I'm heartbroken over the result of the EU referendum, saddened and angered by the surge in openly racist attacks, and all round worried about the future of the UK. And even before the referendum, who can have missed the discourse around immigrants in recent months, even years? From Prime Minister David Cameron calling refugees seeking shelter from war a "swarm" to Donald Trump's plans to build a wall between Mexico and America and ban all Muslims from entering the US, it can seem like an awful time to not be white.
So The Good Immigrant is both a soothing balm and a fiery call to action against the ugliness of the world today. As
the daughter of immigrants, I have a particular interest in this book,
but this collection of essays is essential reading for all human beings.
It's not a book of essays where non-white people moan about how they're
treated unfairly - it's a collection of nuanced pieces looking at the
immigrant experience, providing a state of the nation and serving as an
eye-opening agent for change. During my reading I laughed, I fought back tears, I nodded in understanding, I got angry, and I also felt inspired.