The most dominant theme in Lalami’s work is that of citizenship and the ways in which citizenship varies across time and among different ethnic groups and genders. Beginning her study with the inception of America, Lalami discusses the development of citizenship to its current state, in which people of all races and genders can become citizens, but focuses on the ways in which different groups are effectively denied citizenship within the country or literally denied it from outside the country. Lalami identifies citizenship as the full enjoyment of rights and protections afforded by the government. The purpose of the collection is to identify and correct the conditions in which Americans are denied these rights and protections.

In each essay, Lalami discusses the ways that different aspects of identity interfere with the enjoyment of citizenship: religion in “Faith”; national origin in “Borders”; cultural practices in “Assimilation”; race in “Tribe”; wealth in “Caste”; and gender in “Inheritance.” However, in “Do Not Despair,” the final essay in the collection, she sums up what it means to be a citizen, highlighting all the freedoms and rights that are denied to conditional citizens. She proposes a series of civic, social, and personal rights, including the unconditional right to vote for all citizens and access to healthcare, reliable information, clean air and water, food, and bodily autonomy.