Why read Here We Are?

Book cover of Here We Are

Book description

Here We Are is a heart-wrenching memoir about an immigrant family's American Dream, the justice system that took it away, and the daughter who fought to get it back, from NPR correspondent Aarti Namdev Shahani.

The Shahanis came to Queens―from India, by way of Casablanca―in the 1980s. They were undocumented…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Here We Are as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Chanchal Garg

Author

This book reminded me that while immigrant stories can carry deep grief and pressure, they’re also held together by quiet acts of care that are sometimes hard to see, but no less real.

I loved how the author claimed her identity as American while still drawing comfort from Indian culture. Her deep love for her father and the painful clarity he eventually gains about who holds power in their family felt especially healing.

This book helped me see how much shared experience exists in immigrant households, and how love and harm often sit side by side. It also affirmed that…

From Chanchal's list on The best books on lineage lessons of healing for powerful leadership.