The Immigrant Advantage: What We Can Learn from Newcomers to America about Health, Happiness and Hope

Claudia was my neighbor in Houston. Her twin daughters are probably my own daughter's "very best friends in the entire world." That's why I bought the book. I read the book because I wanted to know what Claudia had written when she was secreted away all those months in far-away locations. I was utterly impressed. I envied the women who had family members/friends with them during those first months of motherhood. I loved reading about Mike and the girls. The ways that other cultures rely on their families fascinated me, probably because I don't live it myself. My own immediate family members are at least 500 miles away and although I can see how coming together into one home is beneficial for all generations, I would have to undergo a complete paradigm shift to make it work for me. I confess, the book made me more than a little homesick for my miniature townhouse in the fourth ward (I'm now a Denver suburbanite and have to travel for what seems like forever to find pho!). Thank you Claudia for this book. It opened my mind and my heart to potential within my own family, especially as we enter a time when the "elders" in my family need the help of the next generation.

As America continues to be the world's immigrant nation, we seem to have forgot about the positive influence that immigrants can have on a culture and have rested solely on economic or political associations of immigrants. Not a great look forward, but this book aims to change that mindset and helps to bring to light the long forgotten truths of the benefits of being an immigrant nation. This is a must read for any social work, inner-city church, or mixed demographic job. It will take your eyes off of yourself and what can be done for you to what is the value of each person and how can they impact the community you love!

Claudia's book is full of interesting insights about the customs brought to this country by immigrants. I believe many Americans would benefit from reading about solutions to problems Americans face routinely, including:1- how to get a healthy, delicious and inexpensive dinner on the table after a long work day,2- how to recover from childbirth while still caring for your home and family,3- how to save money and resist impulse spending.Also, the book provides a glimpse into the many cultures that comprise modern Houston society, which is an example of the cultural mix that many cities in the U.S. will have in thirty years. There is great value in the different ethnic cultures appreciating and learning about and from each other's customs.

Great story. Used it for my class and it was in great condition! It was like I bought it brand new!

Not only does the author discover and report on many best practices immigrants bring with them to the United States (Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican, Jamaican, and more), she tries them out on herself, her family, and her friends to see how they translate for the rest of us. The result is a hilarious, insightful, thought-provoking, and not-at-all dry or academic book. It made me what to ditch many of my American-centric ways and "live like an immigrant." I loved it from start to finish (Reader, I did!)

What a refreshing book, with contemporary implications today. We can all learn and enrich our own lives with the values of these immigrant groups. Recommended read for those who question immigration. Selected as our book club read.

Well written and easy to read. If an immigrant lives in the 'fly over country' of these united states it does offer courage and hope and encouragement. People who were born and grew up in one place do not have much of a tolerant and open mind toward people who come from elsewhere. The immigrant has so much to offer and this book is an encouragement toward that.

I haven't completed the book, but so far, it has been a very enlightening read. It gives me an understanding of immigrants and the practices that they have held on to from their culture that have made them successful.