Let’s Read! Bout of Books 25

Hey all! Good news – school is done!

I’m officially finished with all my assignments and I’ll be graduating next month, then facing the job market. But until then, I suddenly have lots of time to read so I’ll be showing up more here and participating in my favourite readathon – Bout of Books!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 25 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

You can read at your own pace, which is perfectly fine with me. I’ve currently got 5 books on the go so I’ll try to finish a few of those, and get some long overdue reviews set up for the blog.

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Grad School Rush to the Finish

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I’ve checked in, huh?

I officially have less than 2 weeks left of grad school! I’ve been really busy and I still have a lot on my plate so I won’t be back regularly yet but I just wanted to share a quick update, especially since this might be the last ever Grad School Rush feature.

Review: America Deconstructed by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin

I’ve talked about this book a few times on the blog but I’m so glad I now get the chance to review it, after first hearing about this two years ago! The authors have put a lot of work into these stories and now the release date is so close! Read on for my thoughts and how you can get your hands on the book, coming out next month:

America Deconstructed by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin
Genre: Non-fiction | Short Stories
Release date: February 12th, 2019

Naseer was nine years old when he escaped Taliban and fled Afghanistan. His story, “There are some people who are coming to take me away”, chronicles the resilience of a nine year old boy as he traveled from Afghanistan to America in his quest for the American dream.

“I saw a ripe mango I’d like to pluck” showcases the love story of Chidibere and Ifeyinwa and their struggles with language, culture and being African in America.

In the story “Kosovo, really…cool”, Lisian takes us through his journey to America and often being asked his identity in spite of being white.

In the story, “I am exotic, mocha, P-diddy”, Parag describes his journey from a young sixth grader who hid his attraction to boys in conservative India to embracing his sexuality in America.

America Deconstructed follows the journeys of sixteen immigrants as they maneuver cultural differences, accents and uncomfortable situations while feeling a sense of belonging in America.

Pre-order it here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

This is quite an eclectic mix of stories – from where these immigrants are traveling from, to where in the States they end up, and how they’v enjoyed life in a new country. While each story generally focuses on each person’s initial reactions to America, some come as piecemeal with short, interesting facts about the differences that struck them, and others follow more of a chronological order, from when they left their home country to becoming accustomed to the US.