Reviews
Remarkable...a richly detailed, affecting account...Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate...Which of these men is the 'true American' of the title? That there is no simple answer to that question is Giridharadas's finest accomplishment., The suspense in this book runs deeper than whether Stroman will live or die. Mr. Giridharadas is most interested in examining the viability of the American dream... an enterprising and clear-eyed reporter., Remarkable...a richly detailed, affecting account... Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate., Exhilarating and deeply affecting, Giridharadas's book is not only a captivating narrative; it reminds us of the immigrant's journey at the heart of the American story and how, in the wake of violent tragedy, one new to our country can help us to see through to the best in ourselves, even when the law requires far less., An unforgettable story about two men caught in the jaws of history. In this compassionate, tenacious, and deeply intelligent book, Giridharadas casts brilliant new illumination on what we mean by 'American.', A riveting tale, dense with detail, from Giridharadas' unflinching descriptions of the struggling neighborhoods on the eastern edge of Dallas, to Stroman's troubled and brutal childhood, to the ebullient optimism of these new Americans determined to create better lives., Meticulously reconstructs two lives that collided in horrific fashion... A compelling, nuanced look at the shifting, volatile meaning of American identityIn the post-9/11 era., Remarkable...a richly detailed, affecting account...Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate...Which of these men is the ''''true American'''' of the title? That there is no simple answer to that question is Giridharadas''''s finest accomplishment., Remarkable... a richly detailed, affecting account... Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate., Gives you new eyes on your nation, makes you wonder about both the recent South Asian immigrant behind the counter at the food mart and the tattooed white man behind you in line. It reminds you that there are some Americas where mercy flows freely, and other Americas where it has turned to ice., This is an enthralling real-life tale of murder and forgiveness and what it means to be an American. Brilliantly reported and powerfully told, this Texas drama personalizes the ethnic diversity that has always been the source of our nation's strength and many of its tensions. It's also a breathtaking account of how a crazed murderer came to know a Muslim immigrant he tried to kill., An intellectually agile and incessantly compelling portrait of post-9/11 America--or what we are and of what we might become., A good read, rich in detail and devoid of cant and polemic... The book doesn't tell us what to think. It provokes us to think. It leads us to ponder the 'American Dream,' the ways that people live, the immigrant experience and our own assumptions. It's a story worth spending some time with., "Remarkable...a richly detailed, affecting account...Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate...Which of these men is the "true American" of the title? That there is no simple answer to that question is Giridharadas's finest accomplishment."", Meticulously reconstructs two lives that collided in horrific fashion... A compelling, nuanced look at the shifting, volatile meaning of American identity In the post-9/11 era., Moving and indelible... manifestly inspirational... a finely textured portrait of lower-class despair., Anand Giridharadas has written a book that is simply impossible to put down. Just when we thought that we had read everything we could possibly absorb about 9/11, The True American finds a new and compelling perspective, one that explores two sharply opposed dimensions of the American experience in a style that neither celebrates nor condemns. We readers become the jury, weighing what it means to be a true American today., "Remarkable...a richly detailed, affecting account...Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate...Which of these men is the "true American" of the title? That there is no simple answer to that question is Giridharadas's finest accomplishment.", A good read, rich in detail and devoid of cant and polemic... The book doesn''''t tell us what to think. It provokes us to think. It leads us to ponder the 'American Dream,' the ways that people live, the immigrant experience and our own assumptions. It''''s a story worth spending some time with., Competing visions of the American Dream clash in this rich account of a hate crime and its unlikely reverberations....Giridharadas' s evocative reportage captures the starkly contrasting, but complementary struggles of these men with sympathy and insight, setting them in a Texas landscape of strip malls and gas stations that is at once a moonscape of social anomie and a welcoming blank slate for a newcomer seeking to assimilate. The result is a classic story of arrival with a fresh and absorbing twist., This is an enthralling real-life tale of murder and forgiveness and what it means to be an American. Brilliantly reported and powerfully told, this Texas drama personalizes the ethnic diversity that has always been the source of our nation''''s strength and many of its tensions. It''''s also a breathtaking account of how a crazed murderer came to know a Muslim immigrant he tried to kill., Eloquent... From murder to execution, forgiveness, personal responsibility, governmental intervention and more, there are enough dichotomies here to fuel heated book-club discussions for years., The suspense in this book runs deeper than whether Stroman will live or die. Mr. Giridharadas is most interested in examining the viability of the American dream... an enterprising and clear-eyed reporter.