We Too Sing America

August 24, 2015
Indian-American activist and teacher Iyer writes with passion on the experience of South Asian immigrants in post-9/11 America. She begins with the August 2012 shooting at an Oak Creek, Wis., Sikh temple that left six people dead. As a victim’s son says, “She was an American and this was not our American dream.” Iyer personalizes the challenges faced by those who are, or are mistakenly perceived as being, Muslim. As she shows, government surveillance of groups deemed suspicious has increased their sense of separation from American society. While this book could simply be a catalogue of injustices, Iyer’s study reaches into the complexities of the many cultures that make up South Asia. She points out that many South Asian immigrants run small stores in largely African-American or Hispanic neighborhoods, but often remain apart from the local community. In the aftermath of the Wisconsin massacre, however, area Sikhs felt an increased sense of solidarity with other marginalized ethnic groups. Iyer encourages her readers to become politicized and oppose policymakers who make “racist and xenophobic statements that fuel hostility.” Her theme moves from her own group to all Americans who would work together for a “multiracial and equitable America... in which there are no more ‘others. ’ ”

October 1, 2015

In this riveting book, Iyer, an Indian American political activist and former director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), recounts the experiences of a number of South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh immigrants after the September 11 attacks. Examining the trials and tribulations of immigrant lives, Iyer demonstrates how these immigrants continue to shape America's multicultural future. Inspired by the spirit of Langston Hughes's poignant poem "I, Too," the author frames the discussion of her book's subjects into a broader framework of race, ethnicity, and the U.S. immigrant experience. She uses recent examples to highlight the ongoing racism against the groups covered, such as the 2012 massacre at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI, and the violent opposition to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, TN. VERDICT A welcome addition to the growing literature of race, ethnicity, and religion from the perspectives of immigrant groups within the United States. Both the general public and policymakers will benefit.--Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Tracing the impact of xenophobia and Islamophobia in the U.S. since 9/11, Iyer draws on the personal experiences of young immigrantsSouth Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikhin communities experiencing backlash and hate crimes. She also weaves in her own story of moving to Kentucky from India when she was 12: how it felt not to belong to either side of the Black or White racial line. With her focus on the post-9/11 world, she shows how the government has targeted groups for national security reasons, forcibly arresting individuals without cause, and she notes how even those with U.S. citizenship are perceived as perpetual foreigners. The many individual profiles grab the reader with their personal voices (What is it like to be gay and Muslim and also to come out as undocumented ?). Connections are also drawn to today's headlines across the U. S., from Ferguson to Black Lives Matter to Silicon Valley, as well as to the treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Great for discussion, especially about the meaning of multiracial and multicultural America.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)