Nonfiction

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America

  • Downloads：3106
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-15 03:41:02
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Laila Lalami
  • ISBN：0525436049
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

A New York Times Editors' Choice - Finalist for the California Book Award - Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction - Best Book of the Year: Time， NPR， Bookpage， Los Angeles Times

In this brilliantly argued and deeply personal work， Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami recounts her unlikely journey from Moroccan immigrant to U。S。citizen， using her own story as a starting point for an exploration of the rights， liberties， and protections that are traditionally associated with American citizenship。 Tapping into history， politics， and literature， she elucidates how accidents of birth--such as national origin， race， and gender--that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still cast their shadows today， poignantly illustrating how white supremacy survives through adaptation and legislation。 Weaving together her experiences with an examination of the place of nonwhites in the broader American culture， Lalami illuminates how conditional citizens are all those whom America embraces with one arm and pushes away with the other。

Download

Reviews

Marypeitz ，

This book was easy to read and understand。 I especially like the last chapter when Laila Lalami described what equal citizenship would look like。 There is always hope for the future

Meriam lahlou ，

I really enjoyed this book。 I could relate to so many anecdotes Lalami mentions about her life in the US。 She also brings up many facts about identity， race， gender， politics in the US that I felt were legitimate and well researched。 An easy non-fiction read。

Jodi Geever ，

Brutally honest， timely， and sobering

Indira ，

Such a well-written book on race， religion， and identity in America that’s extremely relevant in the current climate。 I loved hearing bits and pieces of Lalami’s background too as there were quite a few things that I was able to relate to from my personal experience of living here in the US。Perhaps not as relevant unless you live in the US since most of the examples are US-specific， but I do think that a lot of the themes discussed in this book apply outside of the US as well。

Dee ，

I won this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway。Conditional Citizens looks at all the ways that Americans and those living in the U。S。 are not treated as full citizens with all the privileges of citizenship。 The author is an immigrant from Morocco who came to the States for graduate school， married here， and gained citizenship， giving her a unique look at all the ways freedom is expressed or not expressed to those who live here。 Overall， her book is spot on。 She talks about the negative images o I won this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway。Conditional Citizens looks at all the ways that Americans and those living in the U。S。 are not treated as full citizens with all the privileges of citizenship。 The author is an immigrant from Morocco who came to the States for graduate school， married here， and gained citizenship， giving her a unique look at all the ways freedom is expressed or not expressed to those who live here。 Overall， her book is spot on。 She talks about the negative images of immigrants by Americans whose own parents or grandparents were immigrants。 How race is classified in the U。S。 for both positive and negative reasons。 The status of women and more。 She also compares it to living in Morocco under a monarchy， where women have an explicitly second class status and the government holds much more visible power over its citizenry。 And yet。。。the U。S。， a democratic republic， suffers from a lot of the same issues but in much more subtle， implicit， unexpressed ways。 My favorite line is: Suggesting that women who live in democratic countries should be grateful for the rights they have subtly discourages these same women from trying to reach full equality with men。 And so it is true for any conditional citizen。 Just because it's better than that country， or that time， or that region， doesn't mean we can't strive for full equality。Her arguments are not always perfect， but I appreciate that she is trying。 She says， "As I write about equal citizenship， I find myself under the grip of a sudden trepidation， as though the desire for justice were itself fraught with danger。 But I must voice this desire， because voicing it is the first step in making it a reality。" 。。。more

Courtney Ferriter ，

** 4 stars **This book presents a concise exploration of several factors - race， gender， class， national origin/ethnicity， and so forth - that make one a "conditional" citizen in the United States， as opposed to a citizen who enjoys full rights。 As Lalami grew up in Morocco， she interweaves her personal experience as an immigrant to the U。S。 with discussion of American socio-politics over the past several decades。 I found this a persuasive and compelling style that enhanced her ethos。 Additional ** 4 stars **This book presents a concise exploration of several factors - race， gender， class， national origin/ethnicity， and so forth - that make one a "conditional" citizen in the United States， as opposed to a citizen who enjoys full rights。 As Lalami grew up in Morocco， she interweaves her personal experience as an immigrant to the U。S。 with discussion of American socio-politics over the past several decades。 I found this a persuasive and compelling style that enhanced her ethos。 Additionally， she relies on a combination of credible popular and scholarly sources to support her claims throughout the volume， which I appreciated as an academic。Would definitely recommend as an accessible and thought-provoking addition to your list of antiracism reading。 Would also be good reading if you are looking for engagingly-written nonfiction and/or have an interest in contemporary U。S。 politics and culture。 。。。more

Jeannie ，

It took me forever to finish this short book。 It reads as a political science book and not so much as a memoir。

Dprabaharan ，

A must-read for anyone who concerns themselves with issues of belonging， place and identity in America！

Andrew Lohmeier ，

This is an important and timely book about inequities in U。S。 citizenship。 The author describes the concept of Conditional citizenship — that a citizen's relationship to the state is at least partly determined by the color of their skin， the nature of their creed， their gender identity， or their national origin。 Lalami outlines what equal citizenship （instead of conditional citizenship） might look like， including the universal right to vote， including conditions for voting。 This is an important and timely book about inequities in U。S。 citizenship。 The author describes the concept of Conditional citizenship — that a citizen's relationship to the state is at least partly determined by the color of their skin， the nature of their creed， their gender identity， or their national origin。 Lalami outlines what equal citizenship （instead of conditional citizenship） might look like， including the universal right to vote， including conditions for voting。 。。。more

Saira ，

As a third culture kid that has never belonged anywhere， the impact of arbitrary borders was never lost on me。 But this book does an amazing job at articulating how deep the resulting policies run in defining how far we can aim。 I don’t usually highlight physical books， but this is one I feel like I will need to quote soon。

Steven ，

Great book - wish I would have read it sooner。

Chris Shen ，

This book introduces experiences that the author as an immigrant faced and her observations of the unequal treatment of those immigrants compared to others and how there are deeper systematic elements that need to change for a more fair society。

Kenzie Rogers ，

3。5

Sonya Loyer ，

Hard truths well told。

Ha Vu ，

10 STARS。 Such a well researched and written book about various matters: politics， human rights， sexism， racism， to name a few。 Love that Lalami added some of her personal experiences to the topics discussed - it made the book so relatable。 Fast paced and well constructed。Looking forward to my book club discussion about this book！！！

Corey ，

Wonderful read。

Sophia Eck ，

an extremely educational and well written collection on immigration and how immigrants are treated in the world。 i could see myself rereading this one and reading other works by this author。 really great book and i loved the audiobook read by the author and she is such an incredible woman。it’s so disgusting how we treat immigrants in this country， when so often they are just trying to achieve a better life for the people they love and care for; would we all not do the same in their situations？

Dina Samimi ，

This spoke to my soul as a first generation Tunisian and Muslim American。 This is deeply researched and so well written， bringing much needed context and nuance to American citizenship and belonging through the lenses of immigration， birthright citizenship and white supremacy。 Really excellent。

Alan ，

An excellent collection of essays on what it means to be a "conditional" citizen in the US written from the point of of view of a Moroccan immigrant。 Would recommend to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the subject。 I received a complementary copy via #Goodreads Giveaways。 An excellent collection of essays on what it means to be a "conditional" citizen in the US written from the point of of view of a Moroccan immigrant。 Would recommend to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the subject。 I received a complementary copy via #Goodreads Giveaways。 。。。more

Barbara Heerman ，

A provocative look at the intersection of race， gender， social class， religion， and wealth， Dr。 Lalami examines the rights/status of individuals in the United States today and in the past。 She compares and contrasts these concepts to the conditions in Morocco。 I found it to be a valuable monograph。It's much broader in scope than this review portrays and written from a first person perspective as anecdotes from her own life are used to support or introduce new concepts。 From an Arab perspective， A provocative look at the intersection of race， gender， social class， religion， and wealth， Dr。 Lalami examines the rights/status of individuals in the United States today and in the past。 She compares and contrasts these concepts to the conditions in Morocco。 I found it to be a valuable monograph。It's much broader in scope than this review portrays and written from a first person perspective as anecdotes from her own life are used to support or introduce new concepts。 From an Arab perspective， Dr。 Lalami offers insights into what it is like to be classified as white on a census form but to seen as an unwelcome group as President Trump sought a "Muslim ban。" She also looked at issues of border walls in both the United States and Morocco。 I thought the most enlightening part of her discussion was the limits on natural born citizenship。 I didn't know that women who married immigrants had lost their U。 S。 citizenship。 It was presumed that they would be loyal to their husband's nation of birth。 It's also interesting that Arabs who initially became citizens were Christians， and the courts considered their religion in granting their citizenship applications。 Also interesting was her discussion of what rights citizenship conveys: is it the political right to participate in the nation's elections as a candidate or as a voter or does it expand to social rights like health care。 From the days of Jim Crow to the Citizens United decision to the efforts of voter suppression。My major criticism is that there are no footnotes。 I remember many of the issues/incidents she discusses， but I don't have ready access to verify the statistical data。 It "seems" to be accurate， but I would prefer to have the citations。 She asserts that the efforts at voter suppression （like ID laws） unfairly target minorities， but she doesn't provide data to support that assertion。 I agree with her assessment that the term "entitlement program" which was not originally intended to carry a negative connotation， is a misnomer。 We pay taxes into the Social Security and Medicare programs。 Dr。 Lalami would probably have been intrigued that prior to 1987， teachers did not pay into Medicare in IL。 It would have been illegal for them to do it。 That puts teachers in the same status as the service industry workers and others she references， despite our college educations。A provocative work， it certainly falls into my perception of what a book supporting Critical Race Theory would do。 That certainly contrasts sharply with what many of the books that more conservative moms want to ban in states like TN。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

4。5 stars

Kristin Mack ，

Smart， clear and concise essay topics on different immigrant experiences。 It gave me a lot to think about as I continue to learn this country's （U。S。） past and present。 This is an important political book。 Smart， clear and concise essay topics on different immigrant experiences。 It gave me a lot to think about as I continue to learn this country's （U。S。） past and present。 This is an important political book。 。。。more

Laila Taji ，

Yes about practically everything in this book！She succinctly describes so many relevant things for non-white Americans。 I have highlights on every other page。 Highly recommend！

Michele Block ，

I found this book while browsing for another。 What a great find！ Lalami’s lived experience is on display as we grapple with what it really means to be a citizen。 She is concise， to the point， and informed on the topics that lead us to this place on history。 I truly enjoyed this book & highly recommend it。

Chiara ，

Interesting， informative， and thought-provoking。 The discussion on American citizenship and American-ness from varying perspectives of those who are often considered 'conditional citizens' （e。g。 immigrants， people of color， etc） is really good。 Is this is a short book， so it's a quick but very thoughtful read。 Interesting， informative， and thought-provoking。 The discussion on American citizenship and American-ness from varying perspectives of those who are often considered 'conditional citizens' （e。g。 immigrants， people of color， etc） is really good。 Is this is a short book， so it's a quick but very thoughtful read。 。。。more

Melissa Helton ，

This is one of those books where I have to say every American citizen needs to read it。 And those on top of the various hierarchies （white， male， Christian， rich， etc） need to read it twice。 This hits hard and fast and non-stop and serves as a well-researched introduction to these topics。 Certainly each chapter could've been an entire book on its own。 I was happy to have a slightly hopeful end because it was a deluge of frustration， indignation， and heaviness。 I was really glad to hear the autho This is one of those books where I have to say every American citizen needs to read it。 And those on top of the various hierarchies （white， male， Christian， rich， etc） need to read it twice。 This hits hard and fast and non-stop and serves as a well-researched introduction to these topics。 Certainly each chapter could've been an entire book on its own。 I was happy to have a slightly hopeful end because it was a deluge of frustration， indignation， and heaviness。 I was really glad to hear the author read the audiobook version。 。。。more

Lia （_Lia_Reads_） ，

Lalami is quickly becoming a favorite author。 This book is a bit of a departure in genre from her previous books， but continues many of the same themes she explored in The Other Americans。In a series of short essays， Lalami explores how not all citizens in the United States are treated equally。 She weaves her personal experience as an immigrant from Morocco and a Muslim women in with more general discussions of current events。There are a lot of nonfiction books about how some BIPOC people are no Lalami is quickly becoming a favorite author。 This book is a bit of a departure in genre from her previous books， but continues many of the same themes she explored in The Other Americans。In a series of short essays， Lalami explores how not all citizens in the United States are treated equally。 She weaves her personal experience as an immigrant from Morocco and a Muslim women in with more general discussions of current events。There are a lot of nonfiction books about how some BIPOC people are not always treated the same as Whites in the USA。 This adds a dimension to that conversation with its focus on immigrants and Arab-Americans。 She discusses how often Arabs will “pass” as white， until something comes up about religion or culture。 Particularly cutting was the section when she talks about how she’s often asked to explain terrorism， despite the same not being asked of White people after a mass casualty。Many parts of this book will stick with for awhile， but especially her daughter， also a citizen， asked if she was going to be deported after the enactment of Trump’s “Muslim Ban”。 This book reminds me in many ways of Good Talk， another favorite。 It deserves to be read and digested， especially if you are a White American。 。。。more

Arielle ，

Part memoir part， historical analysis of otherness in the U。S。 It was obviously too short to be a complete analysis， but I think Laila did a good job at intertwining personal with historical。 My favorite quote: "Watching the Sandhill cranes traveling across the sky in flocks， it occurred to me that human beings， too， are migratory species。 When their natural habitat no longer affords them safety， stability， or opportunity， they leave home and find shelter somewhere new。 After all， the story of h Part memoir part， historical analysis of otherness in the U。S。 It was obviously too short to be a complete analysis， but I think Laila did a good job at intertwining personal with historical。 My favorite quote: "Watching the Sandhill cranes traveling across the sky in flocks， it occurred to me that human beings， too， are migratory species。 When their natural habitat no longer affords them safety， stability， or opportunity， they leave home and find shelter somewhere new。 After all， the story of humanity is fundamentally a story of migration: Adam was forced out of Eden， Moses led his people out of Egypt， Muhammad made the hegira to Mecca。 This is why efforts to stop the movement of people strike me as futile， like trying to stop birds from flying south for the winter。" 。。。more

armin ，

The book is a back and forth between personal experiences and social issues， the US and Morocco， theory and journalism and very much of it is concerned with the events of the past 20 years that if you follow the US news， you happen to pretty much be familiar with them。 Nevertheless， the way she uses these events， and her personal stories， to make sense of the fact that a substantial part of the US citizens are under attack because they are basically treated as second class people is convincing。 The book is a back and forth between personal experiences and social issues， the US and Morocco， theory and journalism and very much of it is concerned with the events of the past 20 years that if you follow the US news， you happen to pretty much be familiar with them。 Nevertheless， the way she uses these events， and her personal stories， to make sense of the fact that a substantial part of the US citizens are under attack because they are basically treated as second class people is convincing。 It's also a very smooth reading。 Most importantly， I think the voice of a secular Arab woman living in the US is something that we really need to hear more of。 。。。more

Allyson ，

Wow， this was a very fast read and on the tail of Caste， upsetting， illuminating， and thought-provoking。 Again， it should be required reading for every American citizen。A very nice cover too。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0