The Immigrant and Refugee Experience in the United StatesLike this list

15 items

• After the Last Border

  Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America

  Goudeau, Jessica,

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  Documents the intimate stories of two refugees in present-day Texas, describing how a Christian from Myanmar and a Muslim from Syria narrowly escaped their home countries only to be introduced to the worst and best of the American dream.

• A Beginner's Guide to America

  for the Immigrant and the Curious

  Ḥakkākiyān, Ruʼyā,

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  A glimpse into the experiences new American immigrants face, with practical information and advice that reveals what those who settle here love about the country and what they miss about their homes, from an author who went through it herself.

• Beyond the Sand and Sea

  One Family's Quest for a Country to Call Home

  McCormick, Ty,

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  Beyond the Sand and Sea is an extraordinary and inspiring book for anyone searching for pinpricks of light in the darkness. Meticulously reported over three years, it reveals the strength of a family of Somali refugees who never lost faith in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black American Refugee

  Escaping the Narcissism of the American Dream

  Drayton, Tiffanie,

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  A prominent Black writer shares her journey from Trinidad to New Jersey in search of a better life, only to return to Tobago after becoming exhausted by chasing an American Dream that has become inaccessible to Black people.

• Conditional Citizens

  on Belonging in America

  Lalami, Laila, 1968-

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  A Pulitzer Prize finalist recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to U.S. citizen, using it as a starting point for her exploration of the rights, liberties, and protections that are traditionally associated with American citizenship.

• Floating in a Most Peculiar Way

  Chude-Sokei, Louis Onuorah, 1967-

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  A prominent African-American scholar discusses his childhood displacement from the short-lived African nation of Biafra to a relative’s strictly religious Jamaican household before arriving in his mother’s California home on the eve of the LA Riots.

• Go Back to Where You Came From

  and Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American

  Ali, Wajahat,

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  A rollercoaster ride of a memoir, by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, by the journalist, playwright, and political activist Wajahat Ali. "Go back to where you came from, you terrorist!" This is just one of the many warm, lovely, and helpful tips…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Heart of Fire

  An Immigrant Daughter's Story

  Hirono, Mazie, 1947-

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  An intimate biography of the first Asian-American woman and only immigrant serving in the U.S. Senate describes her upbringing in rural Japan and Hawaii, firsthand experiences with economic insecurity and dedicated advocacy of progressive change.

• House of Sticks

  a Memoir

  Tran, Ly, 1989-

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  An intimate, beautifully written coming-of-age memoir recounting a young girl's journey from war-torn Vietnam to Ridgewood, Queens, and her struggle to find her voice amid clashing cultural expectations.

• Parenting With An Accent

  How Immigrants Honor Their Heritage, Navigate Setbacks, and Chart New Paths for Their Children

  Rumer, Masha, 1979-

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  Through her own stories and interviews with other immigrant families, Masha Rumer paints a realistic and compassionate picture of what it’s like for immigrant parents raising a child in America while honoring their cultural identities.

• Sigh, Gone

  a Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit in

  Tran, Phuc, 1974-

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  In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Taste Makers

  Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America

  Sen, Mayukh,

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  Weaving together histories of food, immigration, and gender, Taste Makers will challenge the way readers look at what's on their plate-and the women whose labor, overlooked for so long, makes those meals possible.

• We Were Dreamers

  An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

  Liu, Simu, 1989-

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  In this honest, inspiring and relatable memoir, newly-minted superhero Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor.

• Where the Children Take Us

  How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable

  Asher, Zain E. (Zain Ejiofor),

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  Asher pays tribute to her mother, a widowed immigrant in South London who raised four successful children alone, including Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, painting a powerful portrait of the strength, tenacity, love and perseverance embodied…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• You Are Not American

  Citizenship Stripping From Dred Scott to the Dreamers

  Frost, Amanda,

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  Examines the hidden history of discrimination and xenophobia that threatens citizenship, even for those born on U.S. soil, from the notorious Supreme Court Dred Scott decision to the Trump administration’s investigations of 700,000 naturalized…Read moreRead more of this annotation