Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera

2 reviews

cmbohn's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

I really enjoyed this collection. Even though I didn't know many of the contributors, their stories were fascinating and complex. I really loved the Audio version. It added so much to hear everyone tell their stories in their own voice.  Definitely recommended. 
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miak2's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

 
We call ourselves "American" enthusiastically, reluctantly, or not at all... We live as citizens of a country that does not always claim us or even see us, and yet, we continue to build, to create, and to compel it toward its own promise. - America Ferrera


**Personal story incoming**

It's been a confusing and difficult year for me. I've become prouder than ever of being Chinese American. I'm happy to acknowledge that which makes me unique. But with that has come a sometimes-crippling lack of insecurity. Comparing myself to my Asian peers, I often feel 'not enough.' I didn't grow up speaking Mandarin or cooking traditional dishes with my parents. I'm learning about my own history and culture second-hand, and that's frustrating. When I was younger, I referred to myself as a 'white girl in an Asian body' in a joking way. Now, while I proudly claim being Chinese, I still often feel that way, and rather than bringing me laughter, it brings me sadness.

All this is to give you some context how I felt going into this book. I was worried I would end up feeling even more disconnected from my identity. Rather, I came away feeling validated. Randall Park, who shared of that he's always felt like he was "never quite Korean enough," and Carmen Perez, who worried that it was "wrong to feel more urban, more basketball, more hip-hop than Mexican," showed me that I'm not alone in my struggles. Anjelah Jonson-Reyes told me that "you can be unapologetically proud of your culture, your heritage, and your heart, and you can celebrate everything about yourself without justification." And I learned from Auli'i Cravalho saying "It took a long time of defending myself to realize I didn't have to. Not to anybody. I am who I am. I am what I am."

I am beyond glad that I read this book. The stories included in it were incredibly powerful and moving. I related to a lot of these stories. I learned from all of them. All of these individuals were able to bare their lives for us readers - their family stories, their insecurities, their successes. It was deeply personal, but also deeply comforting. I could talk about learning about different cultures and religions, but really, I learned about people and what has made them who they are. I can't recommend this book enough. There's a whole generation of people like me who didn't grow up seeing themselves in media, something that's discussed in many of the essays, but these voices need to be heard. And I was happy to listen. 
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