Reviews

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

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melodyriggs's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I'm pairing this book with the nonfiction memoir, Beautiful Country, for a staff book club at the school where I work. While this is a work of fiction, I think Henriquez excellently captured a lot of what is echoed in Beautiful Country and in many immigrant stories. Whether one is here legally or is undocumented, the experiences with those who don't want them here are the same, and are painful to read about, even in fiction. I liked how this book really focused on what we do for those we love and forgiving ourselves more than on the immigration piece, but I enjoyed the stories of the various immigrants as well.

rawrdianasaur's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.75

katiecasaday's review against another edition

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5.0

A cute and short read but when I tell you this book made me BAWL MY EYES OUT

colleengeedrumm's review against another edition

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5.0

Let us all be from somewhere.
Let us tell each other everything we can.
- Bob Hicok, "A Primer"

The sunlight melting through the windows.

But one beach isn't every beach. And one home isn't every home.

My life has been what it has been. It's not a wonderful story, but it's mine.

A donkey names Car.

Our journey would continue, and Artruro's would, too, even though for now he was headed to one destination and Maribel and I to another.

vegprincess's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars. The Book of Unknown Americans is a heart wrenching book that, although I can't say from personal experience, seems to perfectly describe the immigrant experience. I feel like I really got to know the main characters, and I sympathized with all the hardships and heartbreaks they endured. Every time I put the book down I found myself thinking of them and wondering what was going to happen to them. By the end of the book I had tears streaming down my face. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more of Cristina Henriquez's work.