How To Become An American Without Invading Grenada and Other Stories

by Fernando Meisenhalter

A whimsical and entertaining collection of satirical short stories and absurd urban tales about being a German-Mexican immigrant. Set in the San Francisco Bay Area, Reno, and Mexico City, these stories are full of lively, funny dialogue, and are free on Kindle Unlimited, only 99 cents on regular Kindle, free to loan.

47 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2015

Reviews

[S.D. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected gem. It was a hilarious and crazy ride into an absurd world of immigration and mixed ancestry. The stories are short and fall into the category of flash fiction.

[Greg Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these troubled times, we need something to put a smile on our faces. Fun reads.

[Jimmy Guan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book, written with wit and insight! A must read

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Fernando Meisenhalter for this slim volume of short, succinct dialogs, a composite of one man’s encounters with individuals, friends and lovers, on his personal journey across the Mexican-United States border. We are treated to a view of contemporary mores in both countries, tending to the less regimented in the U.S. but no more or less subtle than in Mexico. Meisenhalter is in the unique position of the outside observer who is really an insider as the Mexican son of German immigrants, who then becomes an immigrant himself to the U.S.

With this uncommon legacy, Meisenhalter may come to his delightful sense of the absurd in human nature quite naturally. His humor also plays on literal understandings of language that become misunderstandings, and an unapologetic acceptance that his protagonist has for his own passions. He is drawn to the type of woman who has a “rust-belt decadence, angry tattoos, and a borderline personality disorder.” Indeed, he finds himself in almost untenable situations: about to be shot by a demented father or alone twenty miles from Reno outside in the desert.

Meisenhalter captures the essence of his characters in their own words that tell the story. Most of his stories are entirely dialog. Ultimately, he feels compassion for his characters, messed up as they may be.