A review by melodyriggs
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez

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.