Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Book of Unknown Americans

This story follows a young girl who suffered a tragic and debilitating accident. Her parents would do anything for her, so they move to the US to seek better care and education in hopes of having her return to who she was. Here we meet other Latinx folks in the neighbors, and the book alternates between telling Maribel’s story and the story of how the neighbors came to be in Delaware.

It’s a story about the hardships of being transplanted to a new country, of struggling to make ends meet, of persecution and of being willing to do anything for those you love.

Content Warnings

notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

kaneebli's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

amandaquotidianbooks's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

An excellent snapshot into the lives of Latinx immigrants to the US. My favorite plot was Major’s as he navigates his difficult father and becomes friends with Maribel, whose recent accident prompted her family to immigrate to enroll her in an American school. I loved seeing their relationship grow. Alma and Arturo’s dedication to making Maribel’s life easier was eternal and inspiring. Henriquez brings to life the little joys and everyday anxieties of moving to a country that doesn’t want you there.

Content Warnings

carolinefaireymeese's review

Go to review page

emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.5

Henriquez lets us (as readers) know exactly what she is doing, where she is going, from the start, and that transparency invites her readers to trust her to ferry us through. Alma and Mayor, her two central characters, circle each other, joined by their love of Maribel (Alma's 16-year-old daughter with minor brain damage from an accident a year ago, and Mayor's new neighbor in Delaware), are divided by the nature of that love. Alma feels protective love for her, but cannot see past her own memories of the girl that Maribel used to be; Mayor loves her for who she is, which Alma finds dangerous, and her husband finds disturbing. Henriquez subtly builds tension, performing sleight-of-hand with Alma's concern for her husband's job, her English lessons, her worry about the boy (Garrett) she saw trying to assault Maribel early in their days there, climbing to a well-earned and painful climax.

Throughout, Henriquez lends equal weight to various voices from the building, a conglomerate of immigrants (new and old) from Hispanic countries in South and Central America. There is no central line of messaging from all of them--some feel completely at home, some feel anger towards the racism they still experience, some have been able to thrive and flourish in their dreams in America, others have been run down and beaten by this country that was supposed to provide new life. The point is to know them, and to listen to the myriad of voices, to treat each story as important and worthwhile.

Another note: Henriquez is brilliant at portraying the voice of a teenager here. Often, work that takes teenagers' seriously is relegated to YA, but Henriquez treats Alma and Mayor with equal interest in their worldviews. One truly feels the righteous anger of a teenager, the rush of early love, the secrets and misunderstandings and fear of parents' power again when inhabiting Mayor's perspective.

Content Warnings

More...