Review of Beyond the Golden Door

[Chinazo Anozie]

Moving to a different country can't be easy, and I think it's really bold of the author to do so and even change religions due to his spiritual calling. Beyond the Golden Door by Ali Master will be great for fans of memoirs.

[twinkle09]

Ali Master's journey in his book 'The Golden Door' is transformative with subjective observations. The new found freedom in a foreign country truly changes his perspective and broadens his horizon to receive God. Thank you for a beautiful review!

[Leonie Vermaak]

This sounds like a very interesting book. To see what people experience when they've move to another country is quite exciting. I also believe that in many ways its scary, since you not really sure what to expect. Thanks for a detailed review. Congrats on BOTD.

[mrlefty0706]

“Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream through an Immigrant's Eyes” by Ali Master is a well-written book that I read from cover to cover and was amazed at Ali’s experiences while growing up in Bangladesh and other cities in Pakistan before going to college in Texas. The descriptions of the people, the challenges and how his expectations of Texas were dramatically changed once he was settled and attending classes. Ali has lived in the U.S. for thirty-two years after living nineteen years in three other nations. As an immigrant to the U.S., he had expectations based on what he was told and read in books but he found that being an American is not about ethnicity, religion or the color of your skin. I wonder if Ali would change this belief after seeing what is happening to the U.S. under the Trump administrations that are white supremacism, anti-Muslin and the color of one’s skin are sadly major factors in Trump’s world. The current arresting of immigrants, many of them legal immigrants and U.S. citizens, by ICE under the direction of Stephen Miller, Tom Homan and Kristi Noem. What really saddens me are the number of Blacks and Hispanics that voted for Trump in 2024. My expectation was he would get the undereducated and uneducated vote but not the college educated. Ali also found that not all people from Muslim countries hate the United States. Another Trump issue since he restricts Muslim immigrants. The book is divided into four parts: Part 1 covered Ali’s growing up in a Shia Muslim home; Part 2 includes humorous stories involving stereotypes that immigrants have about life in America like Ali’s expectation that all Texans wore cowboy hats; Part 3 covers the five American freedoms he values; and Part 4 covers the contemplative questions he poses for consideration. Readers should find Ali’s distinctive style of storytelling that enabled me to visualize every experience noted in this book. He describes the matchmaking and arranged marriages in Pakistan and the freedom he found in Christ after converting to Christianity. Ali came from an upper-class life in Pakistan and found the American Dream is real but sadly not all Americans can live this dream because of politics, racism, hate, prejudice and bigotry. This book deserves the 4 out of 4-star rating and should be read my Christians and Muslims. After commenting on the official review and sample I want to read the book again. Reading this book made me proud to be an American and mad to think about how badly non-white immigrants are treated in the U.S. today. I highly recommend this book and I believe it should have been voted OBC BOTM and BOTY in 2024. Since it is BOTM again in 2025 maybe it can become BOTY as well. I am proud to own an Ali Master signed copy of this remarkable book and I gave this book a 5-star review on Amazon.

[Dayana Alvarado 1]

Freedom comes with responsibility Ali learns it by the forces You can choose but that also means making mistakes and getting back up again.

[Black Indigo]

I'm intrigued by Ali's conversion to Christianity, so I'm excited to read this book. I'm also interested in his comparisons of America and his home country. Thank you for the review.

[Idah_Kenei]

Something that always amazed me is culture shock. It must have been interesting for Ali to encounter a different way of life. I like hearing people shocks from different cultures.

[Renee Cryer]

Ali Master's journey in Beyond the Golden Door is a fantastic book via the sample I read and the review. I struggle with political inspired books but via the review. It seems like one I may be inspired to read and learn more. Congratulations on the BOTD.

[Tars]

Interesting and possibly useful to those who plan to relocate to the United States, since it is one thing to know something in theory and quite the other from personal experience. I believe careful readers will be able to get some tips for more smooth integration in a new society. Great job that certainly deserves congratulations on BOTD!

[Emmanuel Maduabuchi Eze]

Beyond the Golden Door" by Ali Master is a good way to view the realities of living in America as an immigrant. Ali Master's cultural and religious experiences add depth to this. It is great to know this book was exceptionally well edited, so I hope to have a smooth reading.

[Malik Bakare]

Ali Master’s reflections in Beyond the Golden Door on freedoms like self-governance, love, religion, and failure offer a compelling perspective, enriched by his nuanced comparisons of culture, education, and work ethics between Pakistan and America.

[Stephanie Gail Stephen]

This review really makes me reflect on how powerful personal transformation can be, especially when experienced in a completely new environment. Ali Master's journey sounds deeply moving—particularly the way he navigates cultural and spiritual shifts with such courage. The idea of exploring freedom from an immigrant’s perspective intrigues me. I’m definitely adding Beyond the Golden Door to my reading list.

[Janet Kimetto]

Thanks for the review! Many people will find Ali Master's experience living in America as an immigrant to be insightful, inspiring, and maybe even relatable.

[Leen282]

Having traveled around and changed countries several times myself, I love hearing how other people experience cultural differences. I can imagine there are many differences between Pakistan and the US. I am less interested in reading about the religious element of the author's experience since I have less affinity with that.

[Soma Ezenwanne]

I want to read "Beyond the Golden Door" because Ali’s story sounds inspiring, and I’m really interested to see how his faith and life changed through Judy.