Thank you to LibroFM and Recorded Books Inc for a copy of Wajahat Ali’s memoir, Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful recommendations on How to Become American.
Wajahat Ali grew up in the San Francisco Bay area to parents who immigrated from Pakistan. In Go Back to Where You Came From, Ali writes about being raised in America and the difficulties that his family faced with assimilation in their new country. Ali details that despite being born in the United States, he has always been seen as an outsider, an immigrant.
This impact was most profound when his parents were arrested for financial crimes shortly after September 11th, with elements of their arrest appearing to reflect the distrust that Americans have towards muslims. For a majority of his childhood, Ali lived in upper-middle class comfort, but the arrest of his parents thrust him into financial worry. He was nearly finished with college at the time and suddenly found himself in charge of the family business and caring for elderly grandmothers. I am the same age as Ali and as I was listening to him tell his story, I kept imagining our parallel lives in the years following the fall of the twin towers. I can’t imagine the stress he faced, both from the strain of his parents in prison and from his social position in American society. As a white American, I felt that his perspective was important to hear and to try to understand- to listen.
Ali’s story takes an interesting twist as he struggles to get his life back on track, becoming both a lawyer and a playwright. Boldly producing his play on the anniversary of September 11th, it features a Pakistani- American muslim family in conversations that include the terrorist attacks. Ali got started running his play locally, in the reception rooms at Indian restaurants, building a following that included bigger donations and eventually, an off-broadway run.
I found Ali’s journey in the first part of his life ( hey, we are only middle-aged, lots more to come) to be inspiring and surprising. Ali has a sharp sense of humor and a keen eye for observing human behavior. Go Back to Where You Came From is an important memoir for people, especially those who have white privilege, to read and absorb. I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles and I feel that Ali helped me better understand the immigrant experience that some of my friends and their parents might have faced living in the United States.