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…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

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

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…

If you love Here We Are...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like Here We Are?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Here We Are.

Browse books like Here We Are

Book cover of What We Carry: A Memoir
Book cover of What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
Book cover of They Called Us Exceptional: And Other Lies That Raised Us

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,299

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Here We Are, you might also like...

Book cover of Raggedyland

Raggedyland by Paul J. Heald,

An auctioned storage locker comes with a box of Raggedy Ann books and a dresser drawer stuffed with grisly momentos. A small college town in Georgia is now ground zero for a mind-bending cold case.

Local journalist James Murphy wishes he had never bought the storage unit which either contains…

Book cover of Selkie Moon

Selkie Moon by Kelly Jarvis,

We are all surrounded by darkness. And we are all drawn to the light.

The Orkney Islands north of Scotland are steeped in stories of selkies, seal folk who swim in cold ocean waters and shed their skins to sing and dance on land.

One young girl named Isla uses…

5 book lists we think you will like!