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24/02/2026 11:55 am
In Phuc Tran’s book, Sigh, Gone, he discusses the difficulty of figuring out his identity as an immigrant in a mostly American neighborhood. From questioning his name to determining where he fits in the social structure of his high school, Tran has to navigate learning who he is with an additional barrier to the average teenager, having a whole other culture as a large part of his life. One way that Tran finds ways to carve out his place is to read, not just to improve his vocabulary, but so he can have the same cultural references as the typical white guy, using Clifton Fadiman’s The Lifetime Reading Plan as a guide.
Early in the story, Tran talks about his family’s relocation to the United States after fleeing Vietnam. After being bounced between multiple camps and multiple countries, they finally started to settle in Pennsylvania, “We needed to blend, adopt our new country as it had adopted us. My parents were navigating all the straits and inlets of living in America, holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, driving in the snow, the difference between ketchup and catsup.” (Tran 20).
Based on this idea and the ideas from your book, how quickly are immigrants pressured to assimilate? What aspects of culture do they need to assimilate to early, and what aspects can be avoided or pushed until later?
For participants:
-Never use a peer’s real name, only use their username
-Respond to the question based on your book, not your personal opinion
-If the question doesn’t directly apply to something that appears in your book, be clear about what you’re seeing instead
-Make sure to include a summary of your book so far
-Include a quote with the proper citation to give context to your answer
-Acknowledge your lead’s reply to your response with a comment that clarifies information, offer a question to them about their book, or simply give a thumbs up
To exceed: Incorporate a quote from a different Ted Talk or a different CommonLit text that has not yet been discussed in your group
04/03/2026 10:36 am
In my book, Out Of Nowhere, by Maria Padian, there are technically 2 main characters, but were going to focus on Saeed, the boy from Somalia. He is an extremely talented soccer player and is very important to his team. Tom, the other main character, doesn't understand Saeed too well, and it can make it awkward at times. The book shows perspectives from immigrants, and it can be fascinating to learn about some of their differences. Saeed automatically feels like he needs to assimilate fast, get used to American culture, school, and language. The thing that pressures him most is language, and a quote to show that is “‘You like Soccer?’ I’d asked. Pointing to his shirt, i used the English name: ‘Football?’ Relief flooded his face. He understood. ‘Soccer’ he repeated” (Padian 3). This quote shows how quickly he had to adjust to saying soccer instead of football. Saeed’s biggest interest is soccer, so having to assimilate to school isn’t really the biggest worry for him.
04/03/2026 11:12 am
In my book The Sun Is also A Star by Nicola Yoon is about a girl named Natasha that is struggling with facing deportation because they are non-documented immigrants. Because of this, Natasha is trying to wrap her head around the fact that she’s being taken away from the life she’s lived for so long and the only thing she really remembers. Those that are involved in the deportation process are telling her that she will be fine back in Jamaica, but nobody knows the life she lived there before moving.
Natasha is told out of nowhere thats he is being deported, meaning that she doesn't have much time left in NYC. Natasha had to adapt to NYC pretty quickly. Some examples could be the new food, maybe a new language, maybe a new lifestyle or way of living. “He had a cousin in America who’d been doing well for himself in New York City.” ( Yoon 15 ) This is showing that in Jamaica, there wasn't a lot of m,oney being brought in so they needed help financially. Adapting to this could be a challenge for Natasha because seeing her family not struggle financially could be a shift for their family.
