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A review by bites_of_books
The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America by Nikesh Shukla, Chimene Suleyman
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This collection of essays gave me 26 writers to go and find all their works. Some because the writing is brilliant, others because I just need to know more about their work in general.
The intersection of being an immigrant with racism, classism, bigotry, sexism, etc., is heavily seen in this collection of essays. One isn't just an immigrant and therefore with certain characteristics, there are other things at play at all times. From those who have clear physical attributes that immediately causes them to stand out to those who might have an accent or who might not have the same resources as non-immigrants, these experiences are explored in these essays.
The idea of "the American Dream" is also explored in many of these essays, how that dream might be one that was dreamed by a group of people who had the means to achieve it and, which is unattainable for immigrants, or just not even something that we want but that we must achieve as part of our journey. For myself I felt like as an immigrant there is a path that I had to follow, education, job, house, but it left little room for what I wanted to achieve in life, this collection opened my eyes to the possibilities of what can be. From being in a punk rock band to a film maker or a writer, all these possibilities come from courage and the ability to see beyond that dream.
I'd highly recommend this to all, if anything you're bound to find a writer or two to follow after you're done with their essays.
The intersection of being an immigrant with racism, classism, bigotry, sexism, etc., is heavily seen in this collection of essays. One isn't just an immigrant and therefore with certain characteristics, there are other things at play at all times. From those who have clear physical attributes that immediately causes them to stand out to those who might have an accent or who might not have the same resources as non-immigrants, these experiences are explored in these essays.
The idea of "the American Dream" is also explored in many of these essays, how that dream might be one that was dreamed by a group of people who had the means to achieve it and, which is unattainable for immigrants, or just not even something that we want but that we must achieve as part of our journey. For myself I felt like as an immigrant there is a path that I had to follow, education, job, house, but it left little room for what I wanted to achieve in life, this collection opened my eyes to the possibilities of what can be. From being in a punk rock band to a film maker or a writer, all these possibilities come from courage and the ability to see beyond that dream.
I'd highly recommend this to all, if anything you're bound to find a writer or two to follow after you're done with their essays.