Alien Nation

A collection of 36 extraordinary stories, originally told on stage at the Public Theater's Joe's Pub in New York City, that brilliantly and beautifully illuminate what it's like to be an immigrant in America.America would not be America without its immigrants. Decade upon decade, people from across the world have ventured from their native lands to build a new life in the United States. This anthology, compiled and edited by "This Alien Nation" host and author Sofija Stefanovic, brilliantly captures firsthand the past and present of the immigration experience in all its humor, pain, and weirdness. A mix of well-known figures—including Sonia Manzano, Alexander Chee, and Aparna Nancherla—and ordinary folk from all corners of the world share intimate and intriguing tales from their lives. Fascinating in their diversity, their recollections transport readers to Alexandria, Haiti, Bangladesh, the Bronx, and beyond, and remind us that immigration is not simply a word but a world; and what is considered "alien" is throbbing with talent and potential.

Alien Nation is an exploration of culture shock, of isolation and community, loneliness and hope, heartbreak and promise. The stories in this collection reflect the real occurrences and inner thoughts of immigrants and children of immigrants; those who left in search of newness, opportunity, and survival, and those born in this new place, speaking multiple languages, straddling different worlds, and raised with divided hearts.

A celebration of our diversity and strength and a poignant reminder of our shared humanity, this thoughtful and entertaining anthology pays tribute to American multiculturalism—while illuminating its cost on families and individual lives—and is a much-needed balm for the ugly xenophobia and racism plaguing America today.