Readers’ Comments

“Writing with a limpid prose and a shrewd sympathy for his characters, Rouman finds universality in the travails of an iconic outsider. A subtle, absorbing portrait of the immigrant experience.”

—Kirkus Reviews, Kirkus Star for “remarkable merit”

“Uncertain Journey puts a face on illegal immigration through the telling of the perilous journey of a young Albanian who seeks a new life in America. It is a tale of the power of love and friendship as well as the competing power of prejudice based on personal, ethnic and political histories. The author also subtly reminds us of the amnesia of past immigrants in viewing the newly arrived as they wrestle with finding their place. It is a timely book as the nation struggles with a burgeoning population of illegal aliens.”

—Sandra Fromson, Ph.D., Sociologist

“In our society, immigration—particularly illegal immigration—is discussed as if it were a theoretical issue, that is, as if it did not involve real people in real places doing real things. By centering his novel on an Albanian and giving him a background rather different from one most Americans expect an illegal immigrant to have, the author makes room for the human element—making it something of a love story. The point is that while the novel is “about” illegal immigration in some sense, that is not all that it is about.”

—Stephen Trzaskoma, Ph.D., Professor of Classics, University of New Hampshire

Critics love Underwater Dreams, the first novel from James Rouman

“What sets Rouman’s novel apart is his insight into immigrant life in small town America . . . A laudable effort . . . an interesting addition to the literature of the Greek-American immigrant experience.”

—Odyssey Magazine

“The characters in Underwater Dreams, and the depth of their feelings for one another remain in my head and heart. I suspect they’ll be there for a long time.”

—Robert Krause, The National Herald