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 American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures

The first book I chose to read is called, American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Culture, by America Ferrera. I initially picked this book due to the interesting title and intriguing storyline. Additionally, the book is compiled and edited by the award-winning actress, American Ferrera, who starred in Ugly Betty. I thought it would be interesting to read about her personal experience and journey she had from being a Honduran American.

 

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures is a book that shares a collection of immigrant “American” stories gathered and compiled by the actress. In the book, Ferrera shares her personal experiences growing up as Honduran American and the challenges she encountered as a multicultural American. She expresses the feeling of not belonging to either side of the culture. The book explores the perspectives of immigrant “American” experiences who came from different backgrounds sharing the same type of consciousness in being a misfit in American society. The collections of stories are from Ferrera's friends, family, and peers. These notable contributors include Randall Park, Jeremy Lin, Auli'i Cravalho, Liza Koshy, and many more. It shed light on the lack of diversity and inclusion that the American entertainment and media industry had on this issue. However, we were able to witness the perseverance behind these successful individuals who overcame adversity and made it in America. 

 

The main takeaway behind this book is to be aware of these identity issues and acknowledge the millions of Americans that feel this way every day. As someone who encountered a similar type of identity crisis, I appreciated the messages in this book. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, whether you are a first-generation immigrant, a child of immigrants, or someone who has been in America for generations. I enjoyed reading the success stories from these activists, athletes, actors, and writers who overcame adversity and paved the way for generations ahead.