Reviews

If you've ever internally or outwardly said, "Go Home!" when referring to an Immigrant or the politically-labeled and persecuted immigrant group, you really should make yourself read this book. If I could make you, I would.

This book will deliver so many emotions and on a level that even the most unsympathetic, entitled, American-born bastard ought to be able to embrace. If you can't put yourself in the shoes of the less-fortunate you have no business sharing your opinions about them. The opinions I crave are those of the well-rounded, well-read, and well-human'd.

Yes, it's fiction, but it's also very real. What happens to one family in The Book of Unknown Americans could happen to any family - yours, mine, or spread out across dozens of families. It's raw-life. What makes it so unbelievable and what makes you different, is that if you're enjoying a book, or reading my review on goodreads, you probably don't live in an area where desperation for safety and access to basic human rights are a concern.

I devoured this book in less than five hours and I laughed, cried, and sighed. It is Immigration from the viewpoints of Latino individuals from all different parts of the world, and from different walks of life. Stereotypes about Spanish-speaking cultures should be obliterated by the acceptance your heart must make for every character in this book - no label fits them all, except for maybe struggling and hopeful. And aren't we all?

fflur_jones's review

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3.0

Although this book deals with an incredibly important topic, I personally didn't feel it delivered as much as I'd hoped.
I did enjoy the chapters dotted throughout the main plotline that revealed the various motivations behind each of the characters' decision to move to the US mainland. These chapters did highlight the individuality of each immigrant's/person's experience, countering the current narrative that often lumps all immigrants into the same stereotype.
However, I found the writing a bit too simple at times, especially when the author was dealing with heavy topics such as sexual assault, hate crimes, macho culture, living as an undocumented person... All of these themes were touched upon but never fully explored unfortunately.
I also would have liked the character of Maribel to have had a voice in the story. I felt that by never seeing things from her point of view, the ableist way in which most of the characters viewed her (i.e. damaged, fragile, weak...) was reinforced.
Overall, I wish the central idea of 'unknown Americans' - an intriguing and promising concept - had been explored more throughout the book.
I would recommend this for teenagers looking for an introduction to or to get acquainted with some of the issues that Latino immigrants face in the US today.

megganly's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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