4.5 starsUsually, when a book compels me to shed tears, I do it for characters unknown, for faraway lands I will never get to see, for invented lives. When I cried during Laila Lalami's book, I wept for something personal. I shed tears for my parents reaching for an impossible and mythic dream, uncles deported, and I wept for my own story. I saw myself in this book, which rarely happens. I am only one of a sea of immigrants in this country and, yet, we have all somehow experienced this collectiv...

Does U.S. citizenship ensure that society and the Government will treat you equally to other citizens? Lalami has written a series of insightful essays exploring that question. Lalami was raised in Morocco; but pursued graduate studies in the U.S. She eventually fell in love and married a U.S. citizen and became a naturalized citizen herself in 2000. After studying American civics for her naturalization test, she was struck by the disparity between the ideal she was taught, and the reality of be...

Thanks to the publisher for this free review copy.Incredible incredible incredible book. A must read!“It is because I love America that I cannot be quiet about her faults. The price of my belonging cannot be my silence”“Sometimes, I wonder what this county might look like if no one had to go bankrupt because of medical costs; no one had to be made homeless because of low wages; and no one had to go into debt to receive an education. I don’t think that’s a particularly radical thing to imagine.”C...

4.5 starsI'm really impressed with how concise and well-structured this book is. Each chapter circles a different aspect of immigration (borders, assimilation, caste) and combining research and personal narrative, Lalami expertly explains the nuance and complicated nature of coming to America. I continue to be astounded by how little white people here (of all political persuasions) understand about the immigration process. You do not just pop over, answer some questions, and obtain citizenship!

Smart and thoughtful writing. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

A formidable essay collection about identity, citizenship, and the arbitrary borders imposed by white supremacy. Exceptionally well written and researched. Very timely.

Audiobook.... excellent!!!! Love the author!!!Laila covered many topics — An excellent look at becoming a citizen ...I found the nitty gritty details fascinating...Our daughter immigrated to Canada and went through similar things. Lailia’s personal story of reading Huckleberry Finn to her daughter ( and their mother/ daughter discussion), was moving and compelling - I listened to that part twice — Mark Twain’s purpose of Huck’s relationship with Tom. The $450 a month rental with ‘fleas’... was g...

Conditional Citizens is a beautifully written, clear and concise look at what it is to be a naturalised American citizen whose relationship with her adopted country is fraught, interspersed with some truth-telling about the ways in which the racism and gender discrimination embedded in contemporary U.S. society makes citizenship conditional for so many. I can't help but feel that the kinds of people who most need to read this book are, however, the least likely to do so.

Powerful and extremely well written, this essay collection explores the disparity between being a US citizen and being treated equally and feeling like one belongs, grounded in the author's own experience of becoming a naturalized citizen in 2000 and what that has meant for her in subsequent years, especially in light of changing attitudes in the wake of 9/11. But she goes far beyond her own story as well, touching on many different ways in which anyone who doesn't belong to the straight white m...

I didn't really learn anything new to me here. But I'm rounding this memoir/meditation on identity and belonging to a 4 because I felt so seen by the author. Reading this felt good to my soul.

Actual Rating: 4.8 stars Conditional citizenship is characterized by the burden of having to educate white Americans about all the ways in which one is different from them. Laila Lalami, a naturalized citizen of the United States, talks about how immigrants are treated as second class citizens in the country. An interesting take on institutionalised racism, citizenship and sexism in her home country. Brownie points for the well thought, well written points. However, the book is pretty much US ce...

CONDITIONAL CITIZENS is a collection of essays that explores what it means to belong in America when you’ve become a naturalized citizen. It unveils the privileges of citizenship while also pointing at all the instabilities of it for someone who doesn’t “look” American. It’s a call to action for a necessary and radical shift in what society views and deems acceptable for who fits into the definition of American. It’s probably one of the most potent books about citizenship that I have read. It’s

U.S. citizenship is a birthright for some and a pillar of the American Dream for others. Those who are born with it may take it for granted, but plenty of immigrants dream of the day they will become official citizens. They jump through hoops to fulfill requirements and pass a test—all with the end goal of the naturalization ceremony: that one moment they can stand in front of their fellow country men and women and say “now I’m one of you.” But, as Laila Lalami discovered when she emigrated from...

Listened to the audiobook. I wanted to like this so badly. I think it’s great that there are so many facts laced in her memoir. It’s a very well researched book. But man, there’s was very very little touching on the privilege the author had in her path to citizenship.

Laila Lalami’s essay collection, CONDITIONAL CITIZENS (@pantheonbooks #gifted), has been a particularly striking read in the lead up to the 2020 election in the US. She grapples with what it means to be an American at the moment, and what her own experience has been since moving from Morocco for graduate study. This is an infinitely complex question, particularly when also considering race and religion and class and caste, which Lalami discusses in these essays. Her examination of borders partic...

Nothing new if you’ve been paying attention. If you haven’t you’re unlikely to choose it.

A fantastic essay collection, highly recommend. Shoutout to my sister for her great taste in Christmas gifts

This book makes me significantly more "woke." It offers lots of perspectives regarding race, gender, culture, and class when it comes to the cultural melting pot that is America and what it means to "belong" in this country. Highly recommended for friends who have ever been in the US, not necessarily citizens, especially international friends and POC. You are guaranteed to find at least a piece of your own experience here.

Really refreshing and informed take on the subjects addressed in this essay collection. I also enjoyed her voice as a fiction writer, which made it read a lot like literary non fiction without compromising on the facts, which literary non fiction often has trouble with. My ebook is filled with notes and I'm looking forward to reading this again!

Drawing from her own experiences as a Moroccan immigrant living in the States, in Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America Laila Lalami presents us with an impassioned and thoughtful social commentary. With piercing clarity, she touches upon Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, and sexism. She reflects on the many flaws and conditions of citizenship, specifically American citizenship, and on the many ways, it fails people. I truly appreciated the way she discusses topical and oh so important s...