A bilingual retrospective into the dual cultural, political, and philosophical lives of ex-pat The 20th Century saw millions escape to the United States for a chance at economic autonomy, self-determination, and individual dignity. These ex-pats found themselves in a nation whose heritage and ethos were vastly different from the lands they original came from, weighing values of sometimes opposing worldviews. This dual focus challenged and tested even the most deeply held convictions. This duality in perspective forged views and convictions in ways they never would have in the echo chamber that are neatly demarcated cultural bounds. This book charts and communicates the thoughts and sentiments of a Holocaust and political historian whose own lived experience was that of straddled borders. Researching and writing about the Holocaust and the Cold War will challenges any researcher’s views on humanity. Those are emotionally intense subjects on their own. They are doubly so when the research reflects the lived experience of the ex-pat political refugee. The topics become urgently pertinent when current events begin to reflect and repeat the patterns of history.
PLEASE VISIT MY AUTHOR/ARTIST WEBSITE AT WWW.AESAMAAN.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MY ART, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, AND PHOTOGRAPHY:
I am an author/artist/photographer. The various forms of art result in multiple ways of expression, which in turn inform and refine each other. I believe my photography informs my writing, and that my writing informs my art. I was educated as an Architect, and I minored in Latin American Studies so I could understand the history behind the various archaeological sites I studied as an Architect.
My interest in history likely comes from my ancestry. I am half Christian-Palestinian and half Hispanic from Central America. I am thus a child of the Cold War as the geography of my ancestry represents the epicenters of violence in the aftermath of WWII. However, my perspective is genuinely American as I have found that the ethics and morals of the founding of the United States serve as bedrock in a chaotic world. I find myself constantly turning back to the writings of the Founding Fathers for clarity and a foundation to depart from.