The Penguin Book of Migration Literature

THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION LITERATURE by Dohra Ahmad, a professor of English at St. John’s University, is split into four sections: Departures, Arrivals, Generations, and Returns, plus a foreword by award-winning author Edwidge Danticat. Honestly, I have been very excited about this book and have several teachers who may consider using it with their classes. The selections here are varied – in terms of genre (poetry, essay, memoir, story); in terms of geography (to/from countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia) and in terms of time (ranging from colonial times to the 21st century). As a result, there is plenty of choice for sparking student interest and adding to the curriculum. Many of the authors (e.g., Mohsin Hamid, Julie Otsuka, Salman Rushdie and Marjane Satrapi to name just a few) will be ones students already know and read or ones to whom they should be introduced. Booklist says, “Recommended for teens: The diversity of viewpoints and genres makes for an invaluable introduction to the personal dimensions of global immigration.” I am truly looking forward to working with teachers and to developing projects related to these readings which deal with issues like the motivations for migrating, the reality (and sometimes disappointment) of reaching a destination, the different experiences for children and parents, and the multi-directional nature of movement.  Thank you to Penguin and to Dohra Ahmad for compiling the much needed collection (accompanied by almost twenty pages of suggestions for further reading and viewing) in THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION LITERATURE.

We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults

I am very excited to see that WE ARE HERE TO STAY: VOICES OF UNDOCUMENTED YOUNG ADULTS by Susan Kuklin is being released today in the midst of National Migration Week as the discussion of a border wall continues. Kuklin (who also wrote Beyond Magenta) says, “it is my dream that that the stories of the nine young people in WE ARE HERE TO STAY will encourage and facilitate an informed and honest conversation about the complexities of immigration.  It is also my hope that we can one day republish this book with the participants’ names, places, and photographs fully intact.”  

 Originally scheduled for publication in 2017, this book was put on hold due to proposed changes in DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).  However, the young interviewees wanted to be able to tell their stories so it is being released. Kuklin includes many often lengthy discussions and quotes which make for an informative and sometimes heart-wrenching text.  The nine young adults who tell their stories come from different places including Mexico, Ghana, Independent Samoa, and South Korea, but they all will inspire hope and empathy. They speak so honestly and freely about their feelings about living in America, making this an important book to read and one that helps personalize the situation. 

In fact, Kirkus calls WE ARE HERE TO STAY “a must-read” and School Library Journal recommends it for grades 5 and up. Both note the usefulness of the timeline regarding immigration policies and the many resources (list of related books, documentaries, and websites) which are included. They, like the Toolkitsupplied as part of National Migration Week, will indeed inspire conversation and action.