“America Like Me: Reflections of Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera and other authors

In honor of yesterday’s fourth of July holiday, I would like to recommend “America Like Me: Reflections of Life Between Cultures” which is a collection of essays written by 32 different actors, performers, writers and athletes. Spear-headed by the award winning actress and political activist America Ferrera, the book is a wonderful treasure-chest full of poignant and often heart-breaking true-life stories collected from her friends. The theme is what does it feel like to be an American yet also share your personal identity with another culture. With parents raised in Honduras, Ferrera describes eating tamales alongside apple pie at Christmas time and how those traditions formed who she is today. You get to see how much Michelle Kwan’s parents sacrificed time and money to support their daughter’s ice skating career. After moving from China to the United States to raise a family, they scrimped and saved for years just so Michelle could have the best training and the most beautiful skating dresses on the ice. Other authors and friends of Ferrera include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Uzo Aduba, Randal Park, Issa Rae and Roxane Gay. Many of the stories, written by children and grandchildren of immigrants, offer insight and depth into what it means to want to be accepted and independent at the same time. The Latino Book Review highlighted this anthology calling it, “an important narrative of humanizing each other through storytelling during a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric is vitriolic and dangerous.” To purchase this book on Amazon click here.