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Are you interested in becoming a U.S. Citizen or want to learn about the process? Join us this Thursday, February 18 at 7:00 pm at our Traverwood Branch to hear Tracy Schauff, Esq. from the International Center at the University of Michigan. She will highlight the steps it takes to become a U.S. citizen, as well as what the International Center at U of M does.

In Repeat After Me*, (Ann Arbor native) Rachel DeWoskin, author of the laugh-out-loud funny and poignant Foreign Babes in Beijing: behind the scenes of a new China impresses readers and critics alike with her debut novel of modern China and one American girl's struggle to find herself there.

This complex love story of cultural intersection begins with Aysha Silvermintz and recent immigrant Chen Da Ge, a sporadic and moody student assigned to her ESL class. Under the pretense of helping him gain citizenship, they marry.

The story picks up 13 years later with Aysha living in Beijing with her daughter, immersing them both in the daily life of their adopted home, and struggling to make sense of the mystery that was Chen. "A tender story of manic love and loss, this is a heartbreaking and uplifting novel with memorably off-kilter leads".

"DeWoskin demonstrates a smart, sophisticated literary agility", .... (her) firsthand knowledge of China, its language, and its traditions, as well as life in New York City, and her characters live and breathe". * = Starred reviews.

Click here to watch Rachel DeWoskin on her experiences living in China, a presentation at the Ann Arbor District Library.

A Map of Home* by Ann Arbor author Randa Jarrar hits the bookstores today.

Critics are calling this fiction debut “sparkling”, “intimate, perceptive and very, very funny”. It’s the story of Nidali, an audacious Muslim girl (with a Greek-Egyptian mother and a Palestinian father) who grows up in Kuwait, Egypt and Texas.
As citizens of the world, this family weathered some harrowing experiences that were even funny and wacky at times, but it is Jarrar’s handling of adolescent angst - "stifling parental expectations, precarious friendships, sensuality and first love; and her exhilarating voice and flawless timing that make this a standout”.

You can find Randa Jarrar's profile in myspace. She will be at Shaman Drum on September 15th, at 7:30 p.m., one of only two Michigan stops on her fall book tour.

* = Starred reviews

Wendy Lee's accomplished debut Happy Family* explores the immigrant experience and what it means to belong.

Hua Wu exchanges proverty in Fuzhou with loneliness and back-breaking restaurant work in New York City. Meeting Jane Templeton and her adopted Chinese daughter, Lily, seems a stroke of good fortune, especially when she was asked to nanny. But things are not quite what they seem...

Fans of Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land, and National Book Award winner Ha Jin's latest - A Free Life will find Wendy's debut a compelling read.

Wendy Lee is a graduate of Stanford University and New York University’s Creative Writing Program. She lives in New York City.

* = Starred Reviews

Preheat those ovens, dear readers, and grab a copy of Greg Patent's A Baker's odyssey : celebrating time-honored recipes from America's rich immigrant heritage. After visiting the kitchens of more than sixty bakers around the country, Patent (an immigrant himself) discovered the baking secrets, cultural significance and treasured recipes of immigrant families from a multitude of countries around the globe. His cookbook's authentic recipes are grouped by cooking style, rather than nationality, allowing readers to see the connections between regional specialties (like Chicken & Potato Sambouseks from Iraq vs. Samosas from India vs. Shrimp Rissois from Portugal).
If the idea of nibbling Australian Lamingtons (what chocolate cupcakes are to Americans), getting messy with Koeksisters (South African deep fried pastries) or baking up Szarlotka (Polish apple pie) sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend this book. The author includes a big list of mail order sources for baking gear and specialty ingredients that you may not be able to find in your local market. Also, for the baking challenged (like myself), a DVD is included with the book that demonstrates baking techniques for items like Cannoli, Schwabisch Pretzels and Thai Shrimp & Bean Sprout Fritters. One word of caution - if it isn't already obvious to you - these recipes are NOT for people on a diet! Mmm...bring on the butter.

I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Jhumpa Lahiri's latest book Unaccustomed Earth and, once again, was spellbound by her gorgeous prose. Hopefully you are familiar with her previous works Interpreter of Maladies (she won a Pulitzer Prize for this one in 2000!) and The Namesake. This latest work, a collection of short stories, follows Lahiri's previous path of exploring life through the eyes of Indian immigrants and their children raised in America. Not only does she make everyday life seem extraordinary, she also dives deep into intimate, haunting story-telling of love, identity, grief, tradition, and attachment. While her writing nods to tales of immigration, it ultimately finds a place in any culture where characters confront the secrets of the human heart. Her rich, emotional stories will unsettle you, get under your skin and leave you wanting more.

Cleverly interweaving stories tell the tales of Jin Wang, a teen who meets with ridicule and social isolation when his family moves from San Francisco's Chinatown to an exclusively white suburb; Danny, a popular blond, blue-eyed high school jock whose social status is jeopardized when his goofy, embarrassing Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, enrolls at his high school; and the Monkey King who, unsatisfied with his current sovereign, desperately longs to be elevated to the status of a god. Exploring issues of self-image, cultural identity, transformation, and self-acceptance American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a rare treat.

Could you pass the new Pilot Naturalization Exam? The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service has redesigned the test to focus on the principles of our nation rather than recitation of facts. The library has many resources to help guide you through the citizenship process.

On October 28, 1886, the The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor. Originally conceived by the French sculptor, Frederic Bartholdi who titled it "Liberty Enlightening the World," the statue symbolized immigrants' dreams of freedom and prosperity. Emma Lazarus' poem, "Collossus" contains the famous words inscribed inside the pedestal of the statue.