The evasive American dream

Dear Willow Lung-Amam,
In your book, Trespassers?, you mention the different meanings of the American dream and how they may differ for Asian Americans, especially those settling into suburbia in Silicon Valley. You observe how the typical American dream for the white American consists of a fifties-style home with “white picket fences surrounding modest middle-class homes in racially homogeneous neighborhoods with good schools.” For Asian Americans,  however, this archetype differs and is instead defined by racially diverse communities with ample opportunity characterized by competitive schools.
While the expression of the American dream differs from community to community, do you believe that the American dream itself - the sentiment and ideal of it - also differs? Or do you believe that the American dream is something of an ambiguous yet consistent feeling that differs in reality?
Sincerely,

Lucy Sandeen

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