11 Books To Help You Talk To Your Kids About Immigration And Refugees

By Raakhee Mirchandani for Elle Magazine

Like so many of us, my American story is an immigrant one. My dad, came to this country eager to try his luck; my mom came as a brand new bride, unsure of a new land where she neither looked nor sounded like her neighbors. Their story has a happy ending: from Bombay to the 'burbs of New Jersey, kids, houses, Sunday temple trips followed by pizza nights. 

I'm textbook New Jersey: brassy, ballsy, and all about that Boss. But among the many titles I wear proudly—mother, editor, pediatric cancer crusader, friend, and Jersey girl—first-generation American tops that list. It speaks to the idea that I get to be American because my parents took a chance, risking it all to build something better. It tells you that they were tough enough to leave all they knew to start again.