Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
Some of these essays were spectacular. My favorites were "How Not to Be", "Chooey Booey and Brown", and "Return to Macondo". But most of all, what this collection showed me is that there's space in America for a writer like me. There's room for hope and for every individual voice, as long as those voices are empowered and promoted.
Insightful and informative, highlighting the variety of experiences held by immigrants. Important reading for all, essential for non-immigrants IMO.
I learned so much from this book of autobiographical essays of immigrants. I especially loved Teju Cole's "On the Blackness of the Panther" where he tells how he "began to learn African" when he moves to the U. S. And Daniel Jose' Older describes what it's like being a child of immigrants including the reasons he willingly rejected learning Spanish in "Dispatches from the Language Wars".
I already read and reviewed this book on a different page. Not sure why it is showing up twice on GoodReads.
---
4.5
Only reason it's not a 5 for me is that there were a few essays that I found a bit slow, but with 26 different writers in one book, it makes sense that there would be one or two whose writing style isn't quite my preference. I really loved the essays that were written in a short-story format. The essays that were more of a commentary, rather than a story, were still good but they were not my favorites. I especially liked "How Not to Be" by Priya Minhas, "On Loneliness" by Fatimah Asghar, "Luck of the Irish" by Maeve Higgins, and "Skittles" by Fatima Farheen Mirza. I wore my highlighter out on this book, so it would take me forever to type ALL the quotes, but here are a few:
There's a form of currency from immigrants and people of color that publishers, producers, and audiences have long recognized: pain. Whether it's the larger pain of being a refugee or an enslaved person, or the smaller-scale pain of not fitting in, for a long time these were the only stories that got told. Or, rather, the only stories that got sold. Things are slowly changing. We're creating new forms of currency in which our joy is as valuable as our suffering (312). - Jade Chang
A colony sells its soul slowly, in increments, over time. Our past is relegated to oblivion, and we're told (in my case, by the nuns) that the island had no history. But I never believed what the nuns taught. How could anyone take gospel from women dressed as penguins in the Caribbean sun (295)? - Susanne Ramirez de Arellano
I wonder if it is because we had no choice in moving here that it is easy for us to criticize. Perhaps for my parents it is far more frightening, when doing so would also be to question their own choices, and to admit to feeling unsafe or unwelcome would also be to wonder if they should have moved here at all. Each question, each doubt, if followed, like pulling a thread that could unravel the foundation they built their lives upon (285). - Fatima Farheen Mirza
No Act of Congress, no state of heightened alert, no amount of border control or bigotry, will ever be able to stop our children from recognizing the faint traces of pure sadness that linger in our eyes when we try to describe the meaning of a word that has no translation (247). - Daniel Jose Older
There is this notion that we, as black and brown people, take great pleasure in talking about racism and oppression. One thing I am certain of is this: no oppressed person finds joy in addressing the very thing that stymied his or her fullest potential (139). - Jim St. Germain
For two white folks who claim to love India, it's clear they never thought of it as more than a backdrop to their own story (117). - Krutika Mallikarjuna
Our story is one of migration
Mediterranean migrations in half-toppled rafts,
winged migrations in first-class seats,
forced migrations in overcrowded ships,
scholarly migrations to enslaved-built universities,
postmarital migrations that spirit daughters away from their daddies,
and chain migrations that bring distant families together,
while tipping the population against invaders
who fear what it means to finally become the invaded.
Our story is one of finding home. (67) - Wale Oyejide
---
4.5
Only reason it's not a 5 for me is that there were a few essays that I found a bit slow, but with 26 different writers in one book, it makes sense that there would be one or two whose writing style isn't quite my preference. I really loved the essays that were written in a short-story format. The essays that were more of a commentary, rather than a story, were still good but they were not my favorites. I especially liked "How Not to Be" by Priya Minhas, "On Loneliness" by Fatimah Asghar, "Luck of the Irish" by Maeve Higgins, and "Skittles" by Fatima Farheen Mirza. I wore my highlighter out on this book, so it would take me forever to type ALL the quotes, but here are a few:
There's a form of currency from immigrants and people of color that publishers, producers, and audiences have long recognized: pain. Whether it's the larger pain of being a refugee or an enslaved person, or the smaller-scale pain of not fitting in, for a long time these were the only stories that got told. Or, rather, the only stories that got sold. Things are slowly changing. We're creating new forms of currency in which our joy is as valuable as our suffering (312). - Jade Chang
A colony sells its soul slowly, in increments, over time. Our past is relegated to oblivion, and we're told (in my case, by the nuns) that the island had no history. But I never believed what the nuns taught. How could anyone take gospel from women dressed as penguins in the Caribbean sun (295)? - Susanne Ramirez de Arellano
I wonder if it is because we had no choice in moving here that it is easy for us to criticize. Perhaps for my parents it is far more frightening, when doing so would also be to question their own choices, and to admit to feeling unsafe or unwelcome would also be to wonder if they should have moved here at all. Each question, each doubt, if followed, like pulling a thread that could unravel the foundation they built their lives upon (285). - Fatima Farheen Mirza
No Act of Congress, no state of heightened alert, no amount of border control or bigotry, will ever be able to stop our children from recognizing the faint traces of pure sadness that linger in our eyes when we try to describe the meaning of a word that has no translation (247). - Daniel Jose Older
There is this notion that we, as black and brown people, take great pleasure in talking about racism and oppression. One thing I am certain of is this: no oppressed person finds joy in addressing the very thing that stymied his or her fullest potential (139). - Jim St. Germain
For two white folks who claim to love India, it's clear they never thought of it as more than a backdrop to their own story (117). - Krutika Mallikarjuna
Our story is one of migration
Mediterranean migrations in half-toppled rafts,
winged migrations in first-class seats,
forced migrations in overcrowded ships,
scholarly migrations to enslaved-built universities,
postmarital migrations that spirit daughters away from their daddies,
and chain migrations that bring distant families together,
while tipping the population against invaders
who fear what it means to finally become the invaded.
Our story is one of finding home. (67) - Wale Oyejide
If you are a white American...just read this. You need other stories swirling around in your mind. The stories and narratives in this book are what America is all about and always has been.
Not sure I’m prepared for an intense listen at the moment.
4.5/5 thoroughly enjoyed this book and the various personal stories told throughout it
I really enjoyed the variety, creativity, and honesty of these essays on immigration. They tell first-hand accounts of what it is to be "other" in the United States in the 21st century. They do feel a bit dated as they all seem to respond, directly or indirectly, to the election of 45 in 2016. However, there is much to be gleaned from this collection, and there are several authors from whom I'd like to read more.