The Book of Unknown Americans
Christina Henriquez
Fiction H395b
A dazzling,
heartbreaking page-turner destined for breakout status: a novel that
gives voice to millions of Americans as it tells the story of the love
between a Panamanian boy and a Mexican girl: teenagers living in an
apartment block of immigrant families like their own.
After their
daughter Maribel suffers a near-fatal accident, the Riveras leave
México and come to America. But upon settling at Redwood Apartments, a
two-story cinderblock complex just off a highway in Delaware, they
discover that Maribel's recovery--the piece of the American Dream on
which they've pinned all their hopes--will not be easy. Every task seems
to confront them with language, racial, and cultural obstacles.
At
Redwood also lives Mayor Toro, a high school sophomore whose family
arrived from Panamà fifteen years ago. Mayor sees in Maribel something
others do not: that beyond her lovely face, and beneath the damage she's
sustained, is a gentle, funny, and wise spirit. But as the two grow
closer, violence casts a shadow over all their futures in America.
Peopled
with deeply sympathetic characters, this poignant yet unsentimental
tale of young love tells a riveting story of unflinching honesty and
humanity that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be an
American. An instant classic is born.
(from publisher)
No comments:
Post a Comment