Growing Up Ethnic in America: Contemporary Fiction About Learning to Be American

Filled with humor, passion, and grace, Growing Up Ethnic in America features some of America's brightest voices in pieces that shed light on the many ways individuals from distinctly ethnic backgrounds come to terms with the multicultural terrain that is America. These stories depict a variety of experiences, including poignant but failed attempts at conformity and alienation often felt by ethnic Americans. But they also tell of the strength gained through the preservation of their communities, and the realization that it is often the difference from the norm that helps them to succeed. In pieces that suggest that what constitutes American identity is far from settled, these writers testify to the profound effect ethnic differences have on personal and communal understandings of America, and illustrate the diversity that is the source of the nation's great discord and infinite promise.