S5 Ep. 43: Forging Immigrant Identity in Florida: Jonathan Escoffery Talks About How Belonging Shifts Across Generations

fiction/non/fiction

Award-winning author Jonathan Escoffery joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss the complexity of immigrant communities in Florida. Escoffery talks about children of immigrants who fall into a middle space, unable to identify fully with their parents’ country or the one in which they grew up. He also speaks about generational and emotional gaps between his Jamaican American characters, explains why some Florida immigrants’ history and interests might make them lean conservative, and analyzes how fiction can succeed where politicians often fail: in understanding subtlety, nuance, and difference. Finally, he reflects on the political ramifications of categorizing or othering recent immigrants and their families, and reads from his National Book Award-nominated linked story collection, If I Survive You.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/.

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected Readings:

Jonathan Escoffery

• If I Survive You
• “Under the Ackee Tree” (Paris Review)

Others:

• The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang
• Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 23, The Brothers Chao: Lan Samantha Chang on Food, Family, and New Ways of Imagining Asian American Narratives
• Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 5 Episode 36, Remembering Afghan’s Wars: Jamil Jan Kochai on Shifting Storytellers and Forms
• The Emerging Democratic Majority by John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira
• “Lost Hope of Lasting Democratic Majority” by Nate Cohn
• “PolitiFact: What we know about DeSantis flying migrants to Martha's Vineyard. Is it legal?” by Maria Ramirez Uribe and Yacob Reyes
• “Florida's governor signs controversial law opponents dubbed 'Don't Say Gay'” by Jaclyn Diaz
• “DeSantis Bans CRT From K-12 Classrooms Despite Absence From Curriculum” by Fatma Khaled
• “Trump cultivated the Latino vote in Florida, and it paid off” by Carmen Sesin

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