Book 1 Post 1

 

Book 1 Post 1

While perusing the suggested list of books the professor had provided, one book in particular stuck out to me. American Like Me, edited by America Ferrera is the book that I settled upon. Not just because it is the most popular book choice for this assignment, but because I could strongly relate to its subject matter: Reflections on Life Between Cultures. Having grown up in 5 countries–India, Singapore, the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom–I should really be the one doing the reflecting. To put it simply, I chose this book because I felt like it would be about my life. Other (smaller) reasons why I chose this book were: 

• It is composed of 31 short episodes rather than one long, continuous, overstretched story
• It was edited by one of Professor's former students (How cool is that!)
• It was available to checkout at Doheny library (meaning I wouldn't have to buy it or scour the web for a pirated, photocopied version)

As I sat on a wooden chair in Doheny, my attention turned to the introduction section that America wrote. My eyes ran through those first few pages, my hand eagerly waiting to flip the pages, and my mind slowly forgetting about the uncomfortable chair I was on, the people around me, and my worries about the future. I know that I am not into the habit of reading, but this just goes to show how interested I was in those first few words written by America. I was hooked! Her style was free; It felt like she wrote whatever came to her mind without any filtering. This, alongside our shared cultural experience of growing up in the States as a person of color,  was very impactful. I thought to myself, if the introduction had got me lost of my external senses, how fun would reading the book itself be! So then, I started with the first episode and the Starbucks part got me laughing. Having my name spelt and pronounced wrong at Starbucks is something that I've been through multiple times. At this point, I was certain that I had made a great choice, because either this book was meant for me, or I was meant for the book. My hopes from this book are that I get an up close and unfiltered view of other people's experiences being of a different culture in America. I want to know what they have gone through and how they look at the American society. It will surely be an interesting read!