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plpietra 's review for:
A Short Border Handbook: A Journey Through the Immigrant's Labyrinth
by Gazmend Kapllani
You could ask the immigrant, Why are you telling us all this? The truth is, as an immigrant, especially a first-generation immigrant, your first instinct is to stay silent. Fear; caution; the violent escape, that violent first encounter with the unknown country; that feeling of being uninvited; resentment; longing for and rejection of home, and guilt and rage at the same time, all take root in the immigrant. An immigrant is a confused creature, highly insecure, and that is why he fears confession. All it takes is one gesture from the other side, one sign of denial, or indifference, of the "What's it to me where you come from and what you've been through?" kind, for the immigrant to feel ridiculous, vulnerable, and freakish. That's why he doesn't take risks. Instead, he digests his experiences in isolation and before long is convinced that they are of absolutely no interest to anyone. In the final analysis, he thinks: I wasn't made for telling stories, but to fight tooth and nail for my survival. It's not that people can't understand; they just don't want to.