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The Book of Unknown Americans A novel Cristina Henríquez 9780385350846 Books

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The Book of Unknown Americans A novel Cristina Henríquez 9780385350846 Books

The Unknown Americans at the heart of this book are Latino immigrants to the United States. This novel provides a close look at a community of these "unknown Americans." The Rivera family emigrates to Delaware, seeking treatment for the brain damage their daughter, Maribel, sustained in an accident. Maribel Rivera falls in love with a neighbor's teenage son, Toro Mayor, a boy whose sensitivity and lack of athleticism makes him a disappointment to his father. Maribel and Toro's relationship blossoms, as the adults attempt to deal with cultural dislocation, employment issues, and neighborhood politics. As we see this immigrant community close-up, we can see that this is a community that is tremendously hopeful for the future, despite tremendous difficulties. The characters in the book are beautifully drawn, and it is well worth reading.


Tags : The Book of Unknown Americans: A novel [Cristina Henríquez] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. “A triumph of storytelling. Henríquez pulls us into the lives of her characters with such mastery that we hang on to them just as fiercely as they hang on to one another and their dreams. This passionate,Cristina Henríquez,The Book of Unknown Americans: A novel,Knopf,0385350848,Family Life,Hispanic & Latino,Literary,Delaware;Fiction.,Immigrants;Fiction.,Teenagers;Fiction.,Delaware,FICTION Family Life General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Family Life,Fiction Hispanic & Latino,Fiction Literary,Hispanic American Novel And Short Story,Immigrants,Teenagers

The Book of Unknown Americans A novel Cristina Henríquez 9780385350846 Books Reviews

This was a heart-rending story from beginning to end. There is a reason for these immigrants being called "unknown". Most people don't take the time or make the effort to know who they are and why they are here. Cristina Henriquez has done a wonderful job of integrating the family stories, showing how people bond when in need. I had no expectations going into the book. I let the author tell her story and was moved tremendously.
I really, really wanted to like this book because I was hoping that it would delve into Latin-American culture and provide a rich telling of the Latino experience in the US, but unfortunately that's not what I got. To be fair, I'd just read the Alchemist which set the bar pretty high. With that said, it didn't really matter. By page 30, I was just counting the pages until it was over.

I'm being generous with my rating because I think there are many people who are completely removed from the Latino experience in this country and would find this book interesting and thought provoking. But it's so surface, that you're not going to get any real deep treatment on the subject.

Education aside, I just couldn't invest in the story-telling. Several aspects of the book felt like rip-offs of other books (i.e. Women of Brewster Place, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) and it just didn't feel authentic to me. I didn't feel that the secondary characters were woven into the central plot well enough for me to really be interested in their backstory. Their inclusion in the book just felt like an after-thought - something to justify the title.

I think the subject matter is one that deserves an entire library section and I'll continue to seek out books that provide me more perspective, but this just didn't satisfy.
I choose this book because it seemingly told the story of an immigrant group that seems to be vilified and misunderstood. I wanted to understand and learn about their experience. This book was good, but I do agree with another reviewer who said it should be classified as Young Adult reading. I read this in a few hours. The writing was very simple. There were a few memorable & poetic lines, but not many. The story is told by the point of view of numerous characters. I enjoyed that aspect. The main characters were immigrants from various Central & South American countries, detailing their struggles to assimilate in a smaller city in Delaware. All of the characters lived in a rundown apartment building, and for the most part were close knit and supportive of each other. There was one main story that followed the lives of a Mexican couple and their beautiful daughter, Maribel, who legally immigrated. Maribel suffered a traumatic brain injury in Mexico, and the US was the place where the best schools were, so the family ventured to start a new life in Delaware with ultimately devastating and life altering results. I don't like to give spoilers, but this book is absorbing and a quick, fast read.
Arturo and Alma Rivera lived a happy life in Mexico until their beautiful teenage daughter, Maribel, sustains a serious injury in an accident. Unsure if she'll ever be the same again, they migrate to the United States—Delaware, specifically—where Maribel will be able to attend a special school and hopefully begin to recover some semblance of normalcy. But America is difficult for the Riveras—the job Arturo secures to sponsor their journey to America is brutal, Maribel doesn't seem to be making much progress in school, and Alma struggles with English, and trying to become acclimated to a different life.

"Because a place can do many things against you, and if it's your home or if it was your home at one time, you still love it. That's how it works."

The one bright spot is that the Riveras meet Celia and Rafael Toro, who came to the U.S. years ago to escape the destruction and violence in Panama. The Toros are more settled into their American lives, although Celia in particular longs to return home, at least for a visit. And when their teenage son, Mayor, who struggles with self-confidence in the shadow of his more athletic, popular older brother, sets eyes on Maribel for the first time, he finds himself completely in her thrall, and wants nothing more to spend time with her, despite what others perceive as her challenges.

As the relationship between the Riveras and the Toros grows stronger, it is tested—as are relationships within each family—by secrets, incorrect assumptions, fears, longing, and struggles. And a number of incidents occur which set in motion a chain of events which will affect each member of both families in vastly different ways.

Cristina Henriquez's The Book of Unknown Americans gives a powerful and moving glimpse into the immigrant experience for many Latin American people. In addition to telling the story of the Rivera and Toro families, the plot is interwoven with brief testimonials from other neighbors, each of whom came from a different Latin American country and experienced different struggles and happinesses upon arriving in America. This is a book that makes you think a little bit more about the challenges and barriers people often deal with when coming to America, even legally.

I thought this was a very captivating read, and Henriquez is an excellent storyteller. While some of her characters may seem familiar, I thought she imbued them with interesting characteristics and quirks that made them more complex. I read this book very quickly, and found it an emotionally rich story I'm still thinking about.
The Unknown Americans at the heart of this book are Latino immigrants to the United States. This novel provides a close look at a community of these "unknown Americans." The Rivera family emigrates to Delaware, seeking treatment for the brain damage their daughter, Maribel, sustained in an accident. Maribel Rivera falls in love with a neighbor's teenage son, Toro Mayor, a boy whose sensitivity and lack of athleticism makes him a disappointment to his father. Maribel and Toro's relationship blossoms, as the adults attempt to deal with cultural dislocation, employment issues, and neighborhood politics. As we see this immigrant community close-up, we can see that this is a community that is tremendously hopeful for the future, despite tremendous difficulties. The characters in the book are beautifully drawn, and it is well worth reading.