When Neil Diamond belts his epic anthem “America,” I get chills.
From when it was first released in 1980 to when I saw A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical on Broadway just the other day (loved it!).
Chills every time.
|
|
Our Story
It’s not just because Diamond is such a fabulous performer.
This song is my family's story, and maybe yours as well.
My parents immigrated to the United States from India when I was six months old in the late 1960s. The lyrics hit home.
|
|
The American Dream Surreal Scale
|
|
So, when I was invited to the literal White House last week in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month, well, cue the music.
(Though I confess to having briefly thought about that hilarious new TV show Jury Duty and wondering if I was Ronald and everyone else might be actors ... that's just how surreal the whole thing was!)
|
|
Yes, we’ve been traveling far, indeed.
It was a beautiful experience in which I felt proud to represent my Indian heritage and my family.
|
|
In the White House, I kept thinking of my parents navigating a new language, culture, family structure, accent, economy, geography, climate, government, cuisine, holiday schedule, currency, and set of parenting challenges
Everything. They had to figure out EVERYTHING. With no safety net.
|
|
Keep in mind, this was a pre-Mindy / Kamala / Namesake / Preet / Priyanka / Aziz / Lilly / Hasan / Kal world.
If they saw a brown person walking down the street, they literally became friends with them. Times were different.
|
|
The older I get, the less I understand how they did it.
|
|
Telling Everyone's Stories
|
|
Back at the White House, before introducing his new series AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) shared his poignant journey to America. President Biden listened with care and admiration.
Quan's story was his own and yet, so many of ours.
|
|
After that, with White House popcorn and movie snacks (really!), it was thrilling to watch the first episode of Disney+ series American Born Chinese. It is funny and action-filled, featuring a star-studded cast; check out the awesome trailer - it releases May 24!.
|
|
I am so happy more of our stories are being shared. And I am so grateful to the storytellers, executives, and investors making it happen.
I can not imagine what it would have been like to grow up in a world where my parents' story was represented and where I could learn so many other stories.
I am beyond grateful that my kids are.
|
|
While I will never understand how my parents did it, I think my own immigration journey had something to do with books.
Books were always in our home. They helped me decode a world that I did not always understand growing up as an Indian-American kid.
Slang. Cultural references. Historical touchpoints. Things my classmates just soaked up at home, I got through books (and tv and movies!).
|
|
Maybe that is why I feel so at home in a room full of books, even one as daunting as the Library Room at the White House.
|
|
All these surreal moments had me deep in my reflections and got me thinking about a question.
Maybe, we are all immigrants in the changing world of 2023.
What if we all looked at the world we live in as if we were immigrants trying to figure out a new place (with that new place actually being the place we think we already know)?
We might read more stories about people different than us and delve into knowledge we don't organically have access to.
|
|
So, that's my challenge for myself and for you: What if we all read like we were new here?
|
|
Read Like You Are New Here
|
|
So, from this little Indian-American girl who has yet to return to Earth from a heady trip to the White House, here is the Dear Good People mid-year book buzz issue.
It is packed with so many new books that I am excited to read. I hope you find one – or many – that help you decode the "new" world we live in.
(Before we dive in, one more White House photos that made me smile - looks like Presidents and their spouses like cute pet photos decorating their home as much as the rest of us!)
|
|
Build Your Courage and Skills
|
|
Decode Gender Programming
|
|
Justice Requires Rest and Joy
|
|
The Past Illuminates the Present
|
|
Fiction Offers Us Windows and Mirrors
|
|
Lone Women by Victor LaValle (March 29, 2023)
Flux: A Novel by Jinwoo Chong (March 21, 2023)
Rogue Justice: A Thriller (Avery Keene #2) by Stacey Abrams (May 23, 2023)
The Covenant of Water: A Novel by Abraham Verghese (May 2, 2023)
|
|
Biographies Create Dimension
|
|
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig (May 16, 2023)
MA IN ALL CAPS: A MA-MOIR by Jay Kuo (forthcoming, 2023)
|
|
Think Through Topical Issues
|
|
Please share with others
I hope you found a book that will help you decode our changing world. I love the idea of reading like we are new here (wherever that might be for you). Let me know what you picked!
And, as always, my goal in this newsletter is to offer you free, bite-sized, evidence-based, action-oriented, zeitgeisty tips on how to be more inclusive. I bet there are some great past issues you missed - you can check out all of them right here.
Forward this issues to others and if you aren’t a subscriber, you can hit the subscribe button below!
PS: Want to see more White House pictures? More from this visit here and and a previous one here.
|
|
Photo Credits: Neil Diamond poster, Hamilton meme, American Born Chinese , Mindy, Kamala, Priyanka, Namesake, Preet, Aziz, Lilly, Hasan, Kal , personal images and Canva created images.
Special Thanks: Much love to CJ Singh for convincing me to rearrange life for this special opportunity and covering things on the homefront. Thank you to Samantha Ng and Emily Koh for the wonderful opportunities. And deep appreciation to Anna McMullen for her partnership in bringing you yet another issue of Dear Good People.
|
|
|
|