Immersive Immigrant Experiences
Terrific immigrant books, summer updates, bookish news, and recent reads.
I absolutely believe (and this is backed by studies) that reading fiction grows empathy. This is particularly true for me with immigrant stories - they serve as an entry point to learn about other cultures and to view our own culture through outsider eyes. Themes of grief and loss, of generational family differences, of overcoming obstacles, and of trying to find one’s place in the world abound. These stories allow me to look into and experience lives that are so different from my own. How could they not expand my empathy and my perspective? Here are a few I whole heartedly recommend:
Everything Sad is Untrue - A memoir about the author’s experience as a twelve year old refugee moving from Iran to Oklahoma. (One of my favorite books of the year - review below)
The Other Americans - A young Moroccan woman returns to the California desert town she grew up in after her immigrant father is killed in a hit and run accident.
Behold the Dreamers - A young Camaroonian couple are trying to make it in NYC, but when the Great Recession hits, their lives are upended in unforseen ways.
Small Island - A well-educated Jamaican woman arrives in London in 1948 to find building a new life is harder than she expected. This book delves deep into the outsider’s experience.
Buddha in the Attic - A unique structure introduces us to eight young women who travel to America from Japan in the early 1900s as part of an arranged marriage market.
A Place for Us - An Indian family grapple with the choices they have made while building a life in America.
Also - three great shows to watch with an immigrant perspective: Kim’s Convienience, Little America, and Mo.
Bookish Summer Update:
I am busy trying to check off my summer bookish bucket list and only have a few more items left!
Books on my radar - I usually discuss books that I have already read in this newsletter but I am hearing amazing things about:
Hello Beautiful - This spring release seems to have some staying power. I am seeing lots of readers mention this book as one of their favorites for the year.
Covenant of Water - The long awaited followup novel by Cutting for Stones author, Abraham Verghese. The length (over 700 pages) has deterred me but so many people are raving about this book, I have put it on hold at the library.
Bookish Links:
This is a fascinating interview with this year’s Women’s Fiction Prize winner, Barbara Kingsolver. She discusses how she structured Demon Copperhead to parallel David Copperfield. She also shares about living in the struggling Appalachia region.
I loved this article extolling the virtues of reading children’s books as adults. Be sure and click on the short video to hear some personal takes. I just finished reading The Secret Garden for the first time and I am so glad I did.
Here is a great list of Literary Festivals. I am hoping to go to The Library of Congress’ National Book Festival this August. Is there one near where you live?
This cracked me up!
I stumbled upon this profile of poet extrodinare Kate Baer. She shares about being a mom of four young children, her writing process, and her family’s favorite books. Also, her bookcases are total eye-candy.
Here is a perfect summer poem from Baer:
Recent Reads
I listened to this amazing memoir, read by the author. Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and moved to Oklahoma when he was 10. He, his sister, and his mother were forced to relocate because of her religious beliefs and his dad stayed behind. Nayeri weaves Persian folk tales in with the odd and everyday occurrences of being a refugee. He misses his family, their home, their status (of not being poor or considered weird). He tells crazy laugh out loud stories from school while poignantly identifing the parts of his life he has lost. There is so much realness in this book, so much “boyness” - potty humor and fracus fighting. I especially appreciate how Nayeri narrates from the perspective of his 12 year-old self. This book also has an incredible sense of place - capturing the uniqueness of life in Oklahoma and Iran.
The Marlow Murder Club is a great pick for fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Series. Judith is a 77 year old crossword puzzle writer and partial recluse. She can’t believe it when her next door neighbor is murdered. She hears a shot while out in her yard and is stunned when no one arrives to investigate. Finally when the body is discovered, Judith feels that she has no other option but to “help” the police. Along the way she befriends Suzie and Becks, two other women a bit at loose ends and together they work to find the killer as bodies continue to pile up. I should mention that I actually don’t usually like amateur sleuth books, but this one is funny, clever, and moves along in such a way that I found it irresistible. Of course the punchy dialog and entrancing British setting is also endearing.
We Should Get Together is a great resource for making deeper connections. Since moving almost four years ago, I have spent a lot of time and energy on making friends in my new home town. It has not been easy and the global pandemic didn’t help. I have continually sought out activities where I could connect more deeply with those around me, sometimes it has worked, other times it hasn’t. But I can take heart that I am not alone. Vellos cites a 2019 study that found the average American hadn’t made a new friend in the previous five years.
This is not the first book on friendship that I have dipped in to, but it is my favorite. Vellos does a terrific job outlining some of the issues that adults find making and holding on to friendships. Not only is she able to identify problems, she offers practical advice and action steps to take. I listened to this book via Hoopla but I then bought a physical copy of the book so I could refer back to it. It’s so good! She includes great graphics, next steps, and a big list of conversation starters at the end. Kate is younger than me and lives in an urban area; we lead very different lives, and yet this is the book I have found most helpful regarding friendship of any I have read.
Thanks for reading to the end. I hope you are all having a great summer. Let me know if you have any great immigration stories to recommend or friendship tips to share. And please share this newsletter with anyone you think would enjoy it!