Personal memoirs written from the immigrant experience have become more and more popular in the last few years. It’s no secret why these types of stories are filling bestseller lists and becoming book club selections. The intimacy of the first-person account provides these narratives with an extra depth and sense of humanity, bringing readers from all walks of life to that writer’s experiences.
Whether Latinx, Asian or African, these writers consider how those identities mingle with the idea of being an American, from newly arrived to long-term residency. Dealing with themes of deep-rooted identity and the often-impossible navigation of assimilating to a culture that is not always welcoming, these books exhibit an array of hard-won truths about life and finding home.
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This unforgettable memoir from a prize-winning poet about growing up undocumented in the United States recounts the sorrows and joys of a family torn apart by draconian policies and chronicles one young man’s attempt to build a future in a nation that denies his existence. You can also check out this title as eBook on Hoopla, as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on Hoopla or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Tran is a toddler when her family immigrates to Queens from Vietnam. Torn between honoring her Buddhist roots and help her family’s livelihood with the pressure to fit in with her peers. Her father’s paranoia, born out of being a POW, deeply affects her sense of self. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.
Tran freshly arrived to largely white central Pennsylvania from Vietnam, tries to assimilate by going as far into the counter-culture world of punk as he can. Tran shares all trials of his fraught childhood, while also infusing humor and introspection. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
A memoir by the first African refugee, Somali–American and one of the first Muslim women to be elected to congress. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel-turned-refugee camp. Eventually she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University. In this book, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys, from escape to asylum to resettlement. You can also check out this title as eAudio on Hoopla, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eBook on OverDrive/Libby.