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发帖数: 466 | 1 新书上市《（美国）绿卡故事》(Green Card Stories)：Saundra Amrhein著，Ariana Lindquist摄影。讲述
了来自5大洲的50个人的充满挣扎与成功的美国绿卡故事。
http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/08/green-card-stories-te
http://www.greencardstories.com/about-the-book
About The Book
Americans are losing the ability to talk about a phenomenon that has defined
who we are as a country—a nation predominantly of immigrants from all
walks of life, from all corners of the earth, who have fueled America’s
success with individual talents. Immigration tells our essential story: E
pluribus unum—Out of many, one.
Published by Umbrage Editions, Green Card Stories is a coffee table style
book that depicts 50 recent U.S. immigrants—each with permanent residence
or citizenship—in powerfully written short narratives and compelling
portraits. Each story is as old as the foundation of this nation, but also
reflects the global trends and conflicts of the 21st century. Arriving from
all corners of the globe, coming for work, love, to study, invest or escape
persecution, the people in this book share a steely resourcefulness and a
determination to fulfill their potential in America.
Though the places from which they come have changed—today largely from
Latin America and Asia instead of Europe—the essential drive to make it in
America remains constant. Green Card Stories demonstrates that today’s
immigrants are just as hardworking, energetic, and eager to contribute to U.
S. society as past generations of new arrivals.
The stories in this book—of sacrifice and hope, of pride and success—
appeal to the heart. These are mostly stories of ordinary, hard-working
people: shopkeepers, engineers, teachers, construction workers. A few
showcase artistic, athletic, and business talents that have led to success
and fame. Some immigrants have come from extraordinary circumstances, others
from humble beginnings.
The stories include: an aspiring dentist who fled war-torn Sudan as a
refugee with just three T-shirts and a pair of shoes; a Japanese hip-hop
dancer for Gwen Stefani whose career was inspired by Michael Jackson; an
orthopedic surgeon of Caribbean heritage who overcame a threat of
deportation; an Iraqi bodyguard for U.S. forces who was blinded by a car
bomb; and a previously undocumented Mexican farm worker and school dropout
who is now a high school principal in a Florida school for at-risk kids.
The individuals in the book represent those who have obtained green cards
through a variety of means: employment, extraordinary ability, visa lottery,
asylum and family. Others obtained their green cards or citizenship through
limited or now-defunct special programs such as military enrollment, a visa
for abandoned juveniles, legislation that allowed some to adjust their
status after paying a $1,000 penalty, and discretionary relief granted by a
judge when deportation causes extreme hardship to a U.S. relative.
Many of the individuals in Green Card Stories overcame significant hurdles
to get where they are today. Yet amid the difficulties, another story also
emerges in these pages—about the host country itself, the kindness of
strangers in America, the desire to support others who are working to
fulfill their goals, and of the crucial role of education in improving one’
s future.
Green Card Stories puts a human face on immigration, moving the debate
beyond the divisive political arena and into the landscape of everyday
America. These 50 individuals are but a tiny fraction of the numerous
immigrants who are positively contributing to our nation today. |
