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Johanna Rojas Vann is a first-time guest to the podcast, and it was my pleasure to welcome her to the show this week. We chatted about her very first novel, An American Immigrant. This story is based on her mother’s story of coming to the United States and on her life growing up as the child of an immigrant. We talk about how her mother inspired the book, why she used to hesitate speaking English, and how this book has shifted her view of what she wants to write in the future. Patrons also get to hear about how her children’s lives are so very different from her own.
An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann
A Colombian American journalist tries to save her career by taking an assignment somewhere she never thought she’d go—Colombia—in this heartwarming debut novel about rediscovering our family stories.
“A beautiful homage to a mother’s bravery and to the grace and grit that is our inheritance.”—Alicia Menendez, MSNBC anchor and creator and host of the Latina to Latina podcast
Twenty-five-year-old Melanie Carvajal, a hardworking but struggling journalist for a Miami newspaper, loves her Colombian mother but regularly ignores her phone calls, frustrated that she never quite takes the time to understand Melanie’s life. When the opportunity arises for a big assignment that might save her flagging career, Melanie follows the story to the land of her mother’s birth. She soon realizes Colombia has the potential to connect her, after all these years, to something she’s long ignored: her heritage, the love of her mother, her family, and the richest parts of herself.
Colombia offers more than a chance to make a name for herself as a writer. It is a place of untold stories.
Inspired by real-life events, An American Immigrant is a story of culture and community, of abiding commitment to family, and of embracing our culture and the generations that have come before.
“In a yearning and humbling journey to the place of her mother’s birth, a fictional Miami journalist discovers her innermost worth by yielding to family truth, creative courage, and cultural clarity—which she needs to give both her heart and the hard world her authentic best. An enchanting, brave, and uplifting story of discovery, family love, and determined hope.”—Patricia Raybon, Christy Award–winning author of the Annalee Spain Mystery series and My First White Friend: Confessions on Race, Love, and Forgiveness
“In An American Immigrant, Johanna Rojas Vann delivers a powerful exploration of the risks we face in pursuit of a better life. By weaving a compelling and emotional tale, she offers readers a fresh examination of identity, truth, generational sacrifice, and the real meaning of home. Ideal for book clubs, this story will have people talking.”—Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials
Get your copy of An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann.
Johanna Rojas Vann is a professional writer whose work can be found online and within numerous publications. She is a second-generation Colombian American, with dual citizenship, and lives with her husband and children in Nashville, Tennessee, where the coffee is good and the people are even better.
She is a big fan of words—speaking them, reading them, and (especially) writing them.
As a novelist, she’s passionate about stories that highlight the complexity and beauty of diverse families. But nothing brings her more joy than my role at home as wife and stay-at-home mom.