Reviews
Immigrants are a critical source of America’s spirit and strength. The haters and nativists have always been wrong and this book—person by person, story by story—shows how wrong they are today. Green Card Stories is an important resource for anyone who wants to know the truth about the enormous contributions immigrants make to this country, every day.”
— Steven V. Roberts, author of From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America
Green Card Stories provides a needed corrective to the negative representations of immigrants in mainstream media. Through compelling personal stories and beautiful photographs of 50 recent immigrants, this book reveals the rich cultural and economic contributions of immigrants to American life.”
— Elaine Charnov, Director, Education, Programs and Exhibitions, The New York Public Library
Green Card Stories illustrates the diverse patchwork of immigrants that comprise the United States today. To perpetuate the miracle that is America, we must reflect on our country’s rich history as a nation of immigrants who chose this country and have given meaning to its ideals.”
— Gerda Weissmann Klein, author, Holocaust survivor, 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and proud naturalized citizen
To listen to the humble voices of the individuals whose life journeys are recounted in Green Card Stories is to be reminded that beneath all the statistics, studies and rhetoric about U.S. immigration, lie inspiring human stories. No less than the immigrants to America of ages past, these are individuals who, through faith, courage and determination—and sometimes aided by the helping hand of a kind stranger in their new, adopted country—triumphed over great adversity to come here, make something of themselves, and start giving back. These are stories that, no matter how far back you trace your own roots, will bring a lump to your throat, make you proud to be part of the mosaic of peoples who make up this great, open and welcoming country, and leave you optimistic about its future.”
— Louis Caldera, former U.S. Secretary of the Army, son of Mexican immigrants
Through history, wave after wave of immigrants has landed on America’s shores and enriched its society. They helped make the country the superpower that it is. Green Card Stories shines a brilliant light on the latest wave—who are coming from all corners of the world, and are again doing their magic.”
— Vivek Wadhwa, Director of Research, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University; Washington Post columnist
Green Card Stories reminds us that there are real people behind the numbers, rhetoric, and disagreements that surround today’s immigration debate. The book’s highly-readable, beautifully-displayed descriptions of immigrants’ lives and contributions show the wisdom passed on by the great philosopher, Pogo, when he observed, ‘They is us.'”
— Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute, and former Commissioner, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Green Card Stories…is in some ways a beautiful celebration of the triumph of hope embedded in the promise of the American Dream, and in others a poignant glimpse of a brutal system of struggle that can, if allowed to, eat away at one’s deepest sense of dignity.”
— Maria Popova, Author of Brain Pickings Blog
