Maria Knodt

Edited by Nikesh Shukla

The Good Immigrant

An important book consisting of short stories of British-Asian writers, actors, comedians and other creatives, recounting their experiences as immigrants or children of immigrants living in the United Kingdom. With humor and wit, they are explaining how they are viewed as bad immigrants and are never fully accepted – until they do something extraordinary like becoming a famous actor or a strong athlete. That’s when they are becoming good immigrants in the eyes of society. Moving and thought-provoking!

“Namaste means hello.

Namaste means I’m bowing to you.

It’s a customary greeting.

It’s a respectful salutation.

It has become a bastardized metaphor for spiritualism. It’s white people doing yoga, throwing up prayer hands chanting ‘AUM’ and saying ‘namaste’ like their third eyes are being opened and they can peer directly into the nucleus of spirituality.

You need to know this. Because of your skin tone, people will ask you where you’re from. When they know you’re half-Indian, one person will try to impress their knowledge of your culture on you.”