In the Ted Talk Immigrants make democracy stronger, by Sahu Bhojwani, it explains how immigrants face adversities after they have left their native country, weather it be through discrimination, unfairness and brutality from enforcement, homesickness, and having to adjust to America in general, “the citizenship fee was going to be more than double from 95 dollars to 225 dollars,... government positions had no idea how scared immigrants were of law enforcement.” (Bhojwani). Immigrants leave their native country to usually find new opportunities in a welcoming new place, but just find themselves trying to navigate a confusing and heartless world.
In my book, The Other Americans, A family moves from North Africa to America. The story starts when they are already in America, right after the father and husband of the family gets killed in a hit and run. The family mourns his death while also trying to solve the case of who killed him. Members of the community set out to help them, Like the daughter, Nora’s friend Jeremy, an Iraq war veteran, a detective named Coleman, and Anderson, their neighbor. They witness and face numerous issues as far as solving a hit and run, but also issues associated with being an immigrant, illegal or not, “Araceli lived down the street from us in Tucson. A plump woman with big hair and a cackling laugh. She called the police to report a neighbor who was beating his wife, and when they came to take her statement, they found out she didn't have her papers. Before she knew what was happening to her, Immigration was at her door.” (Lalami 12). This highlighted how many immigrants cannot rely on law enforcement or are afraid of law enforcement out of fear of what they might do to them or loved ones. The immigration process already puts an emotional and mental load on someone, but losing the person closest to you when you’re trying to rebuild your life is even more damaging. “My mother began to weep. Loud, unguarded sobs that made her face flush and her shoulders heave."( Lalami 5). It’s easy to feel defeated when you work so hard and keep losing in life. Unfortunately the case goes cold and the family never finds out who took their father and husband. The story takes on a dark tone in the end because Nora and the rest of her family have this emptiness and feeling of being alone, because they came to America to get more out of life but, in time everything has a way of slipping through their hands.
Where in your novel do your characters experience more difficulties upon being in the United States? Is it the immigration process, discrimination, fitting into the culture, or something else?
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