Book 1 Post 1

In my senior year of high school, I remember completing the questionnaire section of the USC supplemental application and answering that my favorite book was The Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri. This book tells the story of an Indian boy’s desire to conform to American society conflicting with his parents’ desire for him to remain true to their Indian culture. As someone whose parents and grandparents were born in the United States and who does not have a connection to any other culture, I do not have a personal understanding of this challenge. Thus, reading The Namesake was eye-opening and made me feel empathetic towards my peers that face this identity issue. 

In looking at the recommendations for book 1, American Like Me by America Ferrera stood out to me as it reminded me a lot of The Namesake, so I knew it was what I wanted to read. I was expecting the book to shine light on an internal tug-of-war similar to what I read in the other book. While American Like Me does depict this, it also details the external conflicts of racism and discrimination. It was disheartening to read about how people including her own manager told Ferrera that she would not make it in the entertainment industry as a Latina woman. However, I was also inspired by the resilience and perseverance of Ferrera and each of the individuals I have read about so far.

A common theme from the collection that I have noticed so far is the discrepancy between what America claims to be and what America is in practice. Reshma Saujani, one of the contributors, writes about how the United States was one of the only countries that would welcome her Ugandan parents when they were seeking refuge. She found that the country that claimed to promise freedom and opportunity for all soon became the country that only gave those privileges to white people. Saujani was able to overcome the many societal barriers that limit minorities, but for many others this is not true. I’ve really enjoyed reading about the variety of stories, and I’m excited to keep learning about the diverse experiences that make our country what it is today.