“Welcome to the United States of America”, the immigration officer
said in my direction. As a teenager, I was clueless on the enormity of those
words. My family and I did not know those words allowed us a sense of freedom.
We no longer had to look behind our back in fear of jeopardizing our American
dream.. We failed to understand we were in the Promised Land. Today, after
doing fifteen years to potential life in America, I know the enormity of those
words. In 2001, I was crossing borders for the first time. I had never left
India until that first flight ride to America. Today as an avid traveller who
walks through immigration at least twice in a year, “welcome to the United
States of America” marks a celebration.
On that chilly July evening, my life as an immigrant or an
American Alien officially began. I was given an alien number. I felt privileged
to be an alien in America until I saw a Hollywood movie with slimy, green
aliens. The word Alien felt less privileged by the end of the two hour movie.
That was my first tryst with cultural difference. The days and years ahead had
several embarrassing moments such as standing at the Starbucks counter
wondering what a Frappuccino or Cappuccino was or being called Shitanya. At
every embarrassing moment I hoped they handed me a manual of past experiences
so I could feel less alien and more American. America Deconstructed was born in
those moments.
America Deconstructed is the love child of that American Alien who
walked into America fifteen years ago. Every immigrant journey is filled with
funny, embarrassing moments that stem from cultural differences. This book
chronicles those moments as it explores life, love and family. If you are
looking for a easy read for a lazy Sunday afternoon with steaming hot cup of
tea, please pre-order our book by clicking the link below.
Crowdfunding Link:
Social
media links:
AUTHOR
BIO:
Chaithanya Sohan
immigrated to America from India in 2001. She currently works as an Electrical
Engineer in the Silicon Valley. Chaithanya graduated from San Jose State
University with Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Electrical
Engineering from Santa Clara University.
Chaithanya Sohan has
worked as a writer since 2002 when she started writing content for various
websites. She free-lanced as a writer until 2013 when she decided to write her
book America Deconstructed. Some of her works are published in websites
such as www.rethinkreality.com. Chaithanya enjoys traveling and runs her own
blogs www.nomadicsue.wordpress.com & www.wordspeare.wordpress.com.
Shaima Adin came to the
United States as a refugee in May 2000 at the age of 16 with her mother and
sisters. She is originally from Afghanistan but has lived several years of her
life in Pakistan as a refugee as well. Currently, she works in an
engineering management position at a Safety and Quality-testing laboratory in
Union City, CA.
In light of recent times
and all the debate about immigrants and refugees around the world, Shaima
joined forces with Chaithanya to put forth the stories of immigrants from
different backgrounds that have called America home. Her purpose in doing so is
to paint a different picture of immigrants and refugees by displaying their
side of the stories and the struggles of starting from nothing.
SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK:
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 travelled 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 manoeuvre cultural differences, accents and uncomfortable situations while
feeling a sense of belonging in America.
