A Beginner's Guide to America

For the Immigrant and the Misinformed

A Beginner's Guide to America
Roya Hakakian
RRP:
NZ$ 37.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 29.60
Paperback
h203 x 132mm - 240pg
25 Jan 2022 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9780525565925
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A stirring, witty, and poignant glimpse into the bewildering American immigrant experience from someone who has lived it. Also, a mirror held up to America. Into the maelstrom of unprecedented contemporary debates about immigrants in the United States, this perfectly timed book gives us a portrait of what the new immigrant experience in America is really like. Written as a "guide" for the newly arrived, and providing "practical information and advice," Roya Hakakian, an immigrant herself, reveals what those who settle here love about the country, what they miss about their homes, the cruelty of some Americans, and the unceasing generosity of others. She captures the texture of life in a new place in all its complexity, laying bare both its beauty and its darkness as she discusses race, sex, love, death, consumerism, and what it is like to be from a country that is in America' s crosshairs. Her tenderly perceptive and surprisingly humorous account invites us to see ourselves as we appear to others, making it possible for us to rediscover our many American gifts through the perspective of the outsider. In shattering myths and embracing painful contradictions that are unique to this place, A Beginner' s Guide to America is Hakakian' s candid love letter to America.
"A Beginner' s Guide to America is a striking and beautiful work: both a genuinely practical primer for newcomers to America, and a deeply personal account of Arrival--an event that underlies nearly every American life. Roya Hakakian provides a timely, entertaining, historically rich reminder of the hope and opportunity this country has offered to so many, for so long, and the rewards it has reaped in return. "--Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach "Poignant and richly observed . . . [Hakakian] captures the immigrant' s twinned sense of hope and loss with lyrical precision. Readers will salute this astute and sincere look at what it means to ' be remade' on American soil. "--Publishers Weekly "Pleasingly intimate . . . An enlightening reminder about human rights and civic responsibility, all too relevant in a troubled time. "--Kirkus"Roya Hakakian is one of the most gifted and evocative writers of our day--her words are magic--and A Beginner' s Guide to America is a tour de force. Brilliant and sweeping, full of crackling insights on every page, this book is delightful, witty, transporting, and deeply inspiring--just what America needs. "--Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother"A Beginner' s Guide to America is a timely, compelling examination of what life in the U. S. looks like for immigrants from the moment they land here and begin adjusting to a new culture. Highly recommended for immigrants, their friends, and all those who work with the newly arrived. "--Abdi Nor Iftin, author of Call Me American Hakakian' s book is a stirring, insightful, funny and uplifting book. Her real predecessor is Alexis de Tocqueville. A Beginner' s Guide to America is a worthy successor to his classic work. Hakakian captures the balance of love for America' s ideals, and honest perception of its imperfect achievement of them, that together with the resolve always to do better than we are doing now, is the heart of any honorable American patriotism. Count me among those thrilled to hear the vital message of this intelligent and graceful book. "--Anthony Kronman, author of The Assault on American Excellence
ROYA HAKAKIAN is the author of Assassins of the Turquoise Palace and Journey from the Land of No, and has published two collections of poetry in Persian. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and on NPR' s All Things Considered. She has collaborated on programming for leading journalism units in network television, including 60 Minutes. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and served on the editorial board of World Affairs. Since 2015, she has taught at THREAD, a writing workshop at Yale, and is a fellow at the Davenport College at Yale. She lives in Connecticut.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780525565925
Published: 25 Jan 2022
Published In: United States
Imprint: Vintage Books
Publisher: Random House USA Inc
Format: Paperback
Height: 203mm
Width: 132mm
Pages: 240

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