Ever read an anthology where each story caused an impact you felt in your chest? Reading Come on in was like that. Honestly, I'm not sure if I am going to be able to adequately write how this book made me feel, I am afraid that whatever I saw won't do this book justice, but I am going to try.

The first adjective that I would use is powerful. The pen is supposedly mightier than the sword but there are not a lot of books that can display this. However, the stories in this book have the ability to showcase just that. The second adjective would be magical. Each story was written in a way where I felt I was transported there right along beside the characters.

I know I will never truly be able to know what any of these characters really feel considering I was born in the U.S. but my mother wasn't and it really puts into perspective of what she must have felt and gone through. it makes me feel closer to her. One of the things this anthology does, is give you information about each author after the story and since I absolutely loved each one (which is a rarity for me), so I now have a list of authors to add to my must read list.

Overall, this book is a must read to me.

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review* ( )

Ever read an anthology where each story caused an impact you felt in your chest? Reading Come on in was like that. Honestly, I'm not sure if I am going to be able to adequately write how this book made me feel, I am afraid that whatever I saw won't do this book justice, but I am going to try.

The first adjective that I would use is powerful. The pen is supposedly mightier than the sword but there are not a lot of books that can display this. However, the stories in this book have the ability to showcase just that. The second adjective would be magical. Each story was written in a way where I felt I was transported there right along beside the characters.

I know I will never truly be able to know what any of these characters really feel considering I was born in the U.S. but my mother wasn't and it really puts into perspective of what she must have felt and gone through. it makes me feel closer to her. One of the things this anthology does, is give you information about each author after the story and since I absolutely loved each one (which is a rarity for me), so I now have a list of authors to add to my must read list.

Overall, this book is a must read to me.

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this for an honest and unbiased review* ( )

A brilliant, solidly worthwhile collection, every story valuable and engrossing.

"All the Colors of Goodbye" by Nafiza Azad

Even if I do come back, the home right now and the people right now will no longer be as they are. As I change, so will they and so will this place. When I leave, I will lose this place and these people. I will lose myself. (16)

What do I leave behind and what do I take with me? I am being told to divide myself into pieces and choose which parts of me are the most important. (18)

Even though I am still here, close enough to touch, a new distance breathes itself into existence between me and my cousins. (19)

"The Wedding" by Sara Farizan

Everyone preferred this fake version of me. Actual me wasn't enough. (32)

"Don't let anyone's ignorance make you feel that you don't belong somewhere. You belong wherever you are." (44)

"Volviéndome" by Alaya Dawn Johnson

"Not forever on this earth, only here for a little while / Even jade shatters, even gold cracks, even quetzal plumes fall to pieces / Not forever on this earth, only here for a little while"

"The Curandera and the Alchemist" by Maria E. Andreu

Teachers and counselors never get tired of telling you not to judge a book by its cover, but that's basically all they do....as if they could know any of us in the hundreds of faces they deal with every day. (122)

"Alchemy is...creating something fine of a baser thing. The alchemist desires nothing more than to make something new and unexpected out of materials no one knows are precious." (133)

"A Bigger Tent" by Maureen Goo

Sometimes it takes being away from your family to realize what a pack of weirdos they are. (139)

I wasn't able to be myself with [my family], lately.... It's not that I didn't feel gratitude. I just didn't like how I was supposed to be performative of this gratitude. Resentment now filled the spaces where I had only felt thankful and content. (150)

"First Words" by Varsha Bajaj

A little voice in my head said, If you don't speak, they can't laugh at you, but they won't know you either. (170)

From Golden State by Isabel Quintero

When you don't have papers, when you leave your country without papers, without permission, when you make this place your home, you are immediately orphaned. You lose people. On the journey. En el otro lado. En este lado. You lose people. This country takes things from you. (240)

"Confessions of an Ecuadorkian" by Zoraida Córdova

Sometimes I wish we were the kind of family that talked instead of the kind of family that swallowed our real feelings like bad medicine. (279)

Gabby says...that life is long and I'll have amazing friends one day. But what about the parts of life I'm living now? (280)

Can I be both things [an American and an immigrant]? It feels like I'm just supposed to have the answers to these questions but how am I supposed to figure anything out when it seems to me that communication is not one of the languages my family speaks? (295)

...I don't know how to talk about things that matter. Sometimes I wonder if silence is something you can inherit from your family... (297)

"Fleeing, Leaving, Moving" by Adi Alsaid

What a difference the verbs made....Fleeing, leaving, moving. The world seemed to have very different reactions to each, somehow hating people more the less choice they had. (307) ( )

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.



Come On In is a moving collection of short stories edited by Adi Alsaid that chronicle the experiences of young immigrants. The stories range from fitting in at a large family wedding to a character leaving her home country for the first time to go to university. I loved the format of the anthology because the short stories balanced the harsh realities faced by young immigrants and children of immigrants with stories of pride and happiness.

Considering that the interest in diverse stories is only growing, there are many people who can benefit from reading a book about people who emigrated from all over the world. As someone who’s never lived outside of my country, I found it interesting and heartbreaking to read what it’s like to leave your home in hope of a better future. These short stories were at times eye-opening for me, but I’m sure there are many young people who will love reading about characters who have undergone the same experiences of balancing family, culture, and identity as themselves.



One of the reasons I think Come On In works is because of the incredibly important themes the book presents. Many of the characters must work to balance their identity as an immigrant or as a child of immigrants to fit into a foreign culture that isn’t overly accepting. Racism and microaggressions are littered throughout the book as a reminder of how difficult life in America is for people who look and sound “different” than Americans (as if there’s one definition of what an American is.) The themes of family are some of my favourite in the book, showing how familial support is more important than anything else.



Rating: 5/5 Whether you are looking to connect with characters whose lives are similar to your own or you want to learn about the diverse experiences of newcomers to your country, Come On In is a celebration of culture and diversity that anyone can pick up and find a story they’ll love.

Come On In, an anthology of short stories compiled by Adi Alsaid, places the reader into the lives of immigrants living in or coming to the United States.

Fifteen different stories. Different countries. Americans who are called immigrants but only know America as home. People leaving family hoping for something better, knowing they'll never see their homes or families again. The variety of stories are real--they reflect the people of the world and the people of the United States. Each story, however, is about identity, about place. How does "place" help define who we are? How does "place" make people feel justified to judge?

I found each story to be beautiful in its own way, whether the message or the writing moved me, they all brought emotion. Obviously, I can't discuss fifteen stories, but I would like to share two. In "First Words," by Varsha Bajaj, Priya's family moves to the United States hoping for better help with her younger brother Rishi, who was born with a hearing impairment. Priya finds kindness in one girl, Jane, but Priya can't finds words to speak. She's afraid of being laughed at again after being laughed at the first day of school due to a vocabulary mixup. She knows home and her family; she doesn't know this place. How can she find herself in this new place? Her brother, with the disability, does well. It's his advice and Jane's encouragement that allows Priya to start finding herself in this place. I like this story because it's about words. Priya can't bring much with her, but she brings a couple of favorite books. It's the librarian hosting a book club about one of these books that allows Priya to find her first words. It's a beautiful story about knowing oneself and finding the confidence to speak from this knowledge.

The other story titled "Hard to Say" by Sharon Morse presents the opposite experience. Valentina moved from Venezuela when she was six and, even though Spanish was her first language, she remembers very little of it. Her grandparents are able to get out of Venezuela and come to the United States to live with them. Valentina has forgotten much of her Spanish and is unable to communicate with her grandparents. Her sister was older when they came to the US and has kept up with them on the phone because she speaks fluent Spanish. When the grandparents arrive, Valentina feels separated because she knows little of what is being said. It's only when grandmother bridges the gap with the language of art that they find their connection. Valentina's world had always been the US in her memories; this connection allows her to find memories from the past that help her find a beginning, a place for her in this "new" family.

It would be wrong to not mention the challenges that come with immigrating to the United States. For those who have only lived in the US or only remember the US, how does one answer, "Where are you really from?" In "Where I'm From," Eriko finds it rude that people ask this question and replies, "Minneapolis." Isn't this the essential question for every American? She truly identifies as American, which she is, but she's also Japanese. Her father gives her an interesting perspective about "we" (Americans) and their own Japanese heritage. Several stories present the lives of people living undocumented in the United States and the fears accompanying that reality. This situation is especially relevant now as ICE has amped up finding people, and the government implies many immigrants are less than human. In the end, the stories reveal the humanity of every person and the struggles of trying to find or build "home" despite fear, prejudice, and/or perceived or self-imposed expectation. The beauty of these stories allows the reader to wish the best for humanity as we all seek life and identity without judgement but with love and acceptance in this place we call the United States. ( )