Sankar Raman

Surviving A Minefield Of Terrors

Too often the stories of refugees from ravaged lands force us to confront unimaginable suffering, terror, and trauma. Binh (Ben) Thach harbored such a tale in  

Sankar Raman

Even the Angels Could Be Capricious

Shahryar Houranpay’s name translates to “the angels are with you.” “Shay,” the American moniker of this Iranian restaurateur, has needed all the angelic

John Rudoff

A Longing For the Tastes of Home

In a recent novel, The Committed, by the Vietnamese author Viet Thanh Nguyen, the narrator laments his inability to recreate dishes he craves from home, and

Sankar Raman

A Whirlwind of Unsettlement

This is a story of a man whose determination, courage, ability to deal with unexpected adversity, and willingness to take risks brought him from war-torn Iraq 

Sankar Raman

Like A Modern Day Odysseus

Homer’s Odysseus took 20 years to return to his native land from the Trojan War, battling hostile forces, deceiving enemies, even changing identities to stay alive.

Sankar Raman

From Survival to Triumph

There are survivalists who stockpile food and weapons against what they see as the coming apocalypse. Then there are survivors, such as Amida Kyanza, born in 

Sankar Raman

Assimilation and Nostalgia

When Deepak Kaul immigrated from his native Kashmir — territory disputed by India and Pakistan — to New Jersey at age 10, his family lived across the street from Annin […]