Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card

Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card, published in 2018 by Sara Saedi, is a memoir about Saedi’s experiences growing up in California as an undocumented immigrant from Iran. Saedi’s family immigrated to the United States in 1982, and the book recounts her family’s 18-year struggle to receive permanent residency in the US. Lauded for its humorous writing style, Americanized nonetheless addresses weighty and politically sensitive topics like Iran’s history, the intricacies of immigration, and traditional gender roles. It blends Saedi’s coming-of-age story with sociological commentary that reveals the absurdity and, oftentimes, pain of immigration journeys in contemporary America. Americanized is currently in development to become a tv series from Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and ABC Studios.

Saedi was born in Tehran, Iran, during an Islamic Revolution. In addition to her memoir, she is also the writer of numerous TV movies and web series (for one of which she won a Daytime Emmy) and the author of a young adult novel.

Summary

As a teenager, Saedi discovers a truth that will become the main conflict of the book: Her family does not have the legal right to reside permanently in the United States.