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This collection of original essays, the first of its sort, written by first generation women immigrants, offers a glimpse into the process of assimilation. Edited and with an introduction by a noted young Ghanaian-American author, this book includes selections by widely acclaimed authors such as Lucy Grealy, and Judith Ortiz-Cofer, alongside the works of other writers.
“[A] provocative and interesting book. [T]his is far more a book about hope and opportunity than one about disappointment and denial. –Washington Post Book World
“This is a book that creates a community of shared experiences among all of us who have come from somewhere else–and given our mobile world, who doesn’t that include! The insights, anecdotes, stories will make any reader who has ever felt out of place feel that a deeper bond unites us all, no matter where we are from–our common humanity. This is a funny, heart-touching, important book.”–Julia Alvarez, Author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
“The essays in Becoming American are refreshing in the diversity of the selections–with inclusion of women from Burundi and Russia, Jamaica and Ireland, Chile and Korea. The book goes even deeper, too, in its willingness to address the triply hyphenated. –San Jose Mercury News
“The essays in Becoming American cover a wide range of experiences: There are women who came here recently, women who came many years ago, women who came as children and as adults, women from Europe, Asia, Africa, India, South America. […]Each of these voices deserves attention, especially from those of us who have always lived here and who take for granted the sense of belonging that so many others have had to struggle for.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“A compelling collection…providing insights into a variety of immigrant experiences.” –Publishers Weekly