The Other Presences presents a radically new mode of engaging with the idea of otherness in contemporary American literature. Expanding on the earlier theories of poststructuralist and phenomenologist philosophers like Berhand Waldenfels and Jean-Francois Lyotard, Tatschner argues for a more performative style of reading, establishing new linguistic frameworks to reflect the concept of otherness in literature. His book introduces new transnational voices into the discourse on contemporary US literary studies, focusing heavily on the stories of immigrant and first-generation Americans. These new voices and presences push readers toward innovative possibilities for the written word.