Otherness in Laila Lalami's The Other Americans
Sexism is another cultural issue explored in The Other Americans. Coleman experiences this because she is a black woman working as a detective in a world where men are generally viewed as the best detectives. She often suffers from snide comments about her race and sex. Coleman feels pressured to work harder because she is not seen as equal to her male coworkers. Coleman reflects on the inequity, “I didn’t have to prove myself to someone like him, not with my record at Metro, and yet that’s exactly what I found myself doing.” Coleman struggles with the fact that even though she is good at her job, some of the men still don’t value her work.
Laila Lalami has created a single multi-lensed story through which the reader witnesses the very different experiences of her characters all joined together by the murder of Driss. Personally, after reading the book, I felt a greater need to get insight into the people around me and to see those who are struggling for equality in the toxic environment of white supremacy in the US.
Mirelle Lozano moved to Pittsburgh in 2015. She is currently a Junior in Winchester Thurston. For college, she would like do performing arts major, or a science major. She enjoys creative writing and will hopefully get to write more in the future.
by Mirelle Lozano
The majority of the novels I have read are structured around a single character's point of view. Readers witness the experiences and thoughts of that one character and are left to speculate about those of the other characters involved. I feel this is similar to how people live their lives; focused on their own story they easily lose sight of the tales of other people. Conversely, Laila Lalami’s The Other Americans is structured around the points of view of nine very different Americans.
Currently, in 2021, America still struggles with problems concerning race, whether they be about an African American man getting shot by a white police officer or a Pakistani man not being allowed into the country for looking like a terrorist. Many Americans, believe that “real Americans,” the Americans that are “allowed” to live freely, have white skin, speak perfect English, and have big houses. But when someone “looks” different, or stumbles with pronunciation, they are singled out by their friends and neighbors, ultimately leading them to become “others.” Lalami’s book goes through the insights of those “other Americans” and how their experiences differ. Lalami’s characters each experience the feeling of “otherness,” as a result of racism, xenophobia, mental illness, sexism, and other issues.
Driss, an immigrant from Morocco and a restaurant owner, is hit by a speeding vehicle. As the mystery of this hit and run plays itself out the reader is introduced to Lalami's large cast of characters. This includes Driss's daughter Nora, Anderson the bowling alley owner next to his restaurant, Nora's old friend Jeremy, Coleman the Investigating detective, and Efraín who witnessed the hit and run.
Lalami distinguishes these characters by writing their personal experiences which allows the readers to learn about each character’s lives. For example, Nora was born in the US and speaks perfect English, yet because she has darker skin than those around her it leads to racism from her classmates. Nora recalls her experience on 9/11, “Then in September of our sophomore year, two planes were flown into the World Trade Center and strangely that distinction seemed to matter less, not more. We were both called the same names. Ragheads. Talibans. Sometimes, raghead talibans.” Nora suffered under the stereotype perpetrated by American media that Muslims are all terrorists.
Currently, in 2021, America still struggles with problems concerning race, whether they be about an African American man getting shot by a white police officer or a Pakistani man not being allowed into the country for looking like a terrorist. Many Americans, believe that “real Americans,” the Americans that are “allowed” to live freely, have white skin, speak perfect English, and have big houses. But when someone “looks” different, or stumbles with pronunciation, they are singled out by their friends and neighbors, ultimately leading them to become “others.” Lalami’s book goes through the insights of those “other Americans” and how their experiences differ. Lalami’s characters each experience the feeling of “otherness,” as a result of racism, xenophobia, mental illness, sexism, and other issues.
Driss, an immigrant from Morocco and a restaurant owner, is hit by a speeding vehicle. As the mystery of this hit and run plays itself out the reader is introduced to Lalami's large cast of characters. This includes Driss's daughter Nora, Anderson the bowling alley owner next to his restaurant, Nora's old friend Jeremy, Coleman the Investigating detective, and Efraín who witnessed the hit and run.
Lalami distinguishes these characters by writing their personal experiences which allows the readers to learn about each character’s lives. For example, Nora was born in the US and speaks perfect English, yet because she has darker skin than those around her it leads to racism from her classmates. Nora recalls her experience on 9/11, “Then in September of our sophomore year, two planes were flown into the World Trade Center and strangely that distinction seemed to matter less, not more. We were both called the same names. Ragheads. Talibans. Sometimes, raghead talibans.” Nora suffered under the stereotype perpetrated by American media that Muslims are all terrorists.
Efraín faces a similar struggle due to his status as an undocumented immigrant. He is trying to give his family a better life in the States, but he doesn’t speak English. Many white supremacists isolate people of color by physically and mentally hurting them, either by using racial slurs or beating them because these supremacists believe that humans that are not white don’t deserve to be in their ‘perfect” America. If someone looks Latino, they are poor and part of drug dealer gangs; if they are Middle Eastern, they are suicide bombers that only want to watch the US burn.
On the other hand, Jeremy seems like a normal white American man. The kind that seems to believe in the perfect, unproblematic American. However, he has insomnia as a result of his experiences serving on active duty in the military. This leads Jeremy to fear the otherness that is built from the poisonous structure of the “perfect” white supremacy if he truthfully talks about his internal battles. Jeremy fears what his peers will think of him when they find out about his mental trauma.
On the other hand, Jeremy seems like a normal white American man. The kind that seems to believe in the perfect, unproblematic American. However, he has insomnia as a result of his experiences serving on active duty in the military. This leads Jeremy to fear the otherness that is built from the poisonous structure of the “perfect” white supremacy if he truthfully talks about his internal battles. Jeremy fears what his peers will think of him when they find out about his mental trauma.
Lalami’s book lays bare the ways in which Jeremy excludes himself from close relationships, othering himself because he fears he won’t be accepted so he rejects himself first. Jeremy explains, “There was something false about it, though. Even when I managed to hold on to them for more than a couple of months, the look in their eyes that said I was a hero would drive me away.” He feels that truly opening up about his deployment would disconnect him from other people.
Many of the characters here cannot cope with opening up about themselves. For instance, Anderson may not have insomnia but he struggles with anger towards his wife and son which ultimately tears his family apart just like how it tears up Jeremy’s relationships.
Sexism is another cultural issue explored in The Other Americans. Coleman experiences this because she is a black woman working as a detective in a world where men are generally viewed as the best detectives. She often suffers from snide comments about her race and sex. Coleman feels pressured to work harder because she is not seen as equal to her male coworkers. Coleman reflects on the inequity, “I didn’t have to prove myself to someone like him, not with my record at Metro, and yet that’s exactly what I found myself doing.” Coleman struggles with the fact that even though she is good at her job, some of the men still don’t value her work.
Laila Lalami has created a single multi-lensed story through which the reader witnesses the very different experiences of her characters all joined together by the murder of Driss. Personally, after reading the book, I felt a greater need to get insight into the people around me and to see those who are struggling for equality in the toxic environment of white supremacy in the US.
As an immigrant from Mexico, I have experienced that feeling of otherness. I would like to say that I relate to some of the characters’ struggles, like many readers might find, but in the end, everyone’s experiences with racism, classism, and sexism differ. Hopefully, this book opens readers' eyes. Even though I haven’t personally suffered too much in my life for being a middle-class, female immigrant, people all across America do get excluded because of the ideals of a perfect white America. Laila Lalami's The Other Americans offers a clear and necessary insight into our America.
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