Name: Conditional Citizens
ISBN: 9781524747169

Laila Lalami

The author uses her journey from Moroccan immigrant to U.S. citizen 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, or gender - that once determined the boundaries of Americanness still cast their shadows today

On Belonging in America

Conditional Citizens

Mary Makarious

Lalami's in-depth analysis on the complexities of what it means to be an "American" was a fascinating read. Her observations and subsequent pieces of evidence laid out, quite clearly, that being an American is not just what you have on paper, but a notion that's constantly challenged if you're seen as "other", regardless of your legal status.

Lalami is a talented writer, who studied linguistics, and moved to the US from Morocco, where she eventually met her American husband. The entire book tries to articulate what's often so hard to put into words, the grey areas of culture and identity especially when you don't fully belong in either place.

As an Egyptian immigrant, I found myself comforted and terrified by her prose and analysis - that she managed to articulate the fears and isolation that comes with being an "other" here in the US.

Kristen Claiborn

While this book didn't present much information I wasn't already aware of, it was still engaging and eye-opening. This is the first book I have read written by a Muslim immigrant who went on to become naturalized so she had insights I hadn't previously thought of. There were aspects of her writing style I wasn't super excited about, but that's my own personal preference and has nothing to do with how well this book is written. It's definitely worth reading.

Conditional Citizens On Belonging in America

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