Nikesh Shukla

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

I have to admit, at first I was not a big believer in all the hype that came with Nikesh Shukla's third novel, Meatspace; for while it starts out as a funny little character-based comedy about young artists in London, it certainly doesn't seem like "the greatest book on loneliness since The Catcher in show more the Rye," as Gary Shteyngart breathlessly exclaims on the front cover, and it also doesn't seem to "capture a cultural moment like Generation X" like the Guardian proclaimed. But the farther you get into this witty, cleverly constructed book, the better it gets and the more it starts earning these accolades (hint -- things really start picking up once publicly exposed penises get involved); and what seems at first to be just an endless amount of trendy references to Facebook and iPhones really does start adding up to a bigger statement on society as the storyline expands in scope and stakes. A heftier novel than it might seem at first, with an ending that's surprisingly much sadder than the rest of this sometimes laugh-out-loud book would make you guess, it's one of those extremely rare books that actually gets better as it continues, and it's worth sticking in there through the admittedly only so-so beginning in order to get to the good stuff. Recommended for all, but especially to my fellow middle-agers who want a better sense of what daily life for twentysomething Millennials are like right now, where half your social life is lived on your phone and the opportunities for public embarrassment never end.

Out of 10: 9.2 show less

Shelving this for now because I'm finding that I just can't handle more reading about the immigrant experience after each day in which the news punches me in the face with my own outsiderness and how unsafe that makes me feel when the country I'm in is back to hating people like us.

It's a pity, because the five or so essays I've read so far have ranged from good to excellent. They wrestle a lot with what it's like to be in that grey area between first- and second- generation immigrant: a show more territory I know well having myself moved to Britain as a small child, and to the US as a student.

Based on the subset I've read, I do recommend this collection really strongly to anyone who wants to understand what that experience is like. I guess I'm finding it hard to stomach because I'm still living it, and that's a sign of how well these essays hit the mark. show less

Best for: Those looking for a different perspective on life in England.

In a nutshell: Twenty-one Black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals share stories from their lives either as immigrants or as people viewed as ‘other’ in daily life.

Worth quoting:
“If a white kid raps all the lyrics to ‘Gold Digger’ and there isn’t a black person around to hear it, is it still racist?”
“Our ancestors were terrified. Do not forget that. Allow them to humanness of fear.”
“We fine-tune show more the ability to find the nuances funny, deflecting the crushing weight of displacement and diaspora drama that becomes part of our everyday.”
“The reality of Britain is vibrant multi-culturalism, but the myth we export is an all-white world of Lords and Ladies.”

Why I chose it: I was seeking out another book that is out in the US but apparently not in the UK (boo) so ended up browsing. This stood out to me as a way to start getting to know the country I’m now living in.

Review: Essay collections by a variety of authors can be a challenge to put together. You have all of these different voices taking on a similar topic in different ways. In this collection, which includes essays by professional writers but also playwrights, actors, comedians, screenwriters, poets, and publishers, there are a wide range of stories told. Some are more lyrical; some are pretty funny; others are quite serious.

But each one provides a hint, a glimpse, a snapshot in time of what life is like for someone who is not white and is living in England. The stories are not so much about the BNP or UKIP (although they do get dishonorable mentions), but instead focus on the ways in which people of color are treated as other in the UK. Whether its a lack of representation in media, or quiet xenophobia, or that feeling of not belonging anywhere, each author brings their own spin to the concept of the ‘good immigrant.’

I found some essays to be stronger than others, which is to be expected, but the stories being told were all worth learning, especially for someone who is entering a country without knowing a lot about its history. I mean, I’m aware that the British Empire was a thing, and that England invaded and colonized dozens of countries, but I’m not as aware of how racism plays out on a daily basis within the nation’s borders. I think this book was a good way to start in my education on this. show less

between 2.5 and 3 stars. there are a few of these, of course, that are absolutely outstanding. (i especially liked the essays of porochista khakpour, nicole dennis-benn, fatimah asghar, krutika mallikarjuna, alexander chee, daniel jose older, and mona chalabi.) what, though, i think is so meaningful about this collection (and i've read a handful like this over the last number of months) is how wide ranging the countries are. they cover some of the "usual" places you'd expect to read about in show more a book about immigration, but there are also stories from places that haven't been in any of the other books i've read on this topic (cyprus, ireland, nigeria) which means there are stories unlike any in the other books i've read on this topic. this is a really nice collection.

"What I wanted to say was how it felt to grow up in a country where the consensus seemed to be that Chinese culture looked best as an accessory on a white person." -- Jenny Zhang (Blond Girls in Cheongsams)

"I became an immigrant when I was twenty-two, but when you're a white woman from the United States and you go to live indefinitely in London, people call you an expat. That's just one of your many privileges, the things you get away with. People also ask you when you're going home. That they ask, and don't tell you to go, is a crucial distinction in the way many white British people regard you as opposed to other immigrants. Another advantage." -- Jean Hannah Edelstein (An American, Told) show less