Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home

Written by Adi Alsaid

Narrated by Amielynn Abellera, Leila Buck, Maria Liatis and 3 more

WELCOME

From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah…from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey…from Fiji, America, Mexico and more… Come On In.

With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands…who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL…who give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question “where are you from?” and so much more… Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience, from authors who have been shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705011171

Adi Alsaid

Born and raised in Mexico City, Adi Alsaid is the author of several young adult novels including Let's Get Lost, We Didn't Ask For This, and North of Happy, a Kirkus Best Book nominee. He's also the editor of Come On In: 15 stories of immigration and finding home . He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two cats, where he occasionally spills hot sauce on things (and cats).

Reviews for Come On In

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Come On In, an anthology of short stories compiled by Adi Alsaid, places the reader into the lives of immigrants living in or coming to the United States.

Fifteen different stories. Different countries. Americans who are called immigrants but only know America as home. People leaving family hoping for something better, knowing they'll never see their homes or families again. The variety of stories are real--they reflect the people of the world and the people of the United States. Each story, however, is about identity, about place. How does "place" help define who we are? How does "place" make people feel justified to judge?

I found each story to be beautiful in its own way, whether the message or the writing moved me, they all brought emotion. Obviously, I can't discuss fifteen stories, but I would like to share two. In "First Words," by Varsha Bajaj, Priya's family moves to the United States hoping for better help with her younger brother Rishi, who was born with a hearing impairment. Priya finds kindness in one girl, Jane, but Priya can't finds words to speak. She's afraid of being laughed at again after being laughed at the first day of school due to a vocabulary mixup. She knows home and her family; she doesn't know this place. How can she find herself in this new place? Her brother, with the disability, does well. It's his advice and Jane's encouragement that allows Priya to start finding herself in this place. I like this story because it's about words. Priya can't bring much with her, but she brings a couple of favorite books. It's the librarian hosting a book club about one of these books that allows Priya to find her first words. It's a beautiful story about knowing oneself and finding the confidence to speak from this knowledge.

The other story titled "Hard to Say" by Sharon Morse presents the opposite experience. Valentina moved from Venezuela when she was six and, even though Spanish was her first language, she remembers very little of it. Her grandparents are able to get out of Venezuela and come to the United States to live with them. Valentina has forgotten much of her Spanish and is unable to communicate with her grandparents. Her sister was older when they came to the US and has kept up with them on the phone because she speaks fluent Spanish. When the grandparents arrive, Valentina feels separated because she knows little of what is being said. It's only when grandmother bridges the gap with the language of art that they find their connection. Valentina's world had always been the US in her memories; this connection allows her to find memories from the past that help her find a beginning, a place for her in this "new" family.

It would be wrong to not mention the challenges that come with immigrating to the United States. For those who have only lived in the US or only remember the US, how does one answer, "Where are you really from?" In "Where I'm From," Eriko finds it rude that people ask this question and replies, "Minneapolis." Isn't this the essential question for every American? She truly identifies as American, which she is, but she's also Japanese. Her father gives her an interesting perspective about "we" (Americans) and their own Japanese heritage. Several stories present the lives of people living undocumented in the United States and the fears accompanying that reality. This situation is especially relevant now as ICE has amped up finding people, and the government implies many immigrants are less than human. In the end, the stories reveal the humanity of every person and the struggles of trying to find or build "home" despite fear, prejudice, and/or perceived or self-imposed expectation. The beauty of these stories allows the reader to wish the best for humanity as we all seek life and identity without judgement but with love and acceptance in this place we call the United States.