Reading The Middle of Everywhere was an eye opening experience for me. When I used to think about immigrants and refugees, I would not allow my mind to wander much. I would stick to the knowledge that I had picked up on through the stereotypes and stigmas given these people from other Americans. In general, the average citizen born in America is completely oblivious to the fortune and endless opportunities in to which they were born. Along with this, Americans seem to take possession of the land, opportunities, and freedom given them, without stepping back and looking at how they got those items in the first place. This is where this book really started to make me think. We as Americans are very uneducated about our history and fail to appreciate what is given to us and the sacrifices made that got us to the place we are today. The immigrants and refugees that came here to America are not only appreciative of what is given to them, but also are very aware of their own country's background and seem eager to learn about the history of America. In reading this book I felt I was given more reason to let my mind wander and think more about the lives of immigrants and refugees as real people with some very disturbing real stories.
Once we discussed this book in class, I found so many different perspectives to take in addition to the ones I had already found. I enjoyed hearing the different perspectives and learning more about the history of people in the Honor's class to be very enlightening. Even in our small class in the Midwest, there are still varying stories and histories that really broadened the discussion. Being this is the first real discussion that we have had thus far in the semester, I find it a bit difficult to make comparisons from other course materials, but with the semester ahead being very heavily focused on immigrants, refugees, and the marginalized in general, this book I feel has prepared me to be more open to what I will be exposed to this semester. With that said, I could deduce that my thinking on this matter is quite changed. I feel much more open to hear the stories, learn the history, and dig into how different our culture is from others and how that is a challenge for those immigrants and refugees when moving here to America.
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