America Deconstructed by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin – 184 pages
Copy courtesy of JKS in exchange for an honest review
Book Blurb:
Naseer was nine years old when he escaped Taliban and fled Afghanistan with his mom and siblings. His story, “There are some people who are coming to take me away”, chronicles the resilience of a nine year old boy as he traveled from Afghanistan to America in his quest for the American dream. “I saw a ripe mango I’d like to pluck” showcases the love story of Chidiebere and Ifeyinwa, which begins in rustic Nigeria and culminates into a life in America. Their journey chronicles their struggles with language, culture and being African in America. In the story “ Kosovo, really…cool”, Lisian takes us through his journey to America and often being asked his identity in spite of being white. In the story “I am exotic, mocha, P-diddy”, Parag describes his journey from a young sixth grader who hid his attraction to boys in conservative India to embracing his sexuality in America. America Deconstructed follows the journeys of sixteen immigrants who have left their home countries in search of the American dream. The stories combine humor and emotions as the protagonists maneuver cultural differences, accents and uncomfortable situations while feeling a sense of belonging in America.
My Review: 3.5 stars
America Deconstructed was an unfiltered look at immigration to America through the eyes of sixteen people who came here from a plethora of countries. A friend had read America Ferrera’s book (the actress from TV show Ugly Betty) about her experience immigrating and had positive feedback. I never got to it, so when a publicity team asked me to read this book, of a similar topic, I was all in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was vastly different from anything I’d usually choose to read, so that in itself was a good thing. There were parts of each story that struck me with many different emotions, ranging from shock to exasperation. After the first handful, I was seeing a pattern in their experiences that became a bit rote. Even so, I read them all, as this book is quite short at 184 pages. I definitely learned a lot but something was missing. Perhaps because the sections were so short, they were lacking depth because of the overall similarities. I’m not sure and I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m hoping as these stories sit with me for a bit, I’ll be able to figure it out.
The whole collection becomes a melting pot of the immigrant experience, which is such an important subject, especially in our political climate. It’s the search for the American dream deconstructed, as the title suggests. I think this book would serve well as a ‘coffee table’ book; you could pick it up at leisure and read a few of these stories at a time.
