Here We Are by Aarti Shahani

Let me say right up front that I am in awe of Here We Are, by Aarti Shahani.  The quality of the writing. The bravery in telling an intimate family story that isn't always flattering.  And, the earnestness of the inquiry she undergoes to understand her own story.

You will laugh at times, cringe at times and generally be moved by this powerful personal story.  But that is not why I recommend you read this book. I recommend you read Here We Are to inspire your humanity.  

Aarti traces her family history from India's partition, through Casablanca to Queens.  Through the family narrative, the reader confronts powerful injustices of colonialism, racism, and gender discrimination.   And, most powerfully, the intergenerational journey of one family as representative of so many other American immigration stories.

Read Here We Are to have a more human centered view of the immigration policy discussion.  I read it just before Open Borders by Bryan Caplan, an ten-thousand foot view of immigration from an economist.  While the academic case for more immigration appealed to my head, Aarti's moving story shook my core.  

I believe the debate on immigration, and justice in America, benefits from both approaches.  But if I could place one book in the hands of the policy makers considering how to write laws that uplift the American collective, it would be Here We Are.   Numbers, charts and graphs cannot stir the body the way an intensely personal, brave narrative does.