Hyphenation Creates Separation: Interview with Author, Nicole Draffen

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 I am a builder, a fixer and a challenger. I love tearing things apart to understand them, and then try to prove or disprove their merit. This allows me to move through life with an air of certainty about what I know, and also what I don’t know. So naturally when I lived abroad, the social and cultural consciousness of the people I met, and the things I observed inspired my natural inclination to understand and study the value of cultural norms. The more I traveled overseas, the more I grew to understand certain aspects of the American perception of culture. My journeys inspired me to write a book. However, when I’m not making plans on how to change the world, you can find me in my garden tending to a vast variety of plants, Feng Shui-ing everything in sight, pursuing my passion of collecting old paintings, attending jazz festivals, antiquing and running. I truly believe each of us can achieve whatever we set out to do, if we are determined, and remain positive. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 Hyphened-Nation was inspired by my travels overseas, and time spent living in the United Kingdom. Living abroad was an eye opening experience, I grew to understand certain aspects of American culture better, the longer I lived overseas. This book is about my insights, and experience of being treated as a pure American, rather than as a hyphenated one. The difference was startling, and lead me on a journey to understand why The United States is one of the only, if not the only country, that hyphenates its citizens by ethnicity before nationality. Those same boxes we allow ourselves to be placed into as hyphenated-Americans, limit our economic, educational, societal and cultural growth. This book focuses on ways the U.S. and Europe differ culturally via media, and how a bridge might be created. I hope this book inspires you to join the movement and, “Don’t Check the Box”. Be a catalyst for positive change. Your stories and insights will help to light everyone’s path to a brighter future. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 https://linktr.ee/hyphenednation --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nikimarieradio/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikimarieradio/support