In “Princess of Nebraska” the author exemplifies America's disenchantment when she writes: “If only her child were a visa that admitted her into this prosperity, Sasha thought, saddened by memories of Inner Mongolia and Nebraska, the night skies of both places black with lone stars” (79). While America is unique in some rights and freedoms, these freedoms, just like anything else, have limits. Sasha feels unchanged by her new surroundings, still feeling unable to enhance her sense of self or escape the problems she attempted to abandon in her old world. The prosperity of America does not keep Sasha from the loneliness and problems that consume his life, thus making the “night skies” of America and China comparable. In “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers,” Mr. Shi faces similar difficulties in dealing with the disappointing realities of the real America and his inability to bring about change in his relationship with his daughter. The narrator highlights the lack of communication and distance that still exists between them when he states, “He feels disappointed in his daughter, someone with whom he shares a language but with whom he can no longer share a cherished moment” (194). Although Mr. Shi believes that America should give him the freedom to be better