Book 1 Post 2

American Like Me has been one of the easiest reads I have enjoyed. Not because it is short or lacks depth, but because each story follows another interesting one. Rather than telling their life story, I get to learn about snippets of their lives that led to the development of their identity. It felt at first that I was going to read a similar story about 100 times and start slowing down. However, what stood out to me the most through each story was the voice coming from the words. I could tell that there was emotion and each story came from a special place. Writers used comedy, personification, a brief snapshot, or a description of their years in high school. Eventually, I read from some people's beginnings, endings, and everything in between. It helped to be able to relate to the stories and see how a piece of someone's life reflected on mine.

I never thought about my life growing up as in depth as each writer did. Closing the book, I had more of an urge to better understand my upbringing and my parents. My mom was a first-generation immigrant from Japan. Her mom worked two jobs while her dad was in the Navy. Growing up, it was mostly just her and her two brothers.  She was the middle of the three but from what she told me, acted as the oldest and took care of them. She went to UCSD and was the second to graduate after the oldest. Luckily for me, her growth allowed my life to be significantly easier. I instead grew in a middle-class suburb and had the freedom to enjoy living in San Diego. My mom was able to pick me up from school and I didn't have the same worries she had growing up. I can appreciate more what she did for me and what her mom did for her. I will never truly experience the trouble that they both had settling in America, yet I feel that I can better understand what they went through. 

I recommend this book to anyone that hasn't read it. It's not important whether you or someone in your family moved to America, but that you can keep an open mind about the vast differences of "American" culture.  It's easy to assume that American culture is just NFL, hotdogs, and McDonalds, but it is a variety of cultures that can coexist and integrate with each other. I felt that I was able to connect with almost every story even though I did not have the same cultures, religions, or parents. I think that it what made each one amazing. Even if you do not finish the book, even just a few stories can be insightful.