Invincible Women: Conversations with 21 Inspiring and Successful American Immigrants by Bilha Chesner Fish, MD; Hybrid Global Publishing; © 2020; ISBN: 9781948-181730; 350 pages; $19.99
SAN DIEGO — It’s an ongoing debate whether immigration hurts our society by taking jobs away from Americans, or helps it by importing new workers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Taking the latter position, Dr. Bilha Chesner Fish, MD — herself and immigrant from Israel — interviews twenty-one different “inspiring and successful American immigrants.”
Bilha’s subjects come from Chile, South Korea, India, Egypt, China, Israel, Pakistan, Rwanda, Transylvania, Armenia, Austria, Iran, Serbia, Haiti, Brazil and Bangladesh. They include the best-selling author Isabel Allende, successful entrepreneurs, award-winning artists and designers, an infectious disease specialist, an astrophysicist, philanthropists and a Nobel laureate. They are all shining success stories of newcomers who achieved the American Dream.
The author sat down with each of these women in their homes to interview them about their lives, where they came from, what obstacles they faced and how they got where they are now. Some had far greater obstacles than others. And of course some stories are more engaging than others. But throughout the book, I could feel the affection and admiration that the author felt for each of her subjects. And I came to admire the independence and tenacity that it took for each of them to succeed.
They all love this country and the opportunities that they found, but they are not blind to its flaws. Isabel Allende noted that “America loves immigration but does not love immigrants.” (p.11) That is, she noticed that American-born citizens are proud of what the Statue of Liberty meant for their ancestors, generations ago. But they now want to close the doors. She likened it to getting into an elevator. You wait to for your chance to get in so that you can rise to the top. But once you’re in, you don’t want anyone else to get on.
And of course, once they arrived, they all had their hardships with learning a new language, navigating a strange culture and just making ends meet. Many doors were slammed in their faces or they found their naïveté taken advantage of. “America was not the America [my parents] imagined.” ~Sohyun Bae (p. 25)
As women, they often had to contend with traditional expectations from their native cultures as well as the glass ceilings of ours. “Things do not get easier as you progress and prove yourself -they get more difficult. The more you succeed, the more you are punished.” ~Graciella Chichilinsky (p. 43)
They all had something to say about the current administration and the wave of anti-immigrant resentment that has swept across this nation. Some find it heartbreaking while others took a more defiant tone.
“…Many of us came to this country because of what this country represents to people around the world. … To see that being turned on its head is absolutely horrific.” ~Dr. Wafaa el-Sadr (p.70)
“Presently, I feel more American than ever…. By voting, by acting, I feel like a true American immigrant. …Without new blood and new immigrants, it is not America.” ~Hung Liu (p. 153)
By focusing on only these brilliant, successful women, the author overlooks the fact that the vast majority of immigrants, especially women, do not make it to the top. Most spend the rest of their lives feeling like outsiders with broken English. Finally, free and safe from whatever horrors they may have left, these women spend their days cooking food, cleaning hotel rooms, changing diapers and praying for a better life for their children and grandchildren. Yet they too have their stories to tell.
So what should we expect from the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free”?
“Just wait and see. You don’t know what that person is capable of, or will accomplish one day, if given the chance.” ~Dr. Wafaa el-Sadr (p.70)
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Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer based in San Diego. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com