6 Best Books About Immigration

Lara Rosales

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Book cover for "Sanctuary" with the drawing of a girl, "They Called Us Enemy" with the drawing of a boy looking over his shoulder, and "The Other Americans" with orange flowers.

One can turn to literature at any given point in their lives. Whether it’s for joy or sadness, books will always be there to help you see you’re not alone. If there is a situation you are struggling through, chances are there is at least one character going through the same thing. You must pay close attention to find the perfect book for your situation. 

Immigration can be a difficult time in people’s lives. You can’t understand how tough it can get unless you go through it. Luckily, literature is there to understand, relate and show you a world that might be similar to yours. The list of books about immigration is endless, offering several versions of what it is like to be an immigrant in the world.

Here are six of the best books about immigration to help you navigate your own situation or to help you understand the trials and tribulation of being an immigrant. 

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1. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Book cover for "The Joy Luck Club" with the drawing of two women hugging.

The Joy Luck Club tells the story of four mothers and their families after they immigrated from China in 1949 to San Francisco. They get together to play mahjong and talk about the life they left behind and the life they are building in this new country. They give themselves the name Joy Luck Club.

The daughters of these women believe nothing their mothers tell them can relate to the lives they are now leading in America. However, they start to realize a lot of their issues are a reflection of their mothers’ past. This book about immigration is full of complexity and mystery.

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2. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Book cover for "They Called Us Enemy" with people in line and a little boy looking back over his shoulder.

Before becoming a world-renowned actor for his work on Star Trek, George Takei was imprisoned during World War II in an American internment camp. In his graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, he tells the story of his life after, at the age of four, he and his family were forced to leave their home country.

In 1942, President Roosevelt ordered every person of Japanese descent living on the West Coast to be sent to relocation centers. There, these families were held for four years under armed guard. Takei tells the story as he remembers it, showcasing the different terrors he went through as a child under legalized racism.

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3. The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle

Book cover for "The Tortilla Curtain" with the drawing of a cactus behind red and blue stripes.

Books about immigration often highlight the different lives citizens and immigrants lead. In The Tortilla Curtain, that is exactly what T.C. Boyle does. On the one hand, there is a liberal couple, Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher — a writer and a realtor. On the other hand, there is a couple of Mexican illegals, Cándido and América Rincón, who are trying their best to achieve the American Dream. 

Even though they are at opposite ends of life in America, an accident brings Cándido and Delaney together. After having to come in close contact, the four individuals have their lives intersect in a tragicomedy and a long list of misunderstandings.

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4. We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Book cover for "We Are Not From Here" with a person in a red hat and a blue jacket.

Many immigrants decide to leave their home country behind because of the danger they are in. In We Are Not From Here, Jenny Torres Sanchez tells the story of Pulga, Chico and Pequeña, three individuals who decide to leave their community’s dangers behind and go after freedom by crossing the border.

The novel is based on a story from the headlines as the three of them leave Guatemala and cross the Mexico-United States border through the La Bestia route. Following this system of trains, the three of them leave with a backpack and hope for a better future. Even though the road ahead is dangerous, they hope the result will be better than the life they leave behind.

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5. Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

Book cover for "Sanctuary" with the drawing of a girl in a blue shirt and with long black hair.

There are books about immigration that discuss what happens when people must leave their countries due to their government. Even though Sanctuary is set in a dystopian future, its story can be quite relatable to many readers. A young girl and her brother leave their country behind to find sanctuary to escape a xenophobic government.

Vali and her family live in an America in which everyone and everything is chipped and tracked. This makes it harder to be an undocumented immigrant, but her family has made it work with counterfeit chips. However, when her mom’s chip begins to malfunction, the Deportation Forces arrive, and the family must flee.

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6. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami

Book cover for "The Other American" with the drawing of orange flowers.

The Other Americans is the story of Driss Guerraoui, a Morrocan immigrant in California, death. He is killed by a speeding car that brings his daughter, a jazz composer, his widow, an undocumented witness, his daughter’s friend, a neighbor, and the detective together. Each character has their own story, which enriches the murder investigation.

Even though they all believe to be completely different due to their race, religion and class, as they tell their stories, they realize there are several connections between them. Laila Lalami tells the story of a town’s hypocrisy, love and unpredictability.

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Lara Rosales

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