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4.5
Dr. Bhandari’s book is a fascinating mix of memoir, policy, and sociology which would be of immense interest to a wide range of readers in America – foreign students, international education administrators and policy makers, higher education administration and faculty, immigration scholars and policy makers, and even families of international students. After having once been an international student myself and now having taught for almost 20 years in a university that is home to a large population of international students this book speaks directly to me in both capacities.Dr. Bhandari has drawn on her personal and professional experiences as a foreign student and professionally having held a senior position within an international education organization. Very skillfully she has woven together a richly descriptive and compelling narrative that is heart-warming, easy to read, and hard to put down. From the very first page the reader is drawn into the cross-cultural and emotional journey that a foreign student undertakes when they make the decision to pursue higher education in the US. The descriptions of the academic, social, and financial struggles, as well as the struggle to establish a bi-cultural identity are vivid, real, and completely relatable to most foreign students. The book tells of the journey of immigration through academia that so many students have undertaken - right from preparing to take the GREs to entering a completely foreign academic system to struggling to pay bills in the face of visa restrictions. Most importantly, the book encourages international students to persevere despite obstacles as the American Dream is still alive in this country of possibility. It is certain to resonate deeply with many immigrants who live in the US.I highly recommend this book and would encourage students to read it so that they would be comforted in knowing that their struggles are not theirs alone, and I would encourage college faculty and administrators to read it so that they can better understand the often tumultuous journeys of their international students.
