Immigrants in the US, and abroad, are under attack. In spite of this, these 12 immigrant authors have contributed some of our best books of 2016. (Numbered without ranking.)Though immigrant authors make essential contributions to so many cultures (I was especially sorry to leave off deserving books by Helen Oyeyemi, Saleem Haddad, Neel Mukherjee, and Sunjeev Sahota), I've limited the list to focus on stories by immigrants to America in a year where an anti-immigration candidate rode a virulently xenophobic campaign to the White House. Some of these books feature experiences that deal directly with immigration while others do not. The topics range from gun control to adoption, race, gender, class, orientation, "political correctness," music, body image, and sports—in other words, the myriad experiences and negotiations of being in the world. These writers are doing some of the absolute best writing in America on these issues and more.
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1. Unbearable Splendor by Sun Yung Shin
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
3. 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girlby Mona Awad
4. Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue
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5. Look by Solmaz Sharif
6. Swing Time by Zadie Smith
7. Mercury by Margot Livesey
8. Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
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