I mean, check out that cover. That’s quite a dream list of writers, actors, activists and other badasses — all of whom contributed a story to this collection about what being American looks like in their own life.
American Ferrera starts things off, talking about her love for her country and her (eventual) love for her name (not the easiest one to grow up with). She collected this stories from a variety of sources, people who immigrated to America, or were born to parents who did or grandparents who did. She talks about how growing up American while celebrating her Honduran culture seemed incredibly natural at times, and extremely chaotic and confusing at others.
Lots of other stories cover similar themes — how can I both? — as well as stories of parents and families sacrificing everything to achieve the American dream (and what that looks like to each of them). Michelle Kwan’s parents — good lord, what they went through with practices and uniform fees and private lessons. Wilmer Valderrama (shockingly well-spoken!) was born in the United States, raised in Venezuela, and then returned to the U.S. at 14 to pursue his acting career — all the while supported by his parents.
Randall Park had one of the best essays, in my opinion. He interviews his parents, about whom he knew very little growing up. They were private people, and as he admits, he just never asked. He finds out about their lives prior to immigrating to the US from Korea, and gains a lot of insight. It’s a very sweet and funny interview (they’re still hoping he gets a “real” job).
It’s a great collection of stories, and a neat mix between people I’ve read before (Issa Rae, Diane Guerrero, Roxanne Gay) and others I’ve only known from popular culture. I highly recommend the audio version — each author reads their own contribution which adds a little extra something.