Unaccustomed Earth, Part II

Many of Lahiri's stories have similar themes. Interpreter of Maladies encompassed many stories about first-generation Bengali immigrants. The Namesake also started out as a story about first-generation immigrants, but then became a story about their children. Unaccustomed Earth focuses more on the second generation. But, no matter what generation Lahiri focuses on, some of the struggles remain the same.

In many situations, it's the husband who comes to the United States for work (most often in New England). Either he marries (often arranged) before he comes, or his parents arrange a marriage for him while he's away, he comes back to India to marry, and then moves the woman to the U.S. With the woman so far from her family, not working, not being able to drive, she's often lonely and relies heavily on this new stranger. Most often, the man can't figure out why his wife is sad all the time. In several of Lahiri's stories, the women feel resentment toward their husbands for taking them away from India. When they have children, things change a bit, get better. However, as their children grow up, they become more and more American, leaving behind their parents who may still struggle with English and new American customs.

Lahiri was born in India, but moved to America when she was two years old. I listened to a podcast interview with her recently, and she said she feels more American than anything else, yet she still struggles with her identity sometimes. I've always wondered if her stories came from something real deep inside of her, and now I believe that to be true.

In the podcast (if you're interested, head to B&N Studio and click on Meet the Writers), she also talks about why this most recent book speaks more toward second-generation immigrants. In her personal life, Lahiri is second generation (out of three). This is the first book she wrote as a mother - and when you read it you can tell, especially compared to Interpreter. It's also come to the time in many second-generation children's lives when their parents are aging, perhaps dying. That is also a big theme throughout the book.

It was a very interesting interview. Lahiri seems soft-spoken and humble, not realizing the talent she possesses. She believes success is arbitrary - who knows what book people are going to like? It's so true. She also seemed a bit "above" the interview, but not in a bad way. Just that she expected more of the interviewer. I felt she wanted to be asked something she's never been asked before. As a journalist, I know how hard it is to ask new questions, but I think that also makes me in tune to an interviewee who's looking for more from her interviewer.

Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled and More Miserable Than Ever Before

I’m working on a column for one of the publications for which I write/edit. I decided to take a look at the generation gap in the workforce (since the magazine is a business one). Right now Gen X (depending on who you ask, those born 1965-77) and Gen Y (1978-1990) make up a majority of the workforce. Soon the Baby Boomers will retire and Gen Y will actually be the majority of the workplace workers. As all of these newbies are entering the workplace, Boomers are having a little trouble relating. I felt this was an interesting topic to explore.

There have been many books and articles written about this new generation – Y or Millennials or whatever you want to call them (us). “Adults” can’t seem to figure us out. I first got fired up about this topic in November when I saw a 60 minutes segment, “The Millennials Are Coming.” Some of the things these experts claimed: we’re spoiled, selfish, self-absorbed and don’t know what it’s like to punch a time clock. I know there are exceptions to every rule, but if I look at my entire circle of friends, I can actually find many exceptions staring back at me. So, something has to be wrong with this theory, right?

I picked up Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge to read up on her insights. She lumps some of X, Y and Millennials into one group: GenMe (1970-2000-ish). So, at 33, she’s considered a member. I haven’t read to book in its entirety, just the introduction and all the parts relating to the workplace, but I find her insights interesting. While we may be more forward and feel more entitled – after all our parents (those same Boomers) told us we could do whatever we want – we do have more acceptance of diversity, more knowledge of new technology, the ability to think outside the box and the willingness to learn new things.

Twenge also covers sex, equality and depression in her book. At the end, she offers suggestions to older generations on how to relate better to the puzzling beast that is GenMe. I didn’t agree with everything she had to say, because she is forced to generalize, but I did learn more about myself and more about how older generations think as well.