As I read the story of Ms. Shahani's family and their struggles in the U.S., I was deeply moved. My grandparents came to America from Italy a bit over a century ago, and my awareness of that family history has kept me involved with immigrants for many years. Sadly, the obstacles she and her family experienced are common, not unusual at all. The toll our incomprehensible and racially biased systems take on people of color are all too evident in this memoir. So are the pride immigrants take in becoming residents and citizens of the U.S. Her memoir gripped me, the ups and downs, the tragedies, the labyrinth of laws and regulations all somewhat familiar from advocating for immigrants, but none ever told in all its complexity. The story Ms. Shahani tells deserves a wide readership. ( )

NPR correspondent Aarti Namdev Shahani shares her families American-Dream-turned-Nightmare, in this moving memoir.
From the 1980s to the implementation of ICE in America- this story is a powerful voice for a family who were silenced for so long. It is as inspiring as it is heart breaking, blurring the lines between “passion and duty”, having an identity, and answering the question “where is home?”

Shahani’s father is wrongfully convicted- a truth she finds out years too late when she meets with the retired judge of her fathers case.
Time after time, the Shahani family is hit with bad luck, where the very structure of the country they call home bends to kick them out.
Told from her own perspective, Aarti shares her journey from child immigrant to American citizen, from scholarship student to socialism activist, to NPR Correspondent; and that of her family as she reflects on the life of her father- a man once estranged by tradition, work and prison, to becoming her best friend.

Aarti gives up her dream of becoming a prosecutor and works in IT in legal aide by day, and fights for immigrant rights by night- standing tall, bullhorn in hand, to speak for those who are wrongfully muted.
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This was a powerful story and it took longer than usual for me to finish, because of the complexity and heaviness of it. Shahani writes so well, dishing out some hard realities - but sprinkling in the moments of love and laughter that come with having a close knit family. I loved how frank Shahani was when describing the relationships within her family as they changed over the years of hardship that they endured- explaining cultural expectations and attitudes that made up the core of who her parents are.
I truly think everyone needs to read this. Too often people believe injustice and corruption exist only overseas, and refuse to see it in their own backward; but the issues in this book are both current and yet old.

A big thanks to @celadonbooks for the review copy #partner #readhereweare

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These are the types of stories that are left unspoken in many immigration debates. Aarti Shahani's story is raw and personal. The passion she has for her family and ambitions are demonstrated well in this tribute. The book reads like a conversation to the reader with topic running into topic but she brings up some great points. A notable one is how our prisons are designed to keep people in for unnecessarily long time periods with inadequate rehabilitation. Her father was disproportionately penalized for the crimes he was associated with. Shahani reflects on how these systems have impacted her. ( )