Reading brings us knowledge. Language captivates our brain with images. But what is language? It’s a means to communicate. Sounds, tones, figures that come alive as thoughts, feelings in our minds. Like music, photography, painting, sculpture, or any art, it reaches out from or to our unconscious to tell us something about ourselves. Letters form syllables, syllables words, words phrases, phrases sentences, sentences stories in books. And it is in Jeff Libman’s book An Immigrant Class Oral Histories From Chicago’s Newest Immigrants, where the reader hears, feels, and sees the stories of recent immigrants to this city. Libman teaches English As A Second Language at Truman College in Chicago. The immigrants were some of his students, and they give a diverse picture to the many human beings that come to this country.
This book is a window into the journey of 20 human beings from all parts of the world and the 19 countries they represent. From Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Romania, Afghanistan, Sudan, Brazil, Haiti, Iran, Peru, Tibet, Cuba, Bosnia, Mexico, Chile, Iraq, etc., It recounts the memories of how they lived in their homeland, the reasons why they left and the new way of life they encountered. It is told in the first person narrative, and was transcribed by Libman without editing their words. This in itself adds another dimension to how the reader experiences reading about their lives. Plus, the photographs by Steve Kagan that accompany their words give a visual history to them.
Chicago is a city that is composed of neighborhoods. From Rogers Park, La Villita, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Pullman, Ukrainian Village, Greektown, to Bronzeville, and everything in between. These are the many pieces that form the ethnic puzzle of Chicago. Immigrants in this book give a face to each country where they come from and together give us a view to the world. They are the new arrivals, the ones that will change the landscape of Chicago. They reflect each corner of the earth and we discover their journey with words.
This book is vital for everyone to read in order to understand the stereotypes that immigrants often encounter. They tell of their profound love for their homeland and how they are hurt by the generalities most Americans assume about them. Their intelligence captures the reader. They come here chasing the “American Dream” and often achieve it. They tell of the dream they chase and the realities they encounter. We find out who they were and who they are. They tell us about wars, poverty, and economic uncertainty in their countries as well as other reasons that drove them out. By virtue of their voices, we come to know why they are here. We read how living in the states has changed them, about their longing to return home, a longing that few, after working hard, get to achieve.
It starts with Amadou Tandina, who was born in Burkina, Faso. One learns not only about him, where he grew up, the work he did, but also about his parents. Especially about his mother. In his description of her, he broke all stereotypes of what people think of African women. He says that she worked and even though she didn’t make the money, she was the backbone of the family. Amadou got a scholarship to go to the university. While at school he taught French and worked as a tailor like his father. He met his future American wife who was there with Save the Children. He came to the U.S. so she could finish her education. They got married. When he left Faso, his mother knew he wasn’t coming back. He tells of his loneliness in a foreign place where he’ll never feel 100% American. But he knows who he is, his past makes him see the bad and good of his present. His story in part reflects that of the rest of the immigrants. Life has some twists and turns that inevitably shape who we are.
Regardless of where they come, one thing many emphasized was that they know their identity and feel they haven’t lost their culture and self. They came to Truman College, one of the City Colleges who offers free ESL classes, because of their desire to learn English to express themselves. And by way of Libman’s book, they have achieved it. Through their narratives we can understand this country a little better. We become aware of their knowledge, religion, background and become captivated by the cultural and ethnic diversity.
What better book to read for our “Reading” issue than this one? An Immigrant Class Oral Histories From Chicago’s Newest Immigrants encapsulates the oral histories of these new immigrants and in turn the history of this country as it continues to evolve.
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Leticia Cortez. Born in México and grew up in Chicago. She worked as a teacher at Truman College. She is a writer, educator and activist. Cortezruiz2005@yahoo.com
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