Ali was born in California to parents who emigrated from Pakistan. This memoir-in-essays covers a range of topics from racism and Islamaphobia to assimilation and politics. It was quite engaging on audio, read by the author, with a good balance of humor, anger, and hope for the future.

3.5 stars
(My rating scale translation: Not a waste of time) ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this. His sense of humor is very entertaining, and right on the mark. We all can learn from this. ( )

Ali tells the story of his family who immigrated from Pakistan in the mid-1960's. He is the only son in his family although he has a large extended family. He recounts his awkwardness as a fat kid, his many near-death experiences, the trauma he experienced when his parents were arrested and when his daughter was diagnosed with liver cancer. He looks at how Americans treat immigrants and other brown people that they encounter, the influence of Trump and how we can hope to create a more inclusive socieity. ( )

I actually didn’t know who Wajahat Ali was before I read his memoir. I’m not sure where I heard about it or who recommended it to me. Whoever it was, thank you!

Ali is the son of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan. He manages to put a humorous spin on the mircroaggressions he faced as a child and the downright aggression he and other Muslims have had to deal with after 9/11. His book will educate white readers about white privilege and they probably won’t even realize it. Or at least they might not get as defensive.

Then, the middle of the book takes an unexpected turn when writes about his parents going to prison for some kind of white-color crime that I didn’t really understand. He had to take over the family business while still in college and had to care for both of his grandmas who were living with his parents. The business did not do well and he and his grandmas were basically homeless at one point. He doesn’t go into detail about the crimes his parents were alleged to have committed because he says that’s their story to tell. I would love it if they wrote a book because I’m very curious to know more!

Ali narrates the audiobook himself, which I think made it funnier than if I had read it in print. Even though he’s not a comedian, his comedic timing is spot on. Recommended. ( )

I knew nothing at all about Wajahat Ali before reading this book, and picked it up based on the title and a good review. Ali's is a classic second generation immigrant story, but marred by the "Ali curse" - and some iffy decisions on his parents' part that landed them in prison for a few years - a twist I was not expecting (and neither was he). He writes about being a student leader at Berkeley when the September 11 attacks happened and becoming a spokesperson for the Muslim student group; about his community turning on his family when his parents were in trouble; about becoming a writer, journalist, and commentator; and about meeting and marrying his wife Sarah, and their daughter having cancer (she survived). Ali wrestles with white America ("what will the people think?") and vacillates between cynicism and optimism. He uses humor effectively, and ultimately remains hopeful that the American dream will remain possible for a new generation.

See also: Conditional Citizens by Laila Lalami

Quotes

Humor...unleashed with purpose, can often help communicate very real, hard truths about American society. (6)

Contrary to popular myths, South Asian immigrants aren't genetically predisposed to academic excellence....The reality is that most people of color learn early in American that we will have to work twice as hard to get half as far, and when we fail, no one will help us fall up. (18)

We spend our entire lives hijacked by "what will people say?" (34) (See also: Homecoming King by Hasan Minhaj)

...in America, if you aren't writing your story, your story will be written for you. If you aren't telling your story, your story will always be told to you. (47)

"Minorities," the rest of us, buy the majority of tickets that keep Hollywood humming and churning out content that ignores us, stereotypes us, and silences us. (67)

The "model minority" myth is a dangerous drug manufactured and promoted by the Whiteness. It ignores all of our diverse experiences and narratives, eliminates all nuances, and lumps us with a convenient stereotype that always renders us as foreigners. (89)

See also: America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States by Erika Lee (90)
1965 Immigration and Nationality Act

The chairman of the 9/11 Commission eventually admitted that racial and religious profiling is inherently dangerous and ineffective counterterrorism policy. (109)

"perceptions make truth" (149)

The dominant culture is white and Judeo-Christian, and everyone who isn't part of that tribe is just assumed to know everything about it, because privilege is often blind to its own power and to those around them who lack it. (167)

If we are to be honest with ourselves, the group that has historically played identity politics is white voters, and the rest of us have been hijacked by their rage, fear, and anxiety. Theirs are the grievances of "regular Americans from the heartland." When we voice our concerns, we are "playing the race card," engaging in victimhood, not pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, abusing political correctness, and enforcing cancel culture and affirmative action. (203)

...deferring to a solitary hero or leader to save us from all our problems brings us authoritarians and strongmen....When people come together around shared values, investing their time and talents to create solutions to a problem, that's when movement and change happen. (216)

The challenge for America is whether or not it will live up to its narrative of being a sanctuary, a haven for all, a place where anyone can come and achieve success and freedoms. (227) ( )