First published 2021
George W. Bush presents forty-three oil paintings paired with personal stories of immigrants who have made America their home. The collection spans people from thirty-five nations, including a North Korean human rights activist who fled her homeland, a Mexican teenager who crossed the Rio Grande at seventeen and became a Dallas CEO, and a Nigerian girl who dreamed of NASA and made it happen. Bush documents their journeys from departure to citizenship, capturing both their individual struggles and their shared pursuit of opportunity and freedom. The portraits reveal how these newcomers embody classic American traits: optimism, determination, patriotism, and self-reliance. Through detailed paintings and narratives, Bush shows immigrants working in business, military service, sports, and entertainment, all contributing to American prosperity while chasing their own version of the American Dream.
Genres: american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: America, Rio Grande, Dallas, NASA
Period: 21st Century
208 pages · Hardcover · Crown