How They Made it in America:
Success Stories and Strategies of Top Immigrant Women
Testimonials
1.The timing of Fiona Citkin’s book is spot on. There are strong indications to suggest that the twenty-first century will be a period of rising female empowerment. The author lives amidst the dense fabric of Western society but is intensely aware of the increasing global tendency to experience a certain Asianisation (often parallel with feminization) of values contingent with the globalized re-shaping of modern society.
A courageous and insightful analysis of human attitudes
Richard D. Lewis, linguist, founder of Richard Lewis Communications, mand author of When Cultures Collide.
2. How They Made it in America is a welcome dose of reality amidst a very worrisome worldwide rise in nationalism and xenophobia. By the end of the book most any US American reader will feel blessed to have such talented immigrants in our country!
Dianne Hofner Saphiere, interculturalist, writer,and founder of Cultural Detective®
3. How They Made It in America is a thoughtful treatment of immigrant experiences, despite a title that might link it to the current paroxysms of patriotism. In fact, the book avoids partisan abstractions about the issue of immigration altogether and simply presents the self-described experiences of immigrant women with a wide range of national heritage and social class. While the book may aspire to organize those experiences around some generalized “success values,” I was more impressed by how the dry label of “immigrant” was humanized by each woman’s unique voice.
Milton J. Bennett, Executive Director
Intercultural Development Research Institute
Gig Harbor, WA 98335, USA
Milano, Italy
4. Today we live in an era in which immigration as a historical phenomenon and immigrants both as individuals and as a collective have become a source of heated public conflict and societal polarization. We can all benefit from the fact that Fiona Citkin has shed new light on the specialness of the immigrant experience and the many contributions that immigrants, particularly immigrant women, have made to our nation.
Carlos E. Cortés
Professor Emeritus of Histor
University of California, Riverside
Author, Rose Hill: An Intermarriage before Its Time
Editor, Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia
5. While the biographical pages of How They Made It in America could be a textbook in making cultural transitions, in Part 2 the author goes on to explicitly highlight for readers seven dynamics of success, quite specific to the US-American context, where individual self-development, leading to a staunch character, are prerequisites. Thus, this tome (yes, it is substantial) becomes a vade mecum on acculturation to the US environment, illustrated and reinforced with further short narratives related to the women whose stories are found in Part 1. There is good reason for men to explore these pages as seeing them from women’s perspectives is likely to bring clarity to what are often unexamined male assumptions about success.
Dr. George F. Simons, creator of Diversophy®
6. You’ll probably pick this book up for the 18 women whose stories it tells—and these are some very impressive individuals. But there’s every chance you’ll stay on for the advice that Citkin distils from the profiles. Self-help has seldom been made so interesting.
Craig Storti, author of Why Travel Matters:
A Guide to the Life-Changing Effects of Travel.
7. The engaging stories of successful professional women from a variety of cultures provide both inspiration and instruction. Fiona Citkin distills the lessons from these role models into seven strategies, including success values relevant to all, immigrant or not. The seven values, supported by specific characteristics and behaviors such as grit, self-confidence and gratitude, give a clear roadmap for any woman’s success journey. While the book gives validation to its immigrant readers, it also provides inspiration and direction for all who desire success in the professional arena.
Lee Gardenswartz, Ph.D. and Anita Rowe, Ph.D
Partners, Gardenswartz & Rowe
Authors, Managing Diversity: A Complete Desk Reference and Planning Guide, What It Takes: Good News from 100 of American’s Top Professional and Business Women, Emotional Intelligence for Managing Results in a Diverse World and Diverse Teams at Work.