Two books examine masculinity and mental health in immigrant families

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR

Arts, Books

4.2 • 671 Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2023

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today's episode is rooted in how the expectations of immigrant fathers affect their children. First, Khashayar J. Khabushani speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about his novel I Will Greet the Sun Again, which follows a young Iranian-American boy trying to make sense of his identity and sexuality under a strict, sometimes violent, dad's care. Then, Prachi Gupta tells NPR's Leila Fadel about her memoir, They Called Us Exceptional, and how the intersection of racism and patriarchy contributed to her brother's tragic death.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Immigrant dads loom large over the two books we've got for you today. And they're both hard, difficult, and sometimes straight-up violent men. And growing up with that over you, I mean, it can't help but shape your idea of what it means to be a man in this country.
0:22.7	In a bit, we'll hear from journalist Prachi Gupta, whose memoir examines how these ideas of masculinity eventually led to her brother's death.
0:31.0	But first, Kashayar J. Kabushani's novel, I Will Greet the Son, again, follows these three brothers,
0:36.6	whose dad eventually just picks him up
0:39.1	and brings them back to their home country of Iran. And he talked to here Nasdipa Fernandez
0:43.6	about finding room for some empathy for the father figure in his book.
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0:59.5	Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. Tease and C's apply.
1:04.9	I'm Mario Glass. On this American life, we tell real life stories. Really good ones.
1:09.3	My mother said, I'm sorry that you weren't here because
1:13.6	Father Sager was here visiting and he found a very nice orphanage for you. And I said, but I'm not an orphan.
1:24.2	Surprising stories in your podcast feed, this American Live.
1:29.1	A beautiful debut novel illuminates lives that are often unseen.
1:34.3	Kashayar J. Kabushanis, I Will Greet the Son Again, introduces us to Kay, a young Iranian-American
1:41.2	coming of age in Los Angeles.
1:43.8	Kay and his two brothers try to be all
1:46.0	American boys while their father wants to impose Iranian traditions. Their mother is too busy
1:52.0	working to give much support, and all of them will soon experience a major disruption in their
1:57.9	lives. The Guardian called I Will Greet the Sun again, tender and gut-wrenching.
2:03.3	We agree. And Kashayar J. Kabushani joins us now. Welcome, Kash.
2:09.5	Thank you, Deepa, for having me.
2:11.9	So when we meet your main character, Kay, he's an Iranian-American boy living in Los Angeles. Now, as a child, he's
	...

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