America Is Immigrants

In this inspiring collection of page-long biographies, accompanied by portraits, novelist Novic (Girl at War) and illustrator Kolesar tell the stories of immigrants to the U.S. from roughly 200 countries. The sheer scope of the profiles, along with the vivid illustrations, gives depth and meaning to a phrase thrown around frequently in response to the Trump administration’s treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants. Those profiled include celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson (from Ethiopia by way of Sweden); Albert Einstein (from Germany); Lhakpa Sherpa (from Nepal), the first woman to summit Mount Everest; Peggielene Bartels, ruler of her Ghanaian hometown and administrative assistant in the Ghanaian embassy in Washington, D.C.; 9/11 first responder Mohammad Salman Hamdani (from Pakistan); Louisa Benson Craig, who led an army and won beauty pageants in her native Myanmar before moving to the U.S. and becoming an advocate for refugees; and artists and entertainers galore. Readers who can look past the way the book’s framing glosses over Native Americans’ experiences and contributions will find this stirring collection easy to dip into and appropriate for all ages. (Oct.)