Ep. 14: Lit Recs: Immigrant Stories

Join Amanda and Kelsey as they dive into their book recommendations for the month of December which celebrate immigrant stories. Prepare for thought-provoking book discussions as they unpack these impactful stories, their thoughts on them, and the continued importance of highlighting diverse authors and stories. 

00:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only

00:33 Social Media and Sticker Giveaway

03:23 Chit Chat w/ Amanda & Kelsey

10:51 Why We Chose Immigrant Stories

12:51 Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

18:49 A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

24:11 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

31:03 Dear America: Notes of An Undocumented Citizen  by Jose Antonia Vargas

41:02 Social Media Plug and Giveaway Reminder

Follow us on TikTok & Youtube @litvibesonlypodcast and on Instagram @litvibesonly_podcast. We'd love to hear from you!

See you on Mondays!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Lit Vibes Only
• 0:33 Social Media and Sticker Giveaway
• 3:23 Chit Chat w/ Amanda & Kelsey
• 10:51 Why We Chose Immigrant Stories
• 12:51 Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
• 18:49 A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
• 24:11 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• 31:03 Dear America: Notes of An Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonia Vargas
• 41:02 Social Media Plug and Giveaway Reminder

Transcript

Ep. 14: Lit Recs: Immigrant Stories
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[00:00:00] 

[00:00:04] Amanda: Welcome back to Lit Vibes only where we lit the shit out of books we love and hate. I'm Amanda. 

[00:00:10] Kelsey: And I'm Kelsey. And that is my cue for the next, 

[00:00:18] Kelsey: ,

[00:00:18] Kelsey: I don't know why I'm just like, yeah, I'm Kelsey. I don't have to do anything else.

[00:00:31] Kelsey: Okay. So. Welcome to live vibes. Only you can find us on our socials. Come interact with us. We want you to, we have fun out there. , so find us on Instagram at live vibes, only underscore podcast and on Tik TOK at live vibes, only podcast and on YouTube at the same 

[00:00:57] Amanda: handle. 

[00:00:58] Kelsey: Thank you. [00:01:00] I was like, 

[00:01:01] Amanda: What do we call that thing?

[00:01:01] Amanda: I 

[00:01:02] Kelsey: was really trying. 

[00:01:03] Amanda: I could see, I could see you thinking so hard. 

[00:01:07] Kelsey: God, I do so, I do so well here. 

[00:01:11] Amanda: It's so funny. I feel like this has become like our thing though. Like it's, 

[00:01:16] Kelsey: it's what, it's what 

[00:01:18] Amanda: our listeners 

[00:01:18] Kelsey: expect at this point. It's our thing. Come find us on those socials. We want to interact with you.

[00:01:23] Kelsey: We want to engage with you. The other thing is. This episode comes out the second Monday in December, and that means you only have five days left. If you're listening on Monday to give us a rating and review on Apple or Spotify or any other major podcast platform to get a sticker, a once in a lifetime opportunity, get on it to, , get your lip vibes only.

[00:01:52] Kelsey: First edition, never before seen in your house, in your mailbox, [00:02:00] on your water bottle, because obviously they have been seen. We've been plastering them all over social media. Go get your sticker, all you have to do is rate us.

[00:02:10] Kelsey: Leave a review. Go do that and get your sticker.

[00:02:12] Amanda: Great. And then how are they gonna get that sticker, Kelsey? 

[00:02:15] Kelsey: Hmm? I just told them. Whatcha talking about ? 

[00:02:19] Amanda: Okay. Just to be clear. 

[00:02:21] Kelsey: Final note. Final note. Final note. Fine. Amanda , gotta be clear.

[00:02:26] Kelsey: Gotta give instructions. 

[00:02:27] Amanda: We are educators here.

[00:02:30] Kelsey: Also, when you send us that review, a screenshot of that review, you also need to send us where to send your. Sticker your address that you want us to send it to. Okay. Exactly. Very final note that I almost always forget. So, so excited for you to get your stickers.

[00:02:47] Kelsey: We are going to be done giving them away at December 13th. That's it. So you're not going to have another chance to get one. So get it now. Yes. It now. 

[00:02:57] Amanda: And also if you listen to our podcast, [00:03:00] but are not on socials, cause I know that applies to some folks, you can send us your screenshot via email. So lit vibes, only podcast at gmail.

[00:03:08] Amanda: com. We'll do the trick. Just fine. Send that screenshot, send your address and you will also get your lovely sticker. So yeah, we are making sure we're reaching everyone. , Yeah, Oh God, I'm so tired. 

[00:03:23] Kelsey: You had a long, like, couple of days, didn't you? 

[00:03:26] Amanda: Well, a couple of days, but I just feel like, yeah, my weekends this fall have just been so jam packed.

[00:03:33] Amanda: Sometimes with fun stuff, like stuff that I'm choosing to do with friends, but also just like a lot of work stuff 

with like 

[00:03:42] Amanda: tournaments and open houses and like traveling for conferences. Like I can't remember at this point, the last time I've had like a two day weekend. fully to myself and to like rot on the couch and I really need that.

[00:03:58] Amanda: I need that in my life. 

[00:03:59] Kelsey: I [00:04:00] know. , I'm actually heading out. We're, we're recording in November, , which we tend to do is like a month in advance almost. , and I am about to head out on another conference and I'm going to Santa Fe. Which I'm excited about, and I'm also going to Meow Wolf, if anybody knows what that is, like, I am so excited.

[00:04:19] Kelsey: We're going to another one! This will be your third one! Third one, third one. I didn't realize, yeah. We went to one 

[00:04:24] Amanda: together in, where was it? In 

[00:04:25] Kelsey: Las Vegas. Las Vegas, yes. , so, then I'll go to this one, and then the only one left I have is in Dallas Fort Worth, and I'm like, hmm, when am I really going to go there?

[00:04:34] Kelsey: I don't know. , maybe I'll find a conference there. There you go. , but yeah, so. I'm tired because I went to like, these are fun, great things, but like I went to the heiress for right in new Orleans. I was supposed to go see Shakira this last weekend and she canceled her. Oh, no. And then I bought my outfit already.

[00:04:59] Kelsey: And like, there's [00:05:00] like no returns on some of the things. And I'm like, great. , when am I ever going to wear these tight black. Leather pants. We're just going to go out on the town, Kelsey. So, and then before that, you know, in October I was in Chicago as well. Like I've been traveling a lot and so I'm not only going to Santa Fe though, I'm also going to Mexico for the first time ever.

[00:05:27] Kelsey: , For my friend's wedding, which I'm really excited for, but I'm just going to be there and back. And I'm going to be so tired. Yeah. 

[00:05:35] Amanda: How long are you there for? Like, is it just literally like three days, like one full day. Oh my gosh. That's a really fast turnaround. Yeah. And also that makes me sad because Mexico is so cool and that doesn't give you a lot of time to explore, but you'll just have to go back.

[00:05:49] Kelsey: Yeah. My husband and I want to go to Mexico city in February on my honeymoon. Winter break. Yeah. So we're probably going to do that and like actually explore. 

[00:05:59] Amanda: Yeah. Very [00:06:00] cool. Yeah. One of our, we do student trips at our school and one of the international trips this year is to Mexico city, which is very fun.

[00:06:08] Amanda: I know. Are you going? No, I'm doing the Tanzania trip. So I will be taking kids there. to Tanzania in the summer. But I'm like, Oh, I want to go to Mexico city. 

[00:06:19] Kelsey: With children, it makes it very, very different. 

[00:06:23] Amanda: It does. And it does. It for sure does. But this will be my fourth time leading an international trip with students.

[00:06:30] Amanda: And I really enjoy it. And it is a different experience, but you still get to Experience a lot while you're there, like, and I'm usually at minimum doing a week in these places. Like Tennessee will, we'll be there for two weeks. So it is a different experience, but you all, you know, still, you know, getting to experience like everything 

[00:06:49] Kelsey: that the kids are set to experience, which is typically like cultural events and like museums.

[00:06:56] Kelsey: And yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. You just have to herd. [00:07:00] However many children you have. And that's not the fun part. 

[00:07:03] Amanda: That is true. But generally they're also, it's not a huge group. It's usually like nine to 15 students, at least the ones that I've done. So it's not you know, 25 or 30 kids that you're like trying to corral.

[00:07:13] Amanda: Yeah. So it's very manageable. And there's like for the Tanzania trip, there's nine kids and there's three adults going. So it's very easy to let. Yeah. Yeah. Very easy to split up responsibilities. I've got my three.

[00:07:27] Amanda: Responsible for those . Yeah. So it's, it's not a huge, a huge lift, but, yeah. Yeah. Cool. What are, what have you been, because I feel like we didn't do this for our AAR episode, but , oh my gosh. 

I know, 

[00:07:38] Amanda: I know. Too excited for Exactly. We're so excited to jump in. We just like forgot to talk about the books we're reading.

[00:07:44] Amanda: So s Yeah. What are you, I just also wanna preface this with like, 

[00:07:48] Kelsey: I've been struggling, you guys, like, I've been telling Amanda like. Also on a personal level, just been struggling in general, but really the stress of my job is very high right now. And, , I [00:08:00] am feeling very overwhelmed by just the tasks that I need to do at work.

[00:08:04] Kelsey: , and so I don't come home and read like I had been, , a month or so ago. And so that's been, that's been hard for me. And so I've been in a slight reading slump. , I tried to start the Witch Collector. , and I got a few chapters in it and it didn't sustain me. Like it didn't, I didn't feel like I wanted to continue it at the moment.

[00:08:25] Kelsey: So you know what is going to help me? What's going to help you? A romance book? A silly romance book. Yes. And so I've been waiting to get into this one. This one's by Danica Nava and it's called The Truth According to Ember. And , it's An indigenous author with two, , indigenous characters, , that fall in love, obviously.

[00:08:49] Kelsey: And we'll see where it goes. We'll see if I like it. Yeah. 

[00:08:53] Amanda: So have you started 

[00:08:53] Kelsey: or you're 

[00:08:54] Amanda: about to start? I started it. 

[00:08:55] Kelsey: Okay. Yeah. Okay. Awesome. Just in like. The first little [00:09:00] bit. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:09:01] Amanda: That's great. And even though this is coming out in December, we're currently in November, which is Native American heritage month.

[00:09:06] Amanda: So that's also like a perfect, a perfect read. , it's funny, whenever we do these, I feel like I've always either just finished a book or I'm about to start another one. , which is where I am right now. So I just finished, , all the sinners bleed. You can't really see. Yeah. My ring light is reflecting.

[00:09:21] Amanda: I say Cosby. Yeah. So it's by essay Cosby. This is my first time reading, , a book written by them. He is a black male author and it is a thriller slash like crime fiction. And I gave it five stars. I thought as a thriller, it did its thing, but it also, so it takes place in the South in, I think, like 2018 or something.

[00:09:48] Amanda: And it follows this newly elected black sheriff who is investigating. , serial killer and trying to figure out what's going on. And so it also dives into like the history of [00:10:00] racism in the South and the way that it continues to kind of rear its ugly head in different ways and manifestations in the 21st century and how to like, how folks are continuing to deal with.

[00:10:12] Amanda: and contend with and heal from that history and the ways in which some folks aren't and are continuing to celebrate it and the tensions that it creates. So it was a great thriller. It's a little gory at parts. So I will give that trigger warning for folks. It does get violent in the manner in which folks are killed, but I appreciated it for diving into that particular, like social commentary.

[00:10:33] Amanda: , I thought that was really well done. So I will have to like, I don't know what else he's written, but I'm like, no, I need to find. Find out more because I really enjoyed it. So for my thriller folks, I highly recommend all the Sinner's Bleed. And if you read it, let me know what you think. I'd love to chat about it.

Cool. 

[00:10:50] Amanda: Yeah. So, we're doing our December lit recs episode. And since there's not a heritage month, [00:11:00] so or heritage associated with the month of December, Kelsey and I decided that we would use this month to celebrate and highlight immigrant stories. So the books that we've chosen for you today, , Are books that tell the stories of the experiences of people who have come to the United States from other countries and what it's like, , acclimating to life in the United States, the tensions that can arise around trying to stay true to your culture and heritage while also trying to be seen as 

[00:11:36] Amanda: an equal, , American citizen among folks who might perceive you as other and different and therefore consider you in many ways a second class citizen, the tension between tradition, and then, , the ways in which individuals might choose different paths. As they embark on a life in a new country.

[00:11:58] Amanda: And so that tension often between [00:12:00] first gen folks and their parents who are the ones who immigrated. And so a lot of those themes come up in these books. And so, yeah, we wanted to provide a space to share these stories since there wasn't necessarily a particular month associated with that.

[00:12:14] Amanda: And because of that, a lot of these stories, , connect to multiple Heritage is heritages, , which you'll see as we dive in. So I've got two books, Kelsey's got two books. And I think this month we have read. All of the books that we've recommended, like you've read both of your books. I've read both of my books.

[00:12:32] Amanda: Sometimes we recommend books that we haven't yet read, but are planning to. But, , these are ones that we've all read and really enjoyed and hope that you feel similarly. So Kelsey, do you want to kick things off with your first recommendation? 

[00:12:46] Kelsey: You're not going to know this, but this is take like 500 for me, Kelsey, on my first recommendation, which is black cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. And to jump things off, I want to talk about Charmaine a little [00:13:00] bit.

[00:13:00] Kelsey: Black cake was actually her first debut novel in 2022. , and she actually has two other books. One that was released in 2023 and one that's upcoming in this next year. So maybe Amanda and I will read it together. , she was born in New York, but she is, , Jamaican American. And, , because of black cake, she has been on the New York times bestseller list.

[00:13:27] Kelsey: , so that's exciting. And I, I saw in different places too, that she, I think she lives in Italy now. 

[00:13:36] Amanda: Yeah. I saw that as well. Yeah. 

[00:13:38] Kelsey: It feels random, but I'm sure there's like some. Reason for it, but like also as an, as an author, like you could literally live anywhere, right. And just like from 

home. Exactly.

[00:13:48] Kelsey: So why not Italy? , so more about black cake. , like I said, it was published in 2022 and it was her first novel. It's [00:14:00] really interesting. Like the, , The genres that it gets placed in, because obviously it's, it's fiction. It's also has like a mystery vibe to it, but it also gets placed in historical fiction, which is weird that I'm 

[00:14:15] Amanda: recommending, recommending 

[00:14:17] Kelsey: this story, the 

[00:14:18] Amanda: ways that we're coming 

[00:14:19] Kelsey: together 

[00:14:19] Amanda: on this 

[00:14:20] Kelsey: podcast.

[00:14:20] Kelsey: So funny. Because the book itself is about. And around this one character who is at the beginning, you find out is a mother of these two children and she brings them together after she has died, , left them a recording of her life story and, , proceeds to tell her children like the truth of her life.

[00:14:41] Kelsey: , and she made them a black cake to share, , at the end of the story. , And so all of these things kind of go into her own, , history as a Jamaican, , immigrant to the United States. And so in the very beginning, you find out [00:15:00] like they're, they are in the United States and she starts telling this story.

[00:15:04] Kelsey: You don't really know what it's about, but it's about this little girl who is from Jamaica. So you hear the story from like the first perspective, , first person, , of the mother and like her experience of not just immigrating, but also, , her challenges that she faced, like throughout her life to get to that point where she had this beautiful life that she enjoyed.

[00:15:28] Kelsey: In the United States with her children and her husband, , but there is a very complicated history, , from her background. And then also beautifully at the end, like the children end up returning to Jamaica, , where her mom initially like began, , her life. Right. And so it's a beautiful, like kind of full circle story.

[00:15:49] Kelsey: What else do I want to say about it? , it has a 4. 09 rating on Goodreads. , oh, and it was nominated for both. Reader's favorite historical [00:16:00] fiction and reader's favorite debut novel, , and yeah, so I think that's all I need to say about, oh, the last thing is that it was made into a TV show adaptation, , where Mia Isaac plays Cubby.

[00:16:15] Kelsey: Yeah, it was on, 

[00:16:16] Amanda: or 

[00:16:16] Kelsey: it's on Hulu, I 

[00:16:17] Amanda: think. 

[00:16:17] Kelsey: Yeah, Hulu. 

[00:16:18] Amanda: Yeah, I haven't seen it. 

[00:16:19] Kelsey: Me neither, but I'm curious about it. 

[00:16:22] Amanda: Yeah. Cause I read the book and I was like, Oh, should I watch this? 

[00:16:25] Amanda: Yeah, it's interesting because I think you mentioned the different genres and I think overall it's probably considered contemporary fiction, but it does have elements of all of those other things.

[00:16:33] Amanda: Yeah. 

[00:16:33] Kelsey: Yeah. Yeah. The 

[00:16:34] Amanda: mystery and historical fiction as well. , yeah, both Kelsey and I have read this book, , and clearly enjoyed it. And yeah, I would second Kelsey's recommendation. For sure. Okay. , so my first recommendation is a woman is no man by Etof Rum. She looked up her name. I actually have the book here.

[00:16:55] Amanda: , and this was a book that once again, I [00:17:00] read with my book club a couple of years ago. And we were excited to read this book because again, we do really focus on female authors in my book club. And we're always looking to read stories that are new to us and experiences that are new to us. And that was what drew us to it.

[00:17:15] Amanda: So a little bit about Itaf. , she is Palestinian American, and she is a novelist and a New York times best selling author. And she was born and raised in Brooklyn. New York by immigrant parents who they grew up in refugee camps in Palestine before then immigrating to the United States. , with her family, , ATOF comes from a huge family.

[00:17:42] Amanda: She's actually the oldest of nine children. And when she was, I believe, 19, she was, , forced into an arranged. Marriage and, had children pretty soon after that. So she was, you know, very much raised in a traditional home, [00:18:00] but in spite of that, she wanted her education.

[00:18:02] Amanda: And so she found a way to earn both her bachelor's and her master's, , an American and British literature from NC State University, and then obviously went on to become an author. And one of the things that propelled her into writing. this book, which was her, her debut novel was even though there are like a fair amount of books written about the Arab American experience, she realized that a lot of them were lacking, , the female perspective.

[00:18:27] Amanda: And so she wanted to kind of fill that hole in, in the market, , with the first of her books, which is, , a woman is no man. And then she also wrote after that. Evil eye, , which I have not read, but that was published in 2023 and was actually named an NPR best book of the year. So that's, that's great. , so definitely again, an awarded author, , a woman is no man.

[00:18:53] Amanda: , this was published in 2019. So really recent and about 30, 339 pages. [00:19:00] So again, I think pretty accessible for most folks also is another four star rating on Goodreads 4. 26 to be specific. And it's, yeah, it's won a bunch of awards. So it was nominated for the Arab American Book Award, , for fiction.

[00:19:16] Amanda: It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards for fiction and debut novel. It was nominated for the Book of the Month Book of the Year Award, and it was also a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. So clearly a lot of folks think very highly of this book in addition to me. , the book is kind of fun.

[00:19:34] Amanda: partially autobiographical because she's definitely incorporating a lot of her own experiences as a Palestinian American and as a young woman who lived a life similar to some of the characters in the book. It is a book that has two different timelines through it. So one of them follows Isra. , timeline is in the 1990s.

[00:19:56] Amanda: She's a young woman living in Palestine who ends up getting married [00:20:00] off, , to a much older man named Adam and Adam currently lives in the United States in New York. And so she's essentially sent off to marry him. And Israel is one of those like plucky young women who like wants to get educated and is very curious about the world.

[00:20:13] Amanda: And instead she ends up in this really toxic, abusive relationship. And, , You know, it was just expected to cook and clean and bear children. And both her husband and her mother in law who lives with them, , are very verbally and physically abusive towards her. And so she has a really difficult life.

[00:20:30] Amanda: And then the second timeline follows her daughter, Daya, who in this timeline takes place in 2008. She is like, you know, on the cusp of finishing up high school and heading off into the world. And she wants to go to college. Like she wants her education. , at this point in the story, Isra and her husband, so her parents are gone.

[00:20:49] Amanda: They were killed in a car crash and you have to read more and the story to find out exactly what happened there, but she was told they died in a car crash. So she was raised by her [00:21:00] grandparents. They're obviously very traditional and they're expecting her to just have an arranged marriage similar to her mother.

[00:21:05] Amanda: And she's very much against that. And so it follows those two separate timelines and we see the different ways in both Isra and Isra. And Deya are like working to overcome these barriers that have been placed in their path by these traditional expectations. One of the struggles with this book and one of the struggles that Ita faced when she was writing it.

[00:21:28] Amanda: Is she was worried that the book was going to come across as like anti Arab or like anti Palestinian because she does talk about, you know, a lot of the struggles that some women can face and more traditional household and more extremist households. And she was worried that essentially, especially since this book was published in the United States.

[00:21:48] Amanda: And, and getting widely dispersed to American audiences that it was just going to confirm, right. A lot of the stereotypes that some Americans might already have about folks in the Arab community. So [00:22:00] she wanted to make it really clear, like the, the relationships in this book and the kind of the problematic things that are happening are only representative of like really traditionals and really kind of extremist views and relations in relation to things like Islam and

[00:22:17] Amanda: palestinian culture and she very much wants to make sure that folks aren't coming away with this idea. Like, okay, this is just how it is for everyone and how awful. So she wanted to make it really clear. It's not an attack on other Palestine or Islam. And, Yeah, I'm glad that she felt brave enough to write this book because it could not have been easy and she herself has been ostracized from her community and like her family, , because she chose, you know, to, to go to college and to write this book.

And 

[00:22:44] Amanda: I think there's a, there's a quote actually, cause I have the book in front of me and she writes, where I come from, we keep these stories to ourselves to tell them to the outside world is unheard of. dangerous, the ultimate shame. And so it really did take a lot of bravery on [00:23:00] her part to share her story with the world.

[00:23:02] Amanda: And, , I think she does it really well and still provides a lot of, I think, grace to folks who, you know, still might embrace, like I said, more traditional extremist views. , and she like sees the way in which traditional extremists. Interpretations of like Islam , for example, can lead to folks behaving in ways that are actually not encouraged or endorsed by their sacred talks.

[00:23:26] Amanda: And we see that in other religions, too, like you can see in Christianity where folks are taking things and like the Bible and sacred talks and be like, I think this is what this means. So, anyway, I thought you did a really good job of, , , presenting that. We really enjoyed it. It provided a lot of food for thought.

[00:23:41] Amanda: And the last thing I'll say is that, and we've mentioned this before in Lit Rocks episodes, like this is just one story. So taking this book and be like, Oh, this is how every single Palestinian American family runs is inaccurate and harmful. This is just one experience, which is valid and needs to be told, [00:24:00] but it is not, you know.

[00:24:02] Amanda: The experience of, of all and shouldn't be applied broadly. So yeah, that's my first buck. 

[00:24:07] Kelsey: Wow. Cool. Thank you for sharing. , my second nom, , nomination book recommendation, , also comes from the Arab world. , from Afghanistan.

[00:24:19] Kelsey: And so this is Khaled Husseini, , the author, , he wrote the

[00:24:25] Kelsey: He was actually born in Afghanistan and Kabul, and he's an immigrant himself. , which is often the case, right? When people are writing stories, , of immigrants, right? Or whatever story it is, like they often relate to it in some way. , and in this case, he is an immigrant himself.

[00:24:43] Kelsey: His family moved to San Jose in the eighties, , the very early eighties. , And he actually , grew up to be a medical doctor and was practicing for 10 years before he released his first novel, which was the kite runner. 

[00:24:58] Kelsey: , 

[00:24:58] Kelsey: [00:25:00] And he now, or at least, , , yeah, I think now is a goodwill envoy for the United Nations, , commissioner for refugees.

[00:25:10] Kelsey: And so now he's like working in that like line of work, , to support refugees, , and immigrants. And, , he has a foundation where he provides, , humanitarian aid to Afghanistan like to this day. And so that was just interesting. I wanted to like, put that out there. , and. Kite Runner, the Kite Runner was published in 2003.

[00:25:31] Kelsey: So it was like, think about the political like state of things that was two years after 9 11. And so I just want to preface that this book came out at a really pivotal point in the United States, understanding of the Arab world, , and community. And so it was not a good outlook back then.

[00:25:54] Kelsey: Right. And so, , That's just something to keep in mind when this book came out, but it was still, [00:26:00] very popular, , back then and now it's still definitely a book I see like talked about. . Yeah. Yeah. The book, it's not just based on like an immigrant story, but it's also this story of redemption as well for the main character.

[00:26:16] Kelsey: Amir is. Yeah. Friends with this young boy and I forget the other boy's name has Sarah or something. So these two boys, , they are young friends and a mirror is a kite runner, which it was a big deal, , to be a kite runner.

[00:26:34] Kelsey: And his friend was his like, , assistant essentially to being a kite runner. And so , they were just like, good friends. And then something tragic happens to the side character that fills the, the main character with a ton of guilt and shame. And, , they end up kind of splitting apart because of this, , these emotions.

[00:26:56] Kelsey: I don't think like the young character, either characters has [00:27:00] like the ability to process them. And that's kind of when that's outlined in the book. And then war breaks out and, honestly, I can't speak to, I can't speak well to, , the war itself or the overthrow of the government.

[00:27:16] Kelsey: , but I, , I do believe that it's the, , it's the Russian government that came over. And so then one family, Amir's family ends up. moving to the United States and , his friend has to stay in Afghanistan.

[00:27:30] Kelsey: And eventually, , the main character does come back to Afghanistan and has this, story of essentially redemption around like the difficult, , events that took place when they were children. And so I did really enjoy this book when I read it. , and it's been a long time, , you know, it's been out since 2003.

[00:27:52] Kelsey: Like I said, , it's been a long time since I've read it. And, I will say there is criticism about the book and I [00:28:00] wonder too, if it's From when it was actually published, right? It was really, it was a difficult time for, , the Arab community in the United States. , and I'm curious about that, but there is criticism around, , kind of putting the U S on more of a pedestal in the book and rather than, , Telling a beautiful story about, Arab folks from Afghanistan or people from Afghanistan.

[00:28:26] Kelsey: Right. And so, I definitely think there is like a mixture of that, but that's what people criticize the book for, , is kind of the political leanings, , of the overall theme of the book. And so, , I just want to throw that out there. If you, , Read it and you're like, Oh my God, Kelsey, you recommended this like crazy book.

[00:28:48] Kelsey: In a lot of stories that we recommend, it's not just like nothing is ever black and white. Right. Exactly. And, , just like, just even thinking back to, , trail of lightning 

and going back to 

[00:28:59] Kelsey: that, right. There was [00:29:00] still controversy around that book.

[00:29:01] Kelsey: It doesn't mean that wasn't, , , a story to uplift and, , talk about. , But yeah, so just keeping that in mind that, , it was, or has been seen to be a bit controversial. , For, for some folks. And so I just want to keep that caveat in there. And, , the other thing too about this book, it was also made into a movie.

[00:29:23] Kelsey: So there's that as well. I have not seen it. I think when I read this book, I was, , Very moved by it, but I was emotionally, , impacted heavily by the tragic event that impacts the young boy at the near the beginning of the story. And so I will say there is, , also a content warning for, , sexual assault. And so that is in this book and it is like a heavy, , emotional theme throughout the book. , so keeping that in mind, whether or not [00:30:00] you pick that up. 

[00:30:03] Amanda: Thanks for letting us know about that.

[00:30:05] Amanda: One of the things I wanted to mention as you were talking about kind of the controversy around the book and like, and it might seem a bit.

[00:30:12] Amanda: Maybe pro American in some of its, its leanings and rhetoric, I think that is at the crux of a lot of immigrant experiences. And that there's this tension between like coming to America and the potential benefits and opportunities that coming here can bring depending on where you're coming from and what your situation is.

[00:30:32] Amanda: Well, at the same time, wrestling with all of the potentially negative. impacts that can come from also immigrating to the United States. 

And I think 

[00:30:42] Amanda: that comes up for probably most, if not all folks who immigrate here. It's like, yes, on the one hand we can see what America has to offer us. And at the same time, there are also so many ways that we as individuals or culture, et cetera, can be impacted , by making that transition to a [00:31:00] new country.

[00:31:00] Amanda: So I'm glad you, I'm glad you highlighted that. All right. So my final recommendation. America Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, written by Jose Antonio. Antonio, I'm sorry, Vargas. And when I was looking up a little bit about Vargas, I was quickly overwhelmed with just all the All of the stuff that he's accomplished and all of the things he's involved in.

[00:31:28] Amanda: So I'm just going to give like a pretty brief overview of who he is and what he's gotten up to, but definitely encourage you to hop online and do some of your own research because he really does all the things. So, , he was born in the Philippines, so he's not first gen. He himself immigrated here, , and was sent to live with his grandparents.

[00:31:47] Amanda: Here in the United States when he was 12 and dear America, , is a memoir. And so it tells the story of the fact that when he got here, he never got authorization [00:32:00] to stay permanently and therefore became an undocumented immigrant, which we'll get to in a second. , he obviously grew up here and went on to accomplish great things.

[00:32:09] Amanda: As of right now, he is a. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. He is an Emmy nominated filmmaker and a Tony nominated theatrical producer. Very different worlds. Yeah. Yeah. , so he literally kind of has his hands in everything. He also, I think I read that he, he, Either co founded or is somehow involved with like a sneaker line, like a shoe line that he's a part of.

[00:32:35] Amanda: , he has founded a non profit called Define America, which is like an immigrant storytelling organization. , so he really has just done so much. , In terms of, his writing and the things that he's produced. So he wrote Dear America, obviously. And then he is in the process of writing and publishing a book also coming out next year, 2025, which is white is not a country, , which [00:33:00] sounds compelling just from the title.

[00:33:01] Amanda: And I will probably have to check it out. So, , he has two books in the works or one, one book in the work, one book that's been published. , And then he's also, like I mentioned before, so he wrote or produced, I'm sorry, and directed. , a documentary, a feature film called documented about the undocumented experience of a lot of immigrants to our country.

[00:33:20] Amanda: And then I have heard of this play, but I haven't seen it. , the play that he was Tony nominated for was what the constitution means to me. And he was one of the people who produced it. So I thought, I thought that was very cool. Especially as a theater person. I was like, Oh my gosh. , so yeah, again, just like an insanely accomplished, well rounded individual.

[00:33:42] Amanda: So his book, Dear America published in 2018, it's a shorter book, only 256 pages. And another, above four star rating on Goodreads 4. 3. So all of the books we've recommended today, , I think all of them are four stars. I actually 

[00:33:59] Kelsey: don't think [00:34:00] I added in. All for Black Cake was. It was. . 

[00:34:03] Amanda: All for Kite Runner.

[00:34:05] Kelsey: I'll just, yeah. 

[00:34:06] Amanda: All right. You can look it up while I'm, I'm continuing. So yeah. And so it's a memoir. So it's telling the story of essentially what it was like for him living here illegally. , Oh, it also, okay. So black cake also has four, 4. 3 

runner, Kite runner, 

[00:34:19] Amanda: Kite runner, sorry. Yeah. Three. 4. 3. Okay. So the same as Dear America.

[00:34:23] Amanda: So yeah, these are all like four stars and above folks. So, you know, we're recommending quality things. , Good shit. Okay. So, , yeah, it tells his story of what it was like living here as an undocumented immigrant. He actually, He came here when he was 12, but didn't find out until he was 16, that he was living here illegally.

[00:34:42] Amanda: And he found out because he had gone to get his driver's license, , in California, that's where he was living. And when he tried to use the paperwork that he had to get his driver's license, they were like, yeah, this isn't real. So that's when he found out. And obviously it was very shocking for him and upsetting.

[00:34:59] Amanda: [00:35:00] And the rest of the memoir kind of talks about, What his life was like after that realization, he ended up getting introduced to journalism and involved in journalism based on an English teacher that he had in high school. And that's what really kicked off his career and writing. And then of course, he's gone on to be a huge advocate and activist for immigrants, , in the United States.

[00:35:22] Amanda: And, , I do have a quote from him that I'm going to share. Cause I think it really kind of sums up a bit about the book and what it means. So this is a quote from Vargas and it says, this is not a book about the politics of immigration. This book at its core is not about immigration at all, at all.

[00:35:42] Amanda: This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but in the unsettled, unmoored, psychological state. That undocumented immigrants like myself find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen [00:36:00] about families, keeping them together and having to make new ones.

[00:36:02] Amanda: When you can't, this book is about constantly hiding from the government and in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. And I don't know, I think, you know, he summed it up much better than I ever could, which is why I wanted to share that. And I think it does touch on one of those big overarching themes that I think probably touches on the lives of a lot of immigrants, which is , where do I belong?

And , 

[00:36:25] Amanda: what is my true home? Cause you are existing in this in between space where technically you've come to live here and America is now your home, but also home Is another country and you often have a lot of relatives and families still living there. And yeah, that sense of displacement.

[00:36:43] Amanda: And I think he sums that up really beautifully. And so, yeah, the, the memoir really just dives into, , all of those things that I just mentioned. , again, it's incredibly well written. , he clearly is a skilled writer and has had a lot of experience in the field and, , I still think about this book sometimes.

[00:36:59] Amanda: And [00:37:00] one of the ways I think about it. So this is going to sound like a tangent, but I promise it's not. So I am a speedy driver. , I don't like going slow and, , I'm like, I'm like a safe driver, but I, I never go just the speed limit. I like, I'm always five or 10 over maybe sometimes more. , and in the book, he tells this story because he, Is it an undocumented immigrant?

[00:37:22] Amanda: And if he gets pulled over 

right 

[00:37:25] Amanda: while driving and they're like checking his documents, we ended up getting kind of fake documents like forged and things like that to get by. And he's like, if I get pulled over and they have to run my license, et cetera, they're going to find out that I'm here.

[00:37:37] Amanda: Illegally, and I can get deported. And so whenever he's driving, he's like super cautious. Like it's always going exactly the speed limit. Like, you know, everything is by the book. And so whenever I am like out driving and I'm like behind someone who's really slow and I'm getting frustrated, I'm like, Amanda, stop for a second.

[00:37:55] Amanda: You don't know what their story is. You don't know, you know, what's going on with him. And I [00:38:00] often think about. That particular incident from the book before I'm like ready to just be like, get out of my way. I'm like, you don't know, maybe like this could be someone who literally can't afford to go over the speed limit.

[00:38:10] Amanda: Cause it could be a matter of staying in this country or getting deported. , but all that to say great book. And it really opened my eyes to an entire population. of folks here in our country that often get overlooked or dismissed or demonized, right? Depending on who you're talking to or listening to.

[00:38:28] Amanda: And, , so I highly encourage folks to check out this book and learn a bit more about the undocumented experience in this country. Yeah. 

[00:38:36] Kelsey: I have a question. You put in your notes, he's the most famous undocumented immigrant in America. 

[00:38:42] Amanda: What did that mean? So basically it's exactly what it sounds like because he is such a huge figure now and is so well known.

[00:38:51] Amanda: , that's the moniker he has. And the reason why it's kind of tongue in cheek is because generally if you're undocumented, you don't want people to know who you are, right? You want to fly under the [00:39:00] radar. You want to stay far away from, you know, ice and other organizations. And so it is, , surprising, , that he ended up in a position that's so visible when it could have resulted in him getting deported.

[00:39:14] Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. So he was 

well known before while he was 

[00:39:19] Amanda: undocumented. Well, he was well known when, I mean, when the book came out, I don't, so that was the thing. I remember looking this up after I had read the books. I think when he wrote the book. The understanding was that, , he could stay here, but if he leaves to go home to, like, visit his mom in the Philippines, like, he can't come back, 

[00:39:37] Amanda: , 

[00:39:37] Amanda: I think.

[00:39:37] Amanda: And again, I apologize if someone has read this book more recently than I did, and it's like, no, that's not the case. But, , yeah, he's in a very strange place, , in terms of his status. Yeah. 

Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:39:47] Amanda: Yeah. It also made me think a little bit about Lobisona, right? Which is also an immigrant story and which I 

[00:39:55] Kelsey: was, I was like, dang, I couldn't, I couldn't use it.

[00:39:58] Kelsey: Yeah. 

[00:39:58] Amanda: And it really [00:40:00] ties into that constant threat when you're living here as an undocumented immigrant, like any moment I could be found out and like that just constant stress 

and 

[00:40:08] Amanda: fear. Yeah. Yeah. 

[00:40:10] Kelsey: , 

[00:40:10] Kelsey: Kind of caveat. 



[00:40:13] Kelsey: , I wanted to say, cause you just said it, but just highlight it again, 

is 

[00:40:18] Kelsey: that, , if we're ever wrong about something, always feel free to tell us, we love that back and forth.

[00:40:27] Kelsey: And if we're learning something, that's totally the point of what we're doing here. 

[00:40:31] Amanda: Yeah. Right. 

[00:40:32] Kelsey: , so we, we appreciate that it's not, , harmful or attacking in any way, , I , suppose depending on how you do it, but yeah, just let us know. We're definitely open to that feedback is what I'm saying. 

[00:40:44] Amanda: I love that.

[00:40:45] Amanda: Yeah. Like we are not experts by any means, and we are as educators, I know this might not be true for all educators, but for us, like we are here to learn and grow and if we have gotten something wrong, even if it's for something that's. Maybe less serious. Like, Oh, you got this character's name [00:41:00] wrong or plot point.

[00:41:00] Amanda: Like tell us. 

[00:41:02] Amanda: In summary, my two buck recommendations were a woman is no man by ETOF. And Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas.

[00:41:14] Kelsey: And mine were Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson and The Kite Runner by Khalid Hus Oh, God.

[00:41:24] Kelsey: Hosseini. Yes. I think that's what it was. Khalid Hosseini. Okay. I practice. I promise. She did. I can vouch for her. 

[00:41:31] Amanda: , some of these names just throw us. Yes. Sometimes. Okay. So if you, yeah, if you have read these books and want to share your thoughts, If you are going to read them, let us know. 

Definitely 

[00:41:44] Amanda: let us know.

[00:41:45] Amanda: Yeah, we really want to engage in conversation for their conversations around these. And Kelsey mentioned them at the beginning of the episode, but as a reminder, you can engage in conversation with us on our socials. So Instagram at Lit Vibes only underscore podcast and Tik [00:42:00] Tok at Lit Vibes only podcast.

[00:42:02] Amanda: You can also check out videos of these episodes, , at Lit Vibes only podcast on YouTube. , but please, please comment, please share your own recommendations for books that are about immigrant stories and that celebrate immigrant authors. We're happy to share listener racks. We've done that already and we want to do it again.

[00:42:20] Amanda: So let us know books that you've read that are great. That also, , Tie into our quote unquote heritage this month and , yeah, that we made up and then again, final plug, you've got five days, use them wisely, write that review, rate us on one of those major podcast platforms and get your sticker. Send us your 

[00:42:43] Kelsey: address.

[00:42:44] Kelsey: Yeah. 

[00:42:44] Amanda: This is it. I'm going to be so sad that you're not one of the really cool 

[00:42:49] Kelsey: folks 

[00:42:51] Amanda: who are sporting their amazing sticker. , alrighty. That is all for us. Thank you for joining and we'll see you next Monday. Bye. Bye. [00:43:00]