Immigrant Short Stories

“Memorable, unflinching, and deeply human.” — Finalist, Grace Notes Publishing Fiction Contest What does it cost to find a home? In this award-winning collection of fourteen stories, the borders are more than just lines on a map—they are the boundaries of the human soul. From the dusty streets of Sinaloa to the bustling day-labor corners of the U.S., these stories pull back the curtain on a world defined by the search for dignity, purpose, and survival. Meet the unforgettable characters caught in the crossfire: Jesus, a rookie day laborer who must decide if his "American Dream" is ...

From the award-winning author of Chemistry comes a sharp and poignant short story that follows a young medical student working in clinical research and grappling with the realities of a future in her chosen field.

It’s a New Jersey summer in 1967, and thirteen-year-old Ravi Ramanathan has the makings of a tennis prodigy. His surgeon father encourages his ambition, while his mother dreams of their only child following his father’s path. Surrounded by his parents’ love, Ravi chafes a bit at their daily routines and little traditions. Then one unexpected day, everything changes. Realizing how much he took for granted, Ravi must grow up overnight and find a new role in the life of his family.

Featured in the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his multiple award-winning stories for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume. With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu...

“In these kaleidoscopic stories of Jamaica and its diaspora we hear many voices at once. All of them convince and sing. All of them shine.”—Zadie Smith An O: The Oprah Magazine “Top 15 Best of the Year” A Well-Read Black Girl’s Pick Tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal...

Welcome to Sugar Land, Texas—a vibrant, diverse community near Houston known for its cultural festivals, global dining and family‑friendly activities. In this heart‑warming first installment of the English Short Stories Learn Words series, a newcomers family begin a new life in America. Their new home is in Fort Bend County, one of the nation’s most diverse regions where beautifully designed, family‑friendly neighborhoods make newcomers feel welcome. As readers explore the family’s first days, they’ll experience the excitement of moving into a two‑story house, meeting ...

In these deeply felt, slyly humorous stories, Bezmozgis pleads no special causes but presents immigrant characters with all their contradictions and complexities, their earnest and divided hearts.

Lulu has been waiting at the Animal Rescue Center for fourteen months. She was a Bichon Frise with dark, patient eyes and the kind of loyalty that doesn't ask for much in return. She'd had a good life with Ziggy, an elderly man who came to America with two suitcases and a heart still aching from a war that scattered everything he'd ever built. They found each other the way good things sometimes happen: unexpectedly, perfectly. But hearts don't stay on schedule, and when Ziggy's stopped, Lulu was left waiting again. Then a young family walks into the shelter on a February Saturday. Their ...

Following the success of Paris Noir, the Akashic Noir Series has expanded to include the famously diverse and sometimes controversial suburbs of this legendary city.

"If I Survive You is a collection of connected short stories that reads like a novel, that reads like real life, that reads like fiction written at the highest level. There are no limits to where Jonathan Escoffery will go." —Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House "Torian Brackett's skillful...

The long-awaited next collection by the master of short stories and author of the award-winning Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. Thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and wonderous are some of the many ways the thirteen stories in this collection will engage readers. Ken Liu continues to delight...

This revelatory story collection honors characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, even as they do the necessary "grunt work of the world." A failed boxer painting nails at the local salon. A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. A housewife learning English...

From EDGAR-AWARD WINNING author Erika Krouse, a VISCERAL, DAZZLING collection of stories set across the globe about characters desperate for salvation “Comparative audiobook newbies Baker and Ewer already know how to aurally enhance Krouse’s marvelously provocative fiction debut...

"Her immediate concern was money." So begins the first story in Manuel Muñoz's dazzling new collection. In it, Delfina has moved from Texas to California's Central Valley with her husband and small son, and her isolation and desperation force her to take a risk that ends in profound betrayal.

All is well with longshoreman Uncle Eddie, kindhearted Aunt Beatrice and live-in niece Catherine until the secret guests from Italy arrive and Uncle Eddie turns from generous and welcoming to jealous, difficult and self-serving resulting in disastrous encounters and dark consequences, as a Greek modern tragedy. The story is set in working-class 1950s Brooklyn, in the Red Hook neighborhood with “a view from the bridge.” The book is the prose version of Arthur Miller’s 1955 play and it is perfect for a pleasant and intensive reading. It comes with an introduction, with notes and ...

Revenge isn't always sweet. Can her captive heart be freed to dream, to dare, to love? A quest for revenge ends in a marriage of convenience and a feisty Irish lass discovers that not everything is as it seems as family secrets are revealed. An Irish cop, bent on saving the fallen women of Five Points, New York, finds himself thrust into the role of husband with a woman determined to break down a notorious crime boss. Can these two pull together and find a love bigger than they are?

Dalsland, Sweden, 1869. She’s carrying more than memories. He’s waiting on the far side of the sea. And the future is asking for everything. Seventeen-year-old Elin has always done what’s expected. She peels the potatoes. Scrubs the floors. Keeps her head down. But beneath the stillness, a quiet longing grows. Jonas has already crossed the ocean — chasing the promise of land and freedom in America. Elin stayed behind, tending the life she knows, holding onto the dream of one day joining him. Now, with a secret stirring beneath her apron and a letter pressed to her chest, she must ...

On Ash Wednesday in 1908, Swiss German immigrant Fritz Hirter arrives at his children’s school, where he is the lone custodian. But soon after lessons start, a fast-moving fire breaks out—its cause is unknown, but its effects are horrifying. Although Fritz is soon cleared of any responsibility for the catastrophe, the community continues to suspect him, supremely testing Fritz and his family.

What constitutes a border? In the geographical sense, they consist of areas defined by rivers, mountains, and deserts. Physically a boundary prevents people from doing what they choose to do—and sometimes keeps them from harm. When a mental frontier limits you, who powers this abstraction? Why you do...of course.

From the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of Brother, I'm Dying, a collection of vividly imagined stories about community, family, and love. AUGUST 2020 REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2020 VILCEK PRIZE...