In the United States, the immigrant experience occupies a very central place in American mythology. And sometimes, that place wavers between acceptance and rejection.

My identity is deeply intertwined with being a refugee because that's the first experience that I remember.

People may be vaguely aware that there's suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan, but simply because the media are filled with American-centric versions, we still see the experiences through the American perspective. We are just completely ignorant of what might be happening to other people.

If you're a so-called minority writer, the temptation is to write for the majority... I refuse to do that.

I never called myself a writer because it seemed so pretentious - a writer was what somebody else called you, a title bestowed.

I've never stopped being a refugee.

I think my parents' lives are worthy of writing about. I don't think my life is particularly worthy of writing about.