The Immigrant Experience - Fiction
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Alvarez, Julie
The four Garcia sisters enjoy a privileged life in the Dominican Republic. Then political unrest forces them to leave the island for the inner city Bronx. Here they are trapped between their old world traditions and a new American life that offers greater freedom but also discrimination and a much lower social status.
Ashes of Roses
Auch, Mary Jane
Sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan arrives with her family in New York’s Ellis Island in the year 1911, excited and hopeful that they have all left the poverty of Ireland behind so that they can start a new life in America. Tragedy soon strikes and Rose Nolan learns quickly about bravery and what it takes to make it in America.
Fresh Off the Boat
de la Cruz, Melissa
When her family moves from the Philippines to San Francisco, California, fourteen-year-old Vicenza Armbullo struggles to fit in at her exclusive, all-girl private school.
Born Confused
Desai Hidier, Tanuja
Seventeen-year-old Dimple Lala, whose family is from India, has spent her whole life resisting her parent’s traditions. When she gets to high school she discovers that she is not Indian enough for the Indians and not American enough for the Americans. This is a funny, thoughtful story about finding your heart, finding your culture, and finding your place in America.
First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants
Gallo, Donald R.
Ten short stories written by recent teenage immigrants from various countries around the world are presented as they share their experiences with language barriers, prejudice and homesickness.
La Linea
Jaramillo, Ann
When Miguel, 15, leaves San Jacinto, Mexico, to join his parents in California, his sister, Elena, 13, secretly follows him. Together with their guides, they barely survive a harrowing journey through the desert and across la linea (the border).
Breaking Through
Jimenez, Francisco
Breaking Through continues Francisco’s story that began with The Circuit (x Ed.a). At the age of 14, Francisco and his family are caught by immigration officers and forced to leave their California home, but soon find their way back. Through sheer determination and a ferocious work-habit, young Francisco transforms himself from a migrant worker to an excellent student, a mediocre dancer, the student-body president, and eventually a college professor.
The Gangster We Are All Looking For
Lê, Thi Diem Thúy
This is a story told from the point of view of the young daughter of a Vietnamese family who immigrates to California in the late 1970s. The family is haunted by memories of Vietnam while trying to deal with the difficulties of living in near poverty in San Diego, California.
A Step from Heaven
Na, An
When Young Ju is 4 years old, she and her parents move from Korea to Southern California. America is supposed to be like living in heaven. But as she grows older, she and her family struggle to learn English and make a living. Young Ju also must take a stand against her abusive, alcoholic father. Winner of ALA’s Prinz Award.
The Immigrant Experience - Non-Fiction
Remix: conversations with immigrant teenagers
Marina Tamar Budhos
The author, an immigrant herself, interviews teens who have come to America from various countries. Many of the teens face discrimination from other teens because of their dress, looks or poor English.
Funny in Farsi: a memoir of growing up Iranian in America
Dumas, Firoozeh
In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no first-hand knowledge of this country beyond her father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years. This book follows the Dumas family as they become familiar with American culture.
Kaffir boy in America : an Encounter with Apartheid
Mark Mathabane
The sequel to the author's: Kaffir boy: the True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa (92 M426), tells of Mathabane's life in the U.S. since he arrived here at age 18 in 1978 on a tennis scholarship and describes his encounters with racism, threats to his life and other painful experiences as he moves between three colleges in one year.
Enrique's journey
Nazario, Sonia
Originally a news story in the LA Times and winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize, this book tells of a young boy from Honduras who, feeling lonely and abandoned after his mother flees to the United States to earn money, decides to reunite with her by traveling north through Mexico and, illegally, into the United States.
Other great authors to read:
Willa Cather
Gary Soto
Ana Veciana-Suarez
More copies may be available at your local library.
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