The Good Immigrant USA

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What to expect

GUARDIAN MUST READ BOOKS OF 2019

'The you-gotta-read-this anthology' Stylist

'This collection showcases the joy, empathy and fierceness needed to adopt the country as one's own' Publishers Weekly

An urgent collection of essays by first- and second-generation immigrants, exploring what it's like to be othered in an increasingly divided America.

From Trump's proposed border wall and travel ban to the marching of White Supremacists in Charlottesville, America is consumed by tensions over immigration and the question of which bodies are welcome. In this much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling UK edition, hailed by Zadie Smith as 'lively and vital', editors Nikesh Shukla and Chimene Suleyman hand the microphone to an incredible range of writers whose humanity and right to be in the US is under attack.

Chigozie Obioma unpacks an Igbo proverb that helped him navigate his journey to America from Nigeria. Jenny Zhang analyzes cultural appropriation in nineties fashion, recalling her own pain and confusion as a teenager trying to fit in. Fatimah Asghar describes the flood of memory and emotion triggered by an encounter with an Uber driver from Kashmir. Alexander Chee writes of a visit to Korea that changed his relationship to his heritage. These writers, and the many others in this singular collection, share powerful personal stories of living between cultures and languages while struggling to figure out who they are and where they belong.

By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, troubling and uplifting, the essays in The Good Immigrant USA come together to create a provocative, conversation-sparking, multi-vocal portrait of America now.

Essays from:

Porochista Khakpour; Nicole Dennis-Benn; Rahawa Haile; Teju Cole; Priya Minhas; Walé Oyéjidé; Fatimah Asghar; Tejal Rao; Maeve Higgins; Krutika Mallikarjuna; Jim St. Germain; Jenny Zhang; Chigozie Obioma; Alexander Chee; Yann Demange; Jean Hannah Edelstein; Chimene Suleyman; Basim Usmani; Daniel José Older; Adrián Villar Rojas; Sebastián Villar Rojas; Dani Fernandez; Fatima Farheen Mirza; Susanne Ramírez de Arellano; Mona Chalabi; Jade Chang

Critics Review

Revelatory, sad, uplifting and very, very angry
Stylist
The you-gotta-read-this anthology
Stylist
Immigration has become a hot-button issue in America for all the wrong reasons (see: racists), and The Good Immigrant is the perfect antidote to all the hate. Through essays from first- and second-generation immigrants like Jenny Zhang, Chigozie Obioma, Fatimah Asghar and more, you'll get a whole new perspective on everything from '90s fashion to Uber drivers
PopSugar
There are no weak links in this well-curated book
Kirkus Reviews
The strength of this collection is in its diversity - of gender, sexuality, privilege, experience, and writing style. A gift for anyone who understands or wants to learn about the breadth of experience among immigrants to the US, this collection showcases the joy, empathy, and fierceness needed to adopt the country as one's own
Publishers Weekly
This collection is a resounding success on multiple fronts. Its righteous rage is perfectly matched by its literary rewards . . . a surround-sound chorus that bristles with an unpredictable, electric energy . . . Each essay is a tantalizing introduction - and invitation - to the larger body of work these artists have already created and will continue to make long after this moment passes. What unites this defiant chorus of immigrant voices is best expressed in this variation on an enduring line by Langston Hughes: 'We, too, sing America'
Washington Post
A well-curated set of essays from writers and artists . . . This book does what books can do better than other media: it devotes space to the shadowy ranges, to the subjects that are not easily graspable - the ineffable, varied, certainly never simple experiences of being an immigrant
Guardian
The UK edition of The Good Immigrant, featuring essays by Riz Ahmed, Himesh Patel and Bim Adewunmi was an urgent, essential book. The US edition is no different. A whole new set of essays by first and second-generation immigrants explore what it's like to be othered in an increasingly divided America, touching on topics including memory, fashion and heritage
Stylist
This is a book that lays bare the fissures, cracks and cavernous ravines that ripple through American identity politics, offering sensitive, generous debate and genuine insight
Observer

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