America Is Immigrants

August 12, 2019
In this inspiring collection of page-long biographies, accompanied by portraits, novelist Novic (Girl at War) and illustrator Kolesar tell the stories of immigrants to the U.S. from roughly 200 countries. The sheer scope of the profiles, along with the vivid illustrations, gives depth and meaning to a phrase thrown around frequently in response to the Trump administration’s treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants. Those profiled include celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (from Ethiopia by way of Sweden); Albert Einstein (from Germany); Lhakpa Sherpa (from Nepal), the first woman to summit Mount Everest; Peggielene Bartels, ruler of her Ghanaian hometown and administrative assistant in the Ghanaian embassy in Washington, D.C.; 9/11 first responder Mohammad Salman Hamdani (from Pakistan); Louisa Benson Craig, who led an army and won beauty pageants in her native Myanmar before moving to the U.S. and becoming an advocate for refugees; and artists and entertainers galore. Readers who can look past the way the book’s framing glosses over Native Americans’ experiences and contributions will find this stirring collection easy to dip into and appropriate for all ages.

September 1, 2019
As the title suggests, this book shows how profound and pervasive the immigrant influence has been on American life. Scratch beneath the surface of nearly any facet of what is considered American culture, and you'll likely find the imprint of someone who came to the country from somewhere else. Such is the lesson of this collaboration between novelist Novic (Girl at War, 2015), who was born and raised in America within an immigrant family, and illustrator Kolesar, who emigrated from Scotland. Here, they celebrate more than 200 individuals, with capsule biographies of no more than a page and full-color portraits that attest to the cultural diversity and vitality of the immigrant influence. "There are 193 member states in the United Nations; this book contains at least one person from each of them," states the introduction. One two-page spread on "Classic American Products" pays tribute to those responsible for Levi's, hamburgers, Nathan's hot dogs, Carvel ice cream, and Chevrolet, all-American iconography that owes its genesis to Germany, Denmark, Poland, Greece, and Switzerland, respectively. The all-American Chef Boyardee was known in his native Italy as Ettore Boiardi. After the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, when he "famously quipped to his doctors, 'Please tell me you're Republicans, ' " three members of his medical team were from Malaysia, "Nicaragua/Mexico," and "a refugee of Nazi Germany...raised in an American orphanage." Lest anyone think this is a work of partisan ideology, among those celebrated is "the only naturalized citizen ever to become First Lady, Melania Trump," balanced a couple of pages later by Hungarian refugee and billionaire human rights activist George Soros. As the narrative clearly shows, from music to fine arts, from the stage to the big screen, from scientific discoveries to athletic records, the history of American culture is impossible to record without significant immigrant representation. A book that makes its point over and over again without belaboring it.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2019
In this illustrated collection of microbiographies, Novic, author of the Alex Awarding-winning Girl at War (2016), showcases the contributions of immigrants from all over the world on all facets of American success. Scientists, artists, performers, activists, athletes, and politicians populate the pages, while keen illustrations by Kolesar bring these exemplary Americans even further to life. The author is quick to address the critical role of two nonimmigrant groups in the fabric of American society: Native populations and enslaved peoples who arrived in this land against their will. Some particularly memorable profiles include those of architect Fazlur Rahman Khan, actor Sydney Poitier, and composer-performer Tsidii Le Loka, known for originating the role of Rafiki in The Lion King on Broadway. Many of the personalities profiled might come as a surprise to readers; it's often forgotten that American icons Dave Matthews, Kat Von D, Mila Kunis, Gene Simmons, and Jerry Springer are immigrants as well. Illuminating and timely.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)