With lyrical text and thought-provoking photography,
Their Great Gift explores the sxperiences of immigrants in the twenty-first century, focusing on the lives of children. Images of families who came to the United States from many different parts of the world celebrate the diversity of our country and contain a vision of hope for the future.
Books don’t come out of nowhere. They are born from observations, conversations, research, school visits and, sometimes, from basketball.
As John says, “Wing and I first met each other twenty-five years ago playing basketball and became friends through spending hundreds of hours on the court. When editor Andrew Karre told me that he’d love to do a book with Wing, I leapt at the chance. I’d always wanted to write about my family’s arrival stories and had been researching them for years. I knew of Wing’s interest in immigration and had seen many of his striking photographs. I wrote text that was revised many times as we decided on pictures. While every family’s arrival story is distinct, I wanted to focus on the overarching connections between immigrants—and between us all. Designers Danielle Carnito and Zach Marell, editor Carol Hinz, and Stephanie L. Rogers, project consultant, provided invaluable guidance along the way.”
