An American Family

Reviews

“I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: Thank you for immigrating to America. We’re a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation—and he will never be forgotten.”—Senator John McCain
 
“A small but lovely immigrant’s journey, full of carefully-observed details from the order in which Ghazala served tea at a university event, to the schedule of the police patrols in the Boston Public Garden where Khan briefly slept while he was in between apartments, to the description of Humayun’s headstone as a ‘slab of white marble with soft streaks the color of wood smoke.’ . . . Most importantly, the book is an effective argument for the depth of Khan’s love for and knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the amendments to it. He emerges as such an eloquent advocate for both documents, and for American values, that I finished An American Family with my own sense of patriotism and sense of civic obligation revitalized.”—Alyssa Rosenberg, The Washington Post

“Part autobiography, part civics lesson . . . and part patriotic message about the goodness of all Americans.”—BuzzFeed

“[A] wide- eyed and eloquent memoir . . . A sense of wonder about America’s promise peppers the entire narrative, even as he recounts his early struggles in the country while supporting his wife and three boys. . . . This account is especially resonant now.”—Booklist

“Sometimes it takes a newcomer to point out the beauty that old- timers take for granted. America, more than any other country, was founded upon ideals: individual freedoms, equal protection and due process of law. Khan reminds us that these ideals are worth fighting—and even dying—for. The Khans truly are the most American of families.”—BookPage

“An American Family holds its own alongside other fine memoirs of immigration and would be an inspired addition to any college or high school syllabus. The Gold Star father who spoke so movingly at the 2016 Democratic National Convention is just as affecting on the page.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“Khan’s aspirational memoir reminds us all why Americans should welcome newcomers from all lands.”—Kirkus Reviews Expand reviews