Kate Vieira

I am a researcher, writer, and the Susan J. Cellmer distinguished chair in literacy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

I leave Vieira’s book feeling deeply that ours is a crazy system: Why keep piling documents on top of documents, making of them a wall to the world? Why should migrants—people—have to choose between the time-consuming work of pursuing English or caring for their families? Why make migrant lives any harder than they already are? American by Paper urges us to rethink all that we ask of those who seek a better life.
— Catherine Prendergast, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Relentless in its critique of literacy as a social practice and in its effort to develop a counter-narrative, American by Paper forces open a conversation that has been lingering but has not received the kind of attention it deserves.
— Juan Guerra, University of Washington

A riveting account of those pursuing the American Dream.
— CHOICE

A book of inspiration and hope, but most of all a testimony to the power of the written word, the human touch that keeps on giving. Here a scholar looks at how borders separating families cannot keep literacy from being a fundamental channel for emotional connection across miles and often years.
— Shirley B. Heath, Margery Baily Professor in English and Dramatic Literature, Emerita, Stanford University

Vieira provides an original perspective on the writing remittances from migration, which are inspired by familial love and economic needs, helping us explore the fascinating influences of affect and materiality on literacy.”
— Suresh Canagarajah, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Applied Linguistics and English, Penn State University