Kate Micucci is an Italian American National, so it should be no surprise that her latest book, Partner, addresses issues of dual citizenship. In this engaging, and humorous book, Micucci presents a portrait of an American as an immigrant who has chosen to maintain his or her citizenship in both countries: America and Italy. The premise behind the story is simple enough, as a young man returns home to attend college in America, he realizes that he may have some Russian genes; so he begins testing to see if he has any. Once he realizes the answer to his question, he takes a leave of absence from both America and Italy and moves to Moscow, but not before officially renouncing his American citizenship and taking up residence with his cousin in Italy. The resulting experience changes both his views and his life in ways most readers can only imagine.
Diving into the details of what exactly happened during those years that brought these two men together in the first place, Micucci provides the background and context for each man’s decision to become a citizen of each country. The author does a nice job of outlining how changing borders impacted family life, choosing careers, even how to date and conceive a child while living abroad. What I found interesting was the manner in which each country dealt with their national identity as well as how their citizens identified with their country. For example, Americans saw the revolution as a fight between freedom and oppression, so the US often supported the toppling of rulers in foreign countries like Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Italians viewed the revolution as a fight between modernism and traditionalism, so they backed the government and sought to protect its traditions and values, particularly the Church.
As you read Kate Micucci’s an interesting story about the many decisions involved when taking on dual citizenship, you begin to realize that every choice becomes one of many. It’s not just about your citizenship status, but also your beliefs, your heritage, your nationality, and your sexuality all play a role in your decision making as a renter or a citizen. The way you view the world, and how your own citizenship fits into it, will play a large part in how you live your life as an expatriate.