A useful, easy-to-read handbook for immigrants, refugees, and international students in America.
A first-generation immigrant to the United States offers advice to those who are new to the country.
“When I first arrived in the U.S., I knew nothing about how American society worked,” writes Nguyen in the book’s introduction, adding, “I lost valuable time simply because I didn’t have access to essential knowledge.” Now a successful Silicon Valley–based engineer, the author offers advice to fellow immigrants—particularly students and young professionals—in this guidebook to navigating American society. The volume begins with detailed step-by-step instructions for setting oneself up for success during one’s first weeks stateside. The author provides detailed sections on how to save duplicate copies of important documents, on the importance of checking in with one’s school or employer, and on setting up bank accounts, among other topics. The bulk of the chapters are arranged thematically, with one offering detailed instructions on understanding the complexities of the U.S. credit system, for example, and another spelling out best practices for applying for jobs. Nguyen is particularly adept at identifying ways to save immigrants money, familiarizing his readership with cashback rewards, thrift stores like Goodwill, and free services offered by public libraries. An entire chapter is similarly devoted to American food, warning immigrants of the high sugar content found in items such as ketchup, canned soups, and salad dressings. The book also valuably acquaints readers with naming conventions in the U.S. and provides advice on how to format one’s own name (as well as emphasizing the importance of remaining consistent, after one has chosen a format). Nguyen encourages readers not to overwhelm themselves by reading the book from cover to cover, but to treat it as a “trusted guide” for reference, based on their specific needs—whether one is looking for tips on child care, investments, or online security, for example. This accessible approach eschews lengthy narratives (rarely does any single page feature more than two paragraphs), favoring an outline-like style featuring detailed lists and bullet points.
A useful, easy-to-read handbook for immigrants, refugees, and international students in America.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9798270964801
Page Count: 292
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.
A noted actor turns to verse: “Poems are a Saturday in the middle of the week.”
McConaughey, author of the gracefully written memoir Greenlights, has been writing poems since his teens, closing with one “written in an Australian bathtub” that reads just as a poem by an 18-year-old (Rimbaud excepted) should read: “Ignorant minds of the fortunate man / Blind of the fate shaping every land.” McConaughey is fearless in his commitment to the rhyme, no matter how slight the result (“Oops, took a quick peek at the sky before I got my glasses, / now I can’t see shit, sure hope this passes”). And, sad to say, the slight is what is most on display throughout, punctuated by some odd koanlike aperçus: “Eating all we can / at the all-we-can-eat buffet, / gives us a 3.8 education / and a 4.2 GPA.” “Never give up your right to do the next right thing. This is how we find our way home.” “Memory never forgets. Even though we do.” The prayer portion of the program is deeply felt, but it’s just as sentimental; only when he writes of life-changing events—a court appearance to file a restraining order against a stalker, his decision to quit smoking weed—do we catch a glimpse of the effortlessly fluent, effortlessly charming McConaughey as exemplified by the David Wooderson (“alright, alright, alright”) of Dazed and Confused. The rest is mostly a soufflé in verse. McConaughey’s heart is very clearly in the right place, but on the whole the book suggests an old saw: Don’t give up your day job.
It’s not Shakespeare, not by a long shot. But at least it’s not James Franco.Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781984862105
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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