna move to America" thing)
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
My favorite essays were her name was India, skittles, shit hole country and Iranian American. Very enjoyable and I feel like every essay here is absolutely amazing.
hard to review a collection of essays -- some hit, some didn't. five shiny stars to daniel josé older's piece "dispatches from the language wars"