Before the year ends .

Every year, I am most grateful to be able to write and publish a memoir. As an immigrant who saw America through my father's eyes, I know this country differently from the stories Hollywood sells. From the time I was a little girl, my father showed me The Real America—a place built on hard work, quiet kindness, sacrifice, and the daily striving of ordinary people.

America is a great country, not because it is flawless, but because it is full of possibilities, resilience, and the chance to remake a life. My memoir honors that truth: the small acts of courage, the lessons learned at kitchen tables and on long drives, and the vision my father carried for me. Writing these memories each year is my way of saying thank you to him and to the country that allowed our dreams to grow., I see America differently. I don't see the America Hollywood sells. I see the real place my father wanted for me, when I was a little girl, The Real America. America is a great country.