We are home Becoming American in the 21st century : an oral history

Ray Suarez, 1957-

Book - 2024

From a veteran broadcaster and historian comes a richly reported portrait of the newest Americans, immigrants from all over the globe who are living all across the country, filled with their own voices. We are a nation of immigrants, never more than now. In recent decades, the numbers have skyrocketed, thanks to people coming from many continents -- especially Asia, Africa, and South America. Just like their predecessors, they face countless obstacles, including political hatred. And yet, just like their predecessors, they work hard. They persist. And they become us. The newest Americans are poorly understood and frequently presented only in stereotypes. Veteran journalist, broadcaster, and interviewer Ray Suarez has criss-crossed the count...ry to speak to new Americans from all corners of the globe, and to record their stories. This portrait of our newest citizens is full of their own, compelling voices. It's a story as old as the country, yet each new wave of arrivals tells that classic story in new and crucially important ways. -- Provided by publisher.

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Subjects
Genres
Interviews
Informational works
Published
New York : Little, Brown and Company 2024.
Language
English
Main Author
Ray Suarez, 1957- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
297 pages ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN
9780316353762
  • Prologue
  • 1. "A Nation of Strangers"
  • Interlude: Samir
  • 2. Why We Left, How We Came
  • 3. Playing by the Rules
  • 4. God and the American Dream
  • 5. Africans in America: A 21st-century Story
  • 6. You Shall Love Him as Yourself, for You Were Strangers
  • 7. An Asian Immigrant? What's That?
  • Interlude: Shri Thanedar
  • 8. Looking Ahead to the Next America…
  • Epilogue: "Especially the People"
  • Acknowledgments
  • Appendix
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

Partisan divisions over immigration have come to seem intractable, with dark predictions of violence and financial ruin on one side and harrowing stories of the immigration system's capricious cruelty on the other. Journalist Suarez (Latino Americans, 2013) seeks to find common ground. While acknowledging the rise of anti-immigrant panic and the nation's long history of exclusionary policy, Suarez highlights the ways a welcoming immigration policy can benefit America now and in the future. We Are Home shares the stories of immigrants to America who have built successful, joyous, and--often, and perhaps critically for readers more inclined to conservative views on immigration--prosperous lives. They are parents, politicians, artists, doctors, electricians; they come from Nigeria, Guatemala, Nepal, India, Afghanistan; they bring new skills, perspectives, and energy to an aging nation; they are a vital part of the fabric of America. Without whitewashing the past and present ugliness of American prejudice, this generous and hopeful book reminds readers that the story of our nation, at its best, is one of opportunity for all.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A broadcaster delivers a charged account of the lives of immigrants. When Donald Trump snarled to the members of Congress's progressive "Squad" that they should "go back where they came from," although three of the four were U.S. born, "it was not a violation but a reminder," implying that although they were as American as Trump, they were somehow different. "I heard what he said and immediately knew what he meant," writes Suarez, author of Latino Americans. "And so did you." It's something most immigrants experience at some point, more so if they lack the required paperwork. One of Suarez's subjects is a first responder whose heroic actions during a Houston hurricane saved many lives; despite this, he is subject to "regular reminders he is not like his neighbors"--at least until his immigration status is settled. The son of Hungarian immigrants recounts that although both parents were experienced doctors, they were denied accreditation until they went through another internship and residency, doubtless a way to keep outsiders out rather than any bulwark for reasons of safety, given the shortage of doctors in the country. In this blend of oral and social history, Suarez turns up a fascinating account of a Sikh who came to the U.S., served in the Army during World War I, and was granted citizenship by a federal court, which was then revoked by the Bureau of Naturalization for reasons of race, with an appellate court asked to rule on the question, "Is a high-caste Hindu of full Indian blood…a white person?" Sadly, such racial divides endure, as strong as ever. The easiest-going of Suarez's subjects is a blonde New Zealander who admits, "I was very conscious of the difference between me and other undocumented people." A provocative work that urges reconsideration of immigration rights in a nation of immigrants. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.