Kureishi, Hanif: *1954

My Son the Fanatic, 1997 - Thematic Parallels: Immigration

Kureishi, Hanif: My Son the Fanatic, 1997
This novel is a social commentary on the challenges of immigrant life and the intergenerational struggles of adapting to a new culture.
The following books are thematically similar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Boyle, T.C.: The Tortilla Curtain, 1995, ~350pp
  This novel focuses on immigration and social tensions in the US.
  - Both works portray the difficulties immigrants face in adapting to a new country, including social exclusion, economic hardship, and cultural misunderstandings. They highlight cultural clashes and societal pressures. Family relationships are a microcosm of broader societal tensions, showing how immigration and cultural differences impact personal connections.
- Henríquez, Cristina: The Book of Unknown Americans, 2014, ~280pp
  This novel deals with the experiences of immigrants in the US, exploring themes of identity and belonging.
  - While Henríquez focuses on community and daily life struggles of immigrants in America, and Kureishi focuses on family and ideological conflict in a British context, both texts are deeply concerned with identity, belonging, and the generational impacts of cultural displacement.
- Hosseini, Khaled: The Kite Runner, 2003, ~340pp
  This novel deals with themes of identity, immigration, and the immigrant experience, particularly from Afghanistan.
  - Both works depict the struggle of parents trying to reconcile their values and expectations with the evolving beliefs or behaviors of their children. They share key similarities in exploring cultural identity, the immigrant experience, moral dilemmas, and the influence of religion and tradition on personal and familial relationships. Both use intimate father-son relationships as a lens to examine larger social and cultural conflicts.
- Lahiri, Jhumpa: The Namesake, 2003, ~290pp
  This novel explores the immigrant experience and identity, particularly of an Indian-American family.
  - Both texts depict tension between immigrant parents and their children, highlighting differing approaches to cultural assimilation and identity. They depict parental disappointment and frustration when children deviate from cultural or familial expectations. The core exploration of identity, belonging, and family conflict binds them thematically.
List of general discussion questions on Immigration (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Immigration (pdf)