Conditional Citizens

On Belonging in America

De: Laila Lalami

Narrado por: Laila Lalami

A New York Times Editors' Choice • Best Book of the Year: Time, NPR, Bookpage, L.A. Times

What does it mean to be American? In this starkly illuminating and impassioned book, Pulitzer Prize­­-finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to US citizen, using it as a starting point for her exploration of American rights, liberties, and protections.

"Sharp, bracingly clear essays." (Entertainment Weekly)

Tapping into history, politics, and literature, she elucidates how accidents of birth - such as national origin, race, and gender - that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still cast their shadows today.

Lalami poignantly illustrates how white supremacy survives through adaptation and legislation, with the result that a caste system is maintained that keeps the modern equivalent of white male landowners at the top of the social hierarchy. Conditional citizens, she argues, are all the people with whom America embraces with one arm and pushes away with the other.

Brilliantly argued and deeply personal, Conditional Citizens weaves together Lalami’s own experiences with explorations of the place of nonwhites in the broader American culture.

©2020 Laila Lalami (P)2020 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

One of:
Electric Literature 56 Books by Women and Nonbinary WOC to read in 2020
BuzzFeed Most Anticipated Books of 2020
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PW top 10: Most Anticipated Politics/Current Events
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"In this eloquent and troubling account, novelist and National Book Award-finalist Lalami (The Other Americans) draws on her personal history as 'an immigrant, a woman, an Arab, and a Muslim' to argue that becoming a US citizen does not necessarily mean becoming 'an equal member of the American family'.... This profound inquiry into the American immigrant experience deserves to be widely read." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Consistently thoughtful and incisive, the book confronts the perils of our modern age with truths to inspire the coalition-building necessary to American cultural and democratic survival. A bracingly provocative collection perfect for our times.” (Kirkus reviews)

"No-holds-barred...thread[s] together the experiences of a breathtakingly diverse underclass. This constituency is increasingly finding its voice, and she is amplifying what had long been intimate, complicated inner thoughts." (NPR)

Blew my mind!

Read if you want to learn about citizenship, if you’ve read Lalami’s other work. So good!

Nailed it

Very well explained what conditional citizen means. I feel like I have been living underneath a rock. Lalami explains in many ways how races are marginalized historically and present day. She shares personal experiences as well as statistical data. Makes me wonder why we Americans are so self absorbed. Why don’t we do much more to educate ourselves in becoming better humans?
Very thought provoking.

All Americans should read this…

It would help everybody understand our immigration process better and how it feels to be an immigrant here, even after you do everything right and even get your citizenship. This was a really well thought out book that touches on many issues around this subject. Ive read it a few times now!

A must read!

Wow this book packed a punch. Filled with so many truths, and driving home the fact that many in the USA do not have equal treatment as citizens. She goes beyond critique and describes what a world would look like with equality for ALL citizens. Truly a must read book for anyone and everyone!

Well researched and cited essays

Well researched and cited essays on issues that impact all Americans. While this book was published in 2020, these subjects remain just as pertinent today. With many relatable scenarios from her personal life and from current events, I found myself nodding along inserting experiences of myself or people I know. A worthwhile read.

MUST LISTEN!

Laila’s insightful piece and amazing storytelling takes you around the globe and teach you about valuable lessons and facts since America’s inception against migrants, females and POC.

Everyone should listen/read this book

This is reality. Most folks like to ignore or sweep it under the rug but this problem drags down all of us. The folks who would benefit most from this book will never read it (perhaps because they can’t read more than a text or headline or concentrate for more than 140 characters).

Very insightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Interesting and thought provoking. I found the author’s analysis mixed in with her personal experiences a strong combination

A negative and bitter and ungrateful naturalized American citizen

there is no country on this planet that does not have immigration laws and or problems. But she makes it sound like USA is the worst country on earth.