Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home

by Adi Alsaid, Varsha Bajaj, Maria E. Andreu, Sharon Morse, Misa Sugiura

Overview

This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by critically acclaimed and bestselling YA authors who are shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.

WELCOME

From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah…from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey…from Fiji, America, Mexico and more… Come On In.

With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands…who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL…who give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question “where are you from?” and so much more… Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience, from authors who have been shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335146496
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Publication date:	10/13/2020
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	435,617
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Born and raised in Mexico City, Adi Alsaid is the author of several young adult novels including Let's Get Lost, We Didn't Ask For This, and North of Happy, a Kirkus Best Book nominee. He's also the editor of Come On In: 15 stories of immigration and finding home . He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two cats, where he occasionally spills hot sauce on things (and cats).

Table of Contents

All The Colors of Goodbye Nafiza Azad 11

The Wedding Sara Farizan 27

Where I'm From Misa Sugiura 47

Salvation and the Sea Lilliam Rivera 61

Volviéndome Alaya Dawn Johnson 79

The Trip Sona Charaipotra 93

The Curandera and the Alchemist Maria E. Andreu 111

A Bigger Tent Maurene Goo 133

First Words Varsha Bajaj 157

Family 176

Everything Yamile Saied Méndez

When I was White Justine Larbalestier 191

From Golden State Isabel Quintero 223

Hard to Say Sharon Morse 243

Confessions of an Ecuadorian Zoraida Córdova 265

Fleeing, Leaving, Moving Adi Alsaid 289

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/28/2020

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. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

There is humor, tenderness, despair, outrage, and tenacity… This is a poignant and powerful collection of universal themes embedded with cultural specificity.”—Booklist *starred review*

"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.... [D]eeply relevant to our contemporary world. A must-have antidote to xenophobia and a much-needed, compassionate mirror for many."—Kirkus Reviews *starred review*

"[E]ach 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.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“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.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2020

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

School Library Journal

★ 2020-08-04
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 émigrés 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)

Kirkus Reviews

This compelling audio collection of 15 #ownvoices short stories explores the realities of immigration and its abundant facets. The works are written by YA authors who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Listeners will meet characters experiencing supposedly random police stops, making space for family displaced from a tumultuous home country, and continually being asked where they’re from—when the answer might very well be the country they’re already in. Each story is voiced by one of several narrators; each narrator matches the origin and gender of the characters in a particular work, creating an authentic performance with appropriate pronunciations and accent. While some performances exaggerate character voices so absurdly as to be comical, this captivating anthology will hook listeners nonetheless. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile

This compelling audio collection of 15 #ownvoices short stories explores the realities of immigration and its abundant facets. The works are written by YA authors who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Listeners will meet characters experiencing supposedly random police stops, making space for family displaced from a tumultuous home country, and continually being asked where they’re from—when the answer might very well be the country they’re already in. Each story is voiced by one of several narrators; each narrator matches the origin and gender of the characters in a particular work, creating an authentic performance with appropriate pronunciations and accent. While some performances exaggerate character voices so absurdly as to be comical, this captivating anthology will hook listeners nonetheless. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2021 - AudioFile