Books About the Immigrant Experience

Whether first or fourth generation, each immigrant story is unique in its own beautiful way, while also sharing some big, overarching similarities. We live in such a rich land composed of people from around the world; it would be a shame if we didn’t listen. Lucky for us, these authors were brave enough to share their stories.

Updated April 22, 2024
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Nashua Public Library
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Almost American girl : an illustrated memoir
Ha, Robin
Harvey Award Nominee, Best Children or Young Adult Book  A powerful and moving teen graphic novel memoir about immigration, belonging, and how arts can save a life--perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo.  For as long as she can remember...
I am not your perfect Mexican daughter
Sánchez, Erika L.
National Book Award Finalist! Instant New York Times Bestseller! The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid...
American Street
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie--a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal,...
The astonishing color of after
Pan, Emily X. R.
A Time Magazine 100 Best YA Books of All Time Selection A stunning, heartbreaking debut novel about grief, love, and family, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Celeste Ng. Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When...
Black enough : stories of being young & black in America
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today--Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it's like to be young and Black in America. A selection of the ...
Butterfly yellow
Lai, Thanhha
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction! Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Ibi Zoboi, and Erika L. Sánchez, this gorgeously written and deeply moving novel is the YA debut from the award-winning author of Inside Out & Back Again. 4 starred reviews! In the...
Darius the Great is not okay
Khorram, Adib
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award "Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I'd live...
An emotion of great delight
Mafi, Tahereh
From bestselling and National Book Award-nominated author Tahereh Mafi comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness, navigating the hyphen of dual identity, and reclaiming your right to joy--even when you're trapped in the amber of sorrow. It's 2003, several months since the US...
Everything sad is untrue : (a true story)
Nayeri, Daniel
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award Christopher Award Winner Middle East Book Award Winner National Indie Bestseller NPR Best Book of the Year New York Times Best of the Year Amazon Best of the Year Booklist Editors' Choice ...
AN IMPOSSIBLE THING TO SAY
Shahi, Arya,
The Poet X meets A Very Large Expanse of Sea in a bold novel-in-verse starring a Persian American teen navigating his first crush, his family's post-9/11 dynamics, and the role of language in defining who we are. "A dazzling story with a whole lot of heart. Read it." -...
Kween
Chum, Vichet
A searing, joyful YA debut about a queer Cambodian American teen's journey to find her voice and step into her legacy, perfect for fans of Ibi Zoboi and Elizabeth Acevedo. Soma Kear's verses have gone viral. Trouble is, she didn't exactly think her slam poetry video through....
Last night at the Telegraph Club
Lo, Malinda
Winner of the National Book Award A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch....
The lesbiana's guide to Catholic school
Reyes, Sonora
National Book Award Finalist * William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Walter Honor Award Winner * Pura Belpré Honor Book * Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Young Adult A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer...
Love in English
Andreu, Maria E.
A fresh, joyful YA novel that is layered with themes of immigration, cultural identity, and finding your voice in any language.  Sixteen-year-old Ana is a poet and a lover of language. Except that since she moved to New Jersey from Argentina, she can barely find the...
Messy roots : a graphic memoir of a Wuhanese American
Gao, Laura
"Messy Roots is a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt, and deeply engaging story of their journey to find themself--as an American, as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, as a queer person, and as a Wuhanese American in the middle of a pandemic."--Malaka Gharib, author of I Was Their American...
Not Here to Be Liked
Quach, Michelle
"A smart romance with heart and guts and all the intoxicating feelings in between." --Maureen Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes Emergency Contact meets Moxie in this cheeky and searing novel that unpacks just how...
The poet X
Acevedo, Elizabeth
Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award! Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award...
The queens of New York
Shen, E. L.
From acclaimed author E. L. Shen comes a sun-drenched, cinematic YA novel about three Asian American girls, their unbreakable bond, and one life-changing summer, perfect for fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Best friends Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang are inseparable....
Somewhere between bitter and sweet
Kemp, Laekan Zea
I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Emergency Contact in this stunning Pura Belpré Honor Book about first love, familial expectations, the power of food, and finding where you belong. Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening...
The sun is also a star
Yoon, Nicola
The #1 New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Finalist from the bestselling author of Everything, Everything will have you falling in love with Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love with each other. Natasha: I'm a girl who believes in science and...
This place is still beautiful
Tian, Xixi
With five starred reviews, this is an acclaimed novel about sisterhood, family, and the pernicious legacy of racism. Perfect for fans of Tahereh Mafi, Jandy Nelson, and Emily X.R. Pan, with crossover appeal for readers of Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half. The Flanagan sisters are as...
While you were dreaming /
Rai, Alisha,
In this debut contemporary YA romance by bestselling author Alisha Rai, a girl with undocumented family members goes viral after saving her crush's life in disguise. A must read for fans of Sandhya Menon and Nicola Yoon.  A Phenomenal Book Club Pick! It's a...
Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana
Sánchez, Erika L.
Finalista del National Book Award! Bestseller del New York Times! TIMES 2020, los 100 mejores libros juveniles de todos los tiempos Julia no es la hija mexicana perfecta. Ese era el rol de su hermana Olga. Olga no fue a la universidad, se quedó en casa...
Zara Hossain is here
Khan, Sabina
Zara's family has waited years for their visa process to be finalized so that they can officially become US citizens. But it only takes one moment for that dream to come crashing down around them. Seventeen-year-old Pakistani immigrant, Zara Hossain, has been leading a fairly typical life...

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