Staff Picks: Imigration

This graphic novel adaptation of a short story by King explores how strict border controls affect and limit the movements of native populations, whose reservations are sovereign entities in their own right, and, in the case of the Blackfoot reservation, span the borders established by the group that colonized them. In this story, a boy and his mother, both part of the Blackfoot tribe, tried to cross the Canadian border into the US to visit the boy's older sister in Salt Lake City. When his mother refuses to give a citizenship other than Blackfoot, they are turned away at both the US and Canadian borders and are forced to stay in their car in a duty-free shop parking lot for several nights. It takes word of their situation, finding its way to new outlets, for the US Border Patrol to finally let them into the US for their visit. This work explores how an already complex system is further complicated by native tribal members in an in-between status regarding citizenship and sovereignty.

Fans of a deeply down-to-earth story of kids who are part of two worlds, like American Born Chinese or Family Style, will enjoy this story of a group that is often overlooked during over conversations about border control.

Racism, tense dealings with border control agents

Tayla Cardillo

Who can come to the United States? Who gets to be a U.S. citizen? Including forays into policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Japanese concentration camps, Born in the USA explores how politics and beliefs have impacted immigration and citizenship law throughout American history.

Readers who want to learn about the history of birthright citizenship and immigration law will want to pick this up.

Discusses racist beliefs and the aftermath of policies enacted--but very little actual violence is shown.

Megan Rupe

Ellis Island was one of the main immigrant processing centers in the 1800s and early 1900s, and it figures prominently in many Americans’ family histories. In this installment of First Second’s History Comics series, readers will learn about Ellis Island’s origins and place in America's immigration history from Amie, an Ellis Island Museum employee

Filled with fun facts and good contextualization, this is a solid introduction to Ellis Island and America's immigration history that will entertain both young readers and those who are a bit more familiar with the topic.

Megan Rupe

The comic opens with Thien's first memory, a vivid series of images separated by black pages, relaying a moment from his family's journey from Vietnam to Thailand, mostly via rowboat. We then follow Thien's family life in the refugee camp in Thailand before resettlement in the United States, and the various ways food was part of his experience of all of this. At the end are some bonus comics from his time writing the comic originally, moments between his family members.

Though some of Thien's experiences are pretty tough, he covers them with a light hand while still conveying emotional depth, making it a potential read for any teen curious about what the immigration experience can look like. It's also a coming-of-age story in its own way, with Thien grappling with his identity and how he fits in at the various homes he inhabits throughout the comic.

Some mild depictions of physical violence

Shannan Prukop

Fabien Toulme learned about the Syrian refugee crisis almost by accident, but once he knew, he couldn't let it go and found a Syrian living in France with whom he could talk and make sure this story was being shared as widely as it should be. The comic is framed as interviews between Fabien and Hakim, with the two talking and cutting to flashbacks of moments in Hakim's life that led him to live in France. This first book shows Hakim's young life from being a successful young adult when the war started, then the start of his travels: Syria to Lebanon, Lebanon to Jordan, and then Jordan to Turkey.

Though there is a fair amount of text in the panels, it doesn't feel crowded, and the simpler art, with some comedic moments, makes the story more approachable than it might seem at first. And the frame of having Fabien interview Hakim invites the reader into the conversation, making them part of it. This all makes the story a solid suggestion for readers who want to know more about Syria and some of its people but aren't sure where to start or are daunted by drier texts.

Because it's discussing war, there is a depiction of being physically tortured, as well as gun violence and death.

Shannan Prukop

Tired of constantly working yet unable to fully support her son, Carlos’ mother decides to leave El Salvador for the United States; Carlos joins her out of a desire to protect her. However, Carlos finds the journey much more grueling than expected. Ten years later, cartoonist Ernesto Saade visits his cousin Carlos and aunt in the United States, and Carlos tells Saade the full story of his and his mother’s harrowing journey.

As Carlos points out, his story is “just another story”, yet his story captures the complexity of reasons for emigrating and the bittersweet experience of living here in the States when you didn’t do things legally. Readers curious about those complexities would do well to pick up Just Another Story.

Violence; kidnapping

Megan Rupe

In this graphic memoir, Gao describes her childhood in Wuhan, China, and her immigration to the US at age 11. In a color palette like a sunset, Gao writes a love letter to her homeland and details the ups and downs of transitioning to life in America. She also explores what is felt like to have her birthplace go from being virtual unknown in the West to in every headline as the epicenter of a pandemic, and the anti-Asian sentiment that arose out of. This is a heartfelt story about finding your place in the world in every sense of the word.

Fans of The Magic Fish and Almost American Girl will enjoy another fabulous story with Asian immigrants at the center.

Discussions of the pandemic, Racism and anti-Asian sentiment, minor homophobia

Tayla Cardillo

This graphic non-fiction work explores the question, "What would happen if we let everyone who wanted to move to another country move there with no restrictions?" Open Border explains what we would gain from open immigration globally and addresses some of the common criticisms that have led to current immigration restrictions in the US and other first-world countries. This work equips readers with the essential data they need, in an accessible format, to have informed conversations about immigration.

Anyone looking to better understand the data behind immigration should check out this book.

discussions of racism and zenophobia, depictions of ICE agents

Tayla Cardillo

A vacation to America turns into a permanent stay for Feng-Li and her siblings. The siblings must adapt to a new country without their parents’ guidance. As the stress and conflict mount, can Li Feng pull her family together and get a true shot at achieving the American dream?

Inspired by Tang’s own experiences, Parachute Kids’ strong sibling dynamics and compelling story make this a great read for those looking for a nuanced, tender family immigration story.

Anti-Asian racism

Megan Rupeta

In this historical fiction comic set in the DC Comics universe, Superman confronts an evil older than Lex Luthor or Zod: racism and xenophobia. This story follows the first-generation Chinese Americans Tommy and Roberta and how their paths cross with the Caped Crusader himself when their family is visited by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. This comic uses beloved DC characters to explore the rise in anti-Asian sentiment after World War II, a topic rarely discussed in historical accounts of that period.

Superhero fans and history buffs will find something to love here.

racism and xenophobia, depictions of non-violent hate crimes

Tayla Cardillo

When he was still very young, Francisco's family decided it was time to move to the United States to seek opportunities there. They spend the next several years traveling around California, going where the work is, living wherever they can. Over the years, Francisco attends several schools, learns English, gains three younger siblings, and survives several harrowing incidents. The comic is episodic, jumping forward in time with each chapter that tells a moment in his life, then moves a little forward again, and is an adaptation of a series of memoirs by the author.

A great way to jump readers into the memoirs, the art does an excellent job of conveying emotion and experience, such as the sound effects when people are speaking English while Francisco is learning, or the terrifying image of their home catching fire. The episodic nature of the book might throw off some readers expecting a narrative without jumps, but each story is compelling and easy to pick up where the last one left off.

Depictions of racism

Shannan Prukop

Starting with a brief introduction from current Sabba, we follow her from childhood into adulthood, navigating life as a Pakistani woman living in London and as the child of immigrants. This includes figuring out where she fits between what her parents expect from her as a Muslim woman, what British society expects of her, and what she actually wants, and what happiness can look like for her and her family.

A visually stunning exploration of the many facets of a person's identity, how they intersect and bounce off of one another, and how introducing other people creates new threads and complications. Pick this one up to be drawn in and fascinated by the way Khan breaks down these concepts in beautiful ways.

Depictions of racism, domestic abuse

Shannan Prukop