Come On In
15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by critically acclaimed and bestselling YA authors who are shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.
WELCOME
From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah…from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey…from Fiji, America, Mexico and more… Come On In.
With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands…who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL…who give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question “where are you from?” and so much more… Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience, from authors who have been shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edited by Alsaid (We Didn't Ask for This), this topical anthology successfully unites 15 short stories depicting a variety of immigrant experiences. A diverse group of protagonists populates the tales characters of various belief systems, ethnicities, and sexual orientations hail originally from Iran, Japan, Puerto Rico, and more countries, and settings include Argentina, Fiji, and Mexico. The theme of belonging plays a major part in each story: in Misa Sugiur's "Where I'm From," a girl's roommate's parents insistently asks the girl where she's "really from." A nuanced exploration of culture and social issues also enriches most narratives, as in Alaya Dawn Johnson's "Volvi ndome," in which the protagonist, disillusioned with her father's notions of faith, engages in a toxic relationship with a much older man until her discovery of her own strength concludes the story on a joyful note. The heroine of Yamile Saied Mendez's "Family/Everything," likewise, adjusts to leaving her family behind after being the first to get into university. Though brief, each contribution provides a snapshot of the many meanings the word "home" can evoke, making for a thought-provoking read. Authors' notes interspersed throughout lend autobiographical richness to the memorable anthology. Ages 13 up.