From the author of Make Your Home Among Strangers, essays on being an "accidental" American—an incisive look at the edges of identity for a woman of color in a society centered on whiteness
In this sharp and candid collection of essays, critically acclaimed writer and first-generation American Jennine Capó Crucet explores the condition of finding herself a stranger in the country where she was born. Raised in Miami and the daughter of Cuban refugees, Crucet examines the political and personal contours of American identity and the physical places where those contours find themselves smashed: be it a rodeo town in Nebraska, a university campus in upstate New York, or Disney World in Florida. Crucet illuminates how she came to see her exclusion from aspects of the theoretical American Dream, despite her family's attempts to fit in with white American culture—beginning with their ill-fated plan to name her after the winner of the Miss America pageant.
In prose that is both fearless and slyly humorous, My Time Among the Whites examines the sometimes hopeful, sometimes deeply flawed ways in which many Americans have learned to adapt, exist, and—in the face of all signals saying otherwise—perhaps even thrive in a country that never imagined them here.
0 of 0 copies available
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
September 3, 2019 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781250299444
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781250299444
- File size: 621 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Starred review from September 1, 2019
In her first book of essays, Crucet (English & ethnic studies, Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln; Make Your Home Among Strangers) reflects on her experiences as a first-generation college student, as well as the limits of the American Dream, Cuban and American politics, marriage and divorce, culture clashes, financial planning, working in academia, and family communication and conflicts in theory-informed, narrative-driven essays. As a Latina and first-generation American, Crucet takes on privilege, whitesplaining, and white tears; the gulf that can grow between first- generation Americans and their immigrant families; and the contradictions and self-deceptions inherent in the American Dream. Notably, the author also discusses the role of fantasy in dominant U.S. culture and the importance and potential of reclaiming fantasy in order to envision one's possible future(s); the promise of color-blindness and the reality of cultural erasure; and the way dominant cultures change depending on where you are, and how what seems possible in one place becomes impossible elsewhere. VERDICT Crucet's well-written essays are entertaining and accessible, without letting readers or the author herself off the hook for reflecting on and addressing cultural issues. Strongly recommended for all readers.--Monica Howell, Northwestern Health Sciences Univ. Lib., Bloomington, MN
Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-