Nora Moosnick – författare

Outwardly it would appear that Arab and Jewish immigrants comprise two distinct groups with differing cultural backgrounds and an adversarial relationship. Yet, as immigrants who have settled in communities at a distance from metropolitan areas, both must negotiate complex identities. Growing up in Kentucky as the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, Nora Rose Moosnick observed this traditionally mismatched pairing firsthand, finding that, Arab and Jewish immigrants have been brought together by their shared otherness and shared fears. Even more intriguing to Moosnick was the key role played by immigrant women of both cultures in family businesses -- a similarity which brings the two groups close together as they try to balance the demands of integration into American society.In Arab and Jewish Women in Kentucky: Stories of Audacity and Accomodation, Moosnick reveals how Jewish and Arab women have navigated the intersection of tradition, assimilation, and Kentucky's cultural landscape. The stories of ten women's experiences as immigrants or the children of immigrants join around common themes of public service to their communities, intergenerational relationships, running small businesses, and the difficulties of juggling family and work. Together, their compelling narratives challenge misconceptions and overcome the invisibility of Arabs and Jews in out of the way places in America.

Outwardly it would appear that Arab and Jewish immigrants comprise two distinct groups with differing cultural backgrounds and an adversarial relationship. Yet, as immigrants who have settled in communities at a distance from metropolitan areas, both must negotiate complex identities. Growing up in Kentucky as the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, Nora Rose Moosnick observed this traditionally mismatched pairing firsthand, finding that, Arab and Jewish immigrants have been brought together by their shared otherness and shared fears. Even more intriguing to Moosnick was the key role played by immigrant women of both cultures in family businesses - a similarity which brings the two groups close together as they try to balance the demands of integration into American society.  In Arab and Jewish Women in Kentucky: Stories of Audacity and Accomodation, Moosnick reveals how Jewish and Arab women have navigated the intersection of tradition, assimilation, and Kentucky's cultural landscape. The stories of ten women's experiences as immigrants or the children of immigrants join around common themes of public service to their communities, intergenerational relationships, running small businesses, and the difficulties of juggling family and work. Together, their compelling narratives challenge misconceptions and overcome the invisibility of Arabs and Jews in out of the way places in America.

During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the media gave relentless attention to differences between rural and urban voters, often forcing them into the roles of political foes and creating greater levels of intolerance between them. However, little attention was paid to a specific group of individuals who come from various backgrounds but share significant economic and existential commonalities: college students. Rural and urban dwellers alike converge on college campuses and share experiences that render higher education spaces promising sites for overcoming racial, cultural, and political divides.Campus Candor: Students' Stories Unmasked challenges the perceived divisions between student populations today by presenting students' stories and underscoring the commonalities between seemingly disparate groups. This process builds empathy and challenges readers' inclinations to demonize "others."Spotlighting oral histories, the book chronicles the lives of students at the University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, University of Florida, and University of Mississippi, with emphasis on rural-urban divides and class differences. Student interviews and narratives navigate difficult but important topical areas, including student hunger, racism on campus, student poverty, pursuit of status, gender convergences and differences, and more. Throughout, the book features contributions and reflections from three of Dr. Moosnick's former students, Victoria Cruz-Faulk, Emily A. Keaton, and Saturn Star-Shooter. An emotionally resonant and critical resource, Campus Candor is well suited to freshman seminars and courses, as well as education and sociology courses that examine issues related to inequality and sociopolitical divides.