A review by thebarandthebookcase
Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami

5.0

Essential reading. A sharp and well-researched collection about citizenship and how its benefits are inherently hindered by and structured to support white supremacy. I learned so much from this book. I also appreciated Lalami’s hopeful final essay in which she details what equal, rather than conditional, citizenship might look like. Lalami convincingly argues that even if we won’t see true equal citizenship in our own lifetimes, it is still something worth striving for right now. A magnificent book.