REVIEWS:

"A critical and substantive work that is highly readable." – Tehelka

"[Kumar] writes with fluency, flair, and sometimes sheer poetry." – Biblio

"Kumar's book throws up questions, making the reader think about everyday things from a different point of view." – Socialist Review

"The tightrope walk between serious academic writing and a train-ride read is not an easy feat to accomplish. It is entirely to its credit that Passport Photos does so competently." –Deccan Chronicle

"Amitava Kumar is the most grounded of the postcolonial writers today. Passport Photos is a brilliant illustration of his skills. A must read for anybody interested in immigration, transnational identities, and globalization." – Manthia Diawara, author of In Search of Africa

"Passport Photos is a radiant text. It connects its own ironic lyricism with an acute awareness of historical context, and is a moving document of the questions posed by symbolic migration." – Sara Suleri Goodyear, author of Meatless Days

"Amitava Kumar brings his talents as a photographer, poet, scriptwriter, and journalist to the job of critical commentary, refusing to partition and delegate these skills to separate provinces of his intellectual life. The result is an ethical voice and a technical style that often defies our expectations of the critical commentator. I find that voice and style immensely appealing, no more so than in the multi-genre documentary work of Passport Photos. This is not a heavy-handed screed on the conditions of immigrants. It is a sensuous guide to the common contradictions and experiences faced by immigrants to the U.S., whether they are coming from the underside of the international division of labor or from well-heeled and credentialed birthrights. An undeniably original contribution to several academic and journalistic fields, Passport Photos will, I expect, be a widely-acclaimed publication and much cited as a fresh paradigm-shaker." — Andrew Ross, author of The Celebration Chronicles

READINGS:

"New Words on the Streets of our Native Cities," Invited reading from Passport Photos at the Asian American Writers' Workshop, New York City, May 18, 2000. Other readings from Passport Photos at Gallows Hill Bookstore, Hartford, May 12, 2000; Book Haven, New Haven, May 15, 2000; and Atticus Bookstore, Amherst, May 16, 2000; Desh-Pardesh Festival, Toronto, June 7, 2000; Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2000; Wesleyan University Writers Conference, Middletown, June 20, 2000; Webster's Bookstore and Cafe, State College, October 18, 2000; Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, December 21, 2000; Brecht Forum, New York City, February 9, 2001. Radio appearances on WUFT 89 FM, Gainesville, April 28, 2000; WMUA 91 FM, Amherst, May 10, 2000; WBAI 99.5 FM, New York City, May 17, 2000.