Reviews

Being the son of an immigrant I have always wondered what my mothers written story would read as. This collection offered me little in answering my question, instead it granted me the opportunity to read the written story of other migrant parents, children, and lost souls. And that, for me, is invaluable.

Incredible book!!

balletbookworm's review against another edition

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4.0

A wonderfully solid and wide-ranging anthology of fiction, poetry, memoir, and personal essay on the subject of migration, whether voluntary or involuntary. The pieces are diverse geographically and chronologically (the earliest works are from eighteenth-century writers and enslaved persons Olaudah Equiano and Phyllis Wheatley and the more recent are migrations from the Middle East and mid-2000s green card worries). My only complaint is that for excerpts of longer pieces (like from Zadie Smith’s White Teeth) there isn’t much context to orient the reader. The Additional Reading/Watching section at the back is excellent.

carsonleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

bookchantment's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

kelseak96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

kyoungeun's review against another edition

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Some stories are definitely stronger than others, but generally thought-provoking and a friendly introductory anthology to a discussion I was interested in.

1. We tend to de-emphasize the 'push' factors when it comes to migration, then critiquing immigrants for failure to assimilate or adjust to a new environment. Always consider that "No one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark." Sometimes it's not the pull factors.
2. Immigrants don't 'leave their country behind' and completely start their lives anew post-migration; their past experiences constitute their inner landscape and may affect their later experiences in the new country.
3. The classification of immigrants into 1st-gen, 1.5-gen or 2nd-gen is confusing and shoddy bc 1st genners are often immigrants themselves.

dunderdorian's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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