A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
A memoir-shaped critique of prosperity, individualism, and belonging learned through relationships with refugee neighbors.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
It shows how proximity can expose the hidden moral assumptions inside a cherished cultural story. The book keeps structural critique connected to relationships, complicity, and the slow revision of a life.
Good starting place if…
You want to examine how prosperity, individualism, charity, and belonging look when an American Christian family's ideals meet sustained relationships with refugee neighbors.
Know before you begin…
Mayfield writes from her own Christian, activist, and family experience rather than offering a comprehensive history of immigration or poverty. The memoir intentionally unsettles benevolent self-images, including the author's own.