African Immigrants and the American Experience

Wanjala S. Nasong’o is professor of international studies at Rhodes College.Imali J. Abala is professor of English at Ohio Dominican University.Kefa M. Otiso is professor of geography at Bowling Green State University.

• List of Figures and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: African Immigrants and the American Experience by Wanjala S. Nasong’o, Imali J. Abala, and Kefa M. OtisoPart I: African Immigrants, Race, and Anti-Black ViolenceChapter 1: A Geographic, Demographic, and Socioeconomic Portrait of Recent African Immigrants to the United States by Kefa M. OtisoChapter 2: “I want my father to tell me how I should deal with being Black in America”: Disruption of Racial Socialization in Black African Immigrant Households by Margaret Gichane and Faith MainaChapter 3: Antiblackness and American Exceptionalism: African Immigrants Navigating the Racial Contours of American Life by Brenda Nyandiko SanyaChapter 4: Deadly Encounters with American Law Enforcement: African Immigrant Victims of Police Violence by Wanjala S. Nasong’oPart II: Education and Pursuit of the American DreamChapter 5: African Immigrants and the Pursuit of the American Dream in Higher Education by Wycliffe W.S. NjororaiChapte

The book under review is a collection of essays broken into three sections on race and racial violence, educational and career attainment, and socioeconomics and health. The essays often concentrate on the more difficult aspects of immigrants’ lives and their place in American society. [The] essays provide important background information on this understudied community, including the history of African immigration to the US, basic demographic data, geographical distribution, and socioeconomic statistics. The contributors also analyze many relevant contemporary issues, such as confronting stereotypes, police violence, health outcomes, and the children of African immigrants navigating social structures often without their parents’ understanding or assistance. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.