Come On In

July 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-An anthology of 15 short stories that focus on immigration through the eyes of young adults. These stories highlight the literal and emotional journeys of immigration, while also offering cultural views of travel, government, and geography. Readers will experience the joys, heartbreaks, struggles, and triumphs of the families depicted, from a joyride that turns into fear of ICE detention, to a student singled out at the airport during a school trip, to a coming-of-age moment during a family wedding after years of separation. Written by popular YA authors who are themselves immigrants and/or the children of immigrants, these stories are about differences-being treated differently or living in a different place-and include life lessons about family and friendship. Share this book with all students to help them see themselves, or to see immigration through the eyes of a peer. VERDICT A recommended addition to any high school library and a great book to share with social studies teachers for use in the classroom.-Christina Pesiri, Island Trees H.S., Levittown, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2020
Fifteen noted YA authors offer powerful slice-of-life reflections about immigration and its emotional complexities. Alsaid edits an extraordinary anthology featuring exquisite writing and offering a genuinely diverse collection on the richly layered topic of immigration. International in scope, the cross-section of voices is refreshingly diverse while also unified by emotional vulnerability. Nafiza Azad sets the tone in the opening story, "All the Colors of Goodbye," through the grieving voice of a 17-year-old Indian Fijian girl who has been told she must emigrate unexpectedly following a coup, though her older brother must stay because officials in their new country deem him too old to be a dependent. In Misa Sugiura's story, "Where I'm From," Eriko reveals in painful snapshots the omnipresent otherness she feels as the child of Japanese immigrants to America, both as a child and later a college freshman in the U.S.--and also when visiting Japan with her mother. The stories reveal how immigration policies not only affect families, but also friendships, as in Lilliam Rivera's "Salvation and the Sea," in which a Guatemalan/Puerto Rican best friend duo on a road trip in California undergo a polarizing experience at a random immigration checkpoint. In the closing story about Jewish �migr�s to Argentina, Alsaid pays homage to the ancestors who paved the way for our very existence. The overall result is moving and deeply relevant to our contemporary world. A must-have antidote to xenophobia and a much-needed, compassionate mirror for many. (Anthology. 13-18)

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Starred review from September 1, 2020
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* The subtitle of this anthology provides an apt description of what to expect, but Come On In is about much more. Composed of stories about immigration and finding home, this collection showcases fresh perspectives of young writers from an array of backgrounds: Iranian, Guatemalan, Kashmiri, Korean, and more. Suitable for middle- and high-school readers, the writing styles range from understated to in-your-face, with the uniting element being the texts' ability to wrap around the reader's emotions and hold on. There is humor, tenderness, despair, outrage, and tenacity. Some stories capture the complicated generational discrepancy between immigrant parents and their second-generation children, while others focus on such issues as ICE raids, intergenerational love, extended-family camping trips, profiling at airport-security checkpoints, border crossings, and saying farewell?all under the shadow of the man in the White House. In the face of his prohibitions, Alsaid's collection seems to say, Welcome, readers. We have something to share with you: our stories, which are not so different from yours. As a whole, this is a poignant and powerful collection of universal themes embedded with cultural specificity. The book is organized such that the stories are united by the theme of immigration, but each one stands apart in voice, experience, and style.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 28, 2020
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 “Volviéndome,” 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. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park Literary Group.