An American Family

A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice

By: Khizr Khan

Narrated by: Khizr Khan

This “moving [and] wonderful” memoir by the Muslim American Gold Star father, captivating DNC speaker, and 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient is “a story about family and faith [that] can teach all of us what real American patriotism looks like” (The New York Times Book Review).

“[Khizr] Khan offers a valuable perspective as we continue to debate what kind of country we want to be.”—The Washington Post (Best Books of the Year)

Khizr Khan electrified viewers around the world when he took the stage at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. And when he offered to lend Donald Trump his own much-read and dog-eared pocket Constitution, his gesture perfectly encapsulated the feelings of millions.

In this urgent and timeless immigrant story, Khan shares the extraordinary, ordinary journey that led him to that moment: He was the oldest of ten children born to farmers in Pakistan. He was a university student who read the Declaration of Independence and was awestruck by what might be possible in life. He was a hopeful suitor, awkwardly but earnestly trying to win the heart of a woman far out of his league. He was a loving father who, having instilled in his children the ideals that enticed him and his wife to America, tragically lost his son, an Army captain, in the Iraq War. He was and is a patriot, and a fierce advocate for the values enshrined in the American system.

An American Family shows us who Khizr Khan and millions of other American immigrants are, and why—especially in these tumultuous times—we must not be afraid to step forward for what we believe in when it matters most.

Critic reviews

“I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: Thank you for immigrating to America. We’re a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation—and he will never be forgotten.”—Senator John McCain

“A small but lovely immigrant’s journey, full of carefully-observed details from the order in which Ghazala served tea at a university event, to the schedule of the police patrols in the Boston Public Garden where Khan briefly slept while he was in between apartments, to the description of Humayun’s headstone as a ‘slab of white marble with soft streaks the color of wood smoke.’ . . . Most importantly, the book is an effective argument for the depth of Khan’s love for and knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the amendments to it. He emerges as such an eloquent advocate for both documents, and for American values, that I finished An American Family with my own sense of patriotism and sense of civic obligation revitalized.”—Alyssa Rosenberg, The Washington Post

“Part autobiography, part civics lesson . . . and part patriotic message about the goodness of all Americans.”—BuzzFeed

“[A] wide- eyed and eloquent memoir . . . A sense of wonder about America’s promise peppers the entire narrative, even as he recounts his early struggles in the country while supporting his wife and three boys. . . . This account is especially resonant now.”—Booklist

“Sometimes it takes a newcomer to point out the beauty that old- timers take for granted. America, more than any other country, was founded upon ideals: individual freedoms, equal protection and due process of law. Khan reminds us that these ideals are worth fighting—and even dying—for. The Khans truly are the most American of families.”—BookPage

“An American Family holds its own alongside other fine memoirs of immigration and would be an inspired addition to any college or high school syllabus. The Gold Star father who spoke so movingly at the 2016 Democratic National Convention is just as affecting on the page.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“Khan’s aspirational memoir reminds us all why Americans should welcome newcomers from all lands.”—Kirkus Reviews

Everyone should have the opportunity to read this book

It reads like a story which you don’t want to come to an end. A wonderful and positive perspective on things American citizens take for granted, without realizing

Inspirational immigrant memoir

I enjoyed this memoir of a Muslim immigrant from Pakistan. It is read by the author. Khizr Khan is a true American success story. He came to America with nothing and became a great success through hard work and education. The start of this book was a little slow. His childhood in Pakistan did not especially come alive, and the slow reading of the author took some getting used to. As Khan grew older, and attended university and law school in Pakistan, the book became more personal and engaging. This is one man's story, and a good one. He became well known as the Gold Star parent singled out by Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Convention. This story, though, is about the American dream. While the patriotic references are a little too repetitive at times, I still found myself inspired by Khan's Khan's life and his love of his country.

A Modern Day American Tale

I was hooked from the beginning. Mr. Khan tells the story of humble beginnings as a child of farmers to an American lawyer. The love story between him and his wife feels like a fairy tale in the best possible way. It is an honest account of parenthood, the emotional struggles of separation, and the long road pursuing the dream, peppered with twists, turns and chance encounters that all culminated in the creation of a true American family. Excellent read not to be missed. The Khans have more than earned their right to be called Americans and by the end, natural born Americans like myself are left wondering, what have I done to serve my country? What can I do? And then, we resolve to do it.

"An American Family" by An American

Uplifting. Inspiring. Provoking thoughts of American citizenship. Thank you, Mr and Mrs Khan and sons.

Gratitude for sharing this story

Despite his families lifelong desire for privacy, Khan shares the story of an immigrants love story with America, which has value for reminding all of us who have become complacent in our view of our homeland; it’s a chance to gain appreciation anew. It’s told with honesty and emotion, and demonstrates clearly his grief as a father, but it is not a story of grief.