The new Americans
Rubén Martínez ; photographs by Joseph Rodríguez.
- New York New Press Distributed by Norton c2004.
- viii, 251 p. ill. 21 cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Palestine to Chicago : Naima Saddeh and Hatem Abudayyeh ; The narrative of exile : Mahmoud Darwish -- Nigeria to Chicago : Israel and Ngozi Nwidor, and Barine Wiwa-Lawani ; The narrative of exile : Ken Saro-Wiwa -- Dominican Republic to Great Falls : Ricardo Rodríguez and José García ; The narrative of exile : Juan Luis Guerra -- Mexico to Mecca : the Flores family ; The narrative of exile : Los Tigres del Norte and Manu Chao -- India to Silicon Valley : Anjan Bacchu and Harshini Radhakrishnan ; The narrative of exile : Mira Nair.
Spanning four continents and several years in the lives of seven immigrant families, The New Americans is at once the most globe-trotting and intimate introduction to the new American immigration. Emmy award-winning journalist Ruben Martinez's "powerful and perceptive chronicle" (Booklist) lyrically recounts the dramatic voyages and day-to-day experiences of a small group of families who were featured in the PBS documentary of the same name. They come from Mexico, Nigeria, Palestine, India, and the Dominican Republic, and wind up in Chicago, Montana, Silicon Valley, and the California badlands. Their stories-told with "enthralling" (Publisher's Weekly) literary skill, and illustrated with stunning portraits from award-winning photographer Joseph Rodriguez-paint a portrait of the new, multicultural America. Martinez weaves his own family's moving immigrant history into the book, and essays on the films of Indian American director Mira Nair, the contemporary corridors of Mexican border musicians Los Tigres del Norte, and other immigrant artists explore the ways the new immigrant culture is transforming the United States.