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The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel
Unavailable
The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel
Unavailable
The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel
Audiobook9 hours

The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

"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, powerful novel will stay with you long after you've turned the final page." -Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
 
A boy and a girl who fall in love. Two families whose hopes collide with destiny. An extraordinary novel that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be American.

Arturo and Alma Rivera have lived their whole lives in Mexico. One day, their beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, Maribel, sustains a terrible injury, one that casts doubt on whether she'll ever be the same. And so, leaving all they have behind, the Riveras come to America with a single dream: that in this country of great opportunity and resources, Maribel can get better.

When Mayor Toro, whose family is from Panama, sees Maribel in a Dollar Tree store, it is love at first sight. It's also the beginning of a friendship between the Rivera and Toro families, whose web of guilt and love and responsibility is at this novel's core.

Woven into their stories are the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America. Their journeys and their voices will inspire you, surprise you, and break your heart.

Suspenseful, wry and immediate, rich in spirit and humanity, The Book of Unknown Americans is a work of rare force and originality.

Read by Yareli Arizmendi, Christine Avila, Jesse Corti, Gustavo Res, Ozzie Rodriguez, and Gabriel Romero
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 3, 2014
ISBN9780804191432
Unavailable
The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel
Author

Cristina Henríquez

Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, The World In Half and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. She has been longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, The Oxford American, The American Scholar, and elsewhere. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Illinois.

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Reviews for The Book of Unknown Americans

Rating: 3.9197369178947365 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Right in the feels.

    Beautifully written.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book just happened to be my current rotation for #LGPOG, and my goodness, was it timely. The intersecting stories of several immigrants from Latin American countries living in Delaware. Gorgeously written and deeply affecting, I was hooked from the start and listened to the whole book today. I loved Alma and Arturo’s story best of all. Discomforting and heartbreaking.Everyone should read this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sad and tough to read in places, but very good.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book focuses on one family who has immigrated to Delaware so that their brain-injured daughter can go to a school that can help to heal her injury. The family lives in a housing complex that is full of immigrants from Latin America. Interspersed between the chapters about the main characters are first-person short stories where other people in the housing complex tell their stories of why they immigrated and how they feel about leaving their home countries to live in the US. The book seeks to humanize the Latinx immigrants who are currently being blamed for a lot of the problems in the US. It achieves that goal well, but it seemed to try a little too hard and didn't have much soul to it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would have probably given this 4* except for the fact that I disliked the final section. It wasn't the death of Arturo so much as the way Mayor and Alma responded to it that I didn't care for.I did like the use of different narrators for the various points of view.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A little apartment building in Delaware is at the center of this domestic drama about the immigrant experience. As the chapters switch perspectives between the different residents, we learn how they came documented and undocumented from their various Latin American countries of origin to the United States. While their origins are diverse, their aspirations are common and universal: finding a safe place for themselves and their loved ones, building friendships and a community, fulfilling their dreams of success or at least stability, and giving their children the opportunity to reach even higher than themselves.

    I found the characters engaging enough that I regretted having to set the book aside for work or chores, but in the end it is a pretty low-key affair with a muddled ending that is true to real life and thus not particularly satisfying. It's certainly thought provoking though.

    This book came to my attention as the 2018 Common Read for Mt. Holyoke College, where my daughter will be a freshman this fall.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story is interwoven with vignettes of different life experiences of the immigrants featured in this novel. Coming from various countries and widely differing experiences, nevertheless, once in the United States, language is the thing that unites such unique people into a heterogeneous group in the eyes of the non-immigrants. There is a tragic but also hopeful story that links all these people together and that helps to explain in some small way the hope that unites these Latin American immigrants in their desire to make a new home for themselves far from where they came.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a free audio book from the Audio Sync summer program and I enjoyed it very much. A story about a family that comes from Mexico after their daughter suffers a injury to get her special help in the U.S. They come to Delaware. There are several other families that all appear to be the same to the whites but there are families from Panama, Paraguay, Nicaragua and some are U.S. citizens and some are here on visas but if no one takes to time to get the know them, no one knows their stories. They are the unknown Americans. It is also a story of redemption/forgiveness, a story about family, marriage and coming of age. It covers a lot but it really is about how hard it is to come to America culturally.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my favorite books of the year. The story focuses on the Riveras family who has come to America to get help for their daughter, Maribel. It's also about the people who live in the same complex as the Riveras. These people have come from different countries all looking for something. Many hope to go back to their home country.

    I loved this book. I enjoyed the multiple points of view. There was a mix of longer and shorter stories while still keeping the focus on the main characters.

    Personally it helped connect me to a grandfather I never knew who came from the same areas as the Rivereas. Ms. Henriquez helped me think about why my grandfather and his parents came to the US and what all they must have given up to come here.

    Read this if you like stories about families in crisis. Don't read if you don't like multi-povs.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 The immigrant debate and the need for immigrant reform is an issue that has been the forefront of the news in The United States for a number of months. I am not going to give my own opinion on this debate, only mention it as it refers to the timeliness of this novel.The book mostly centers on two families, one who come to the US from Panama and the devastation wrought by the invasion of the US in 1989 and the other family who come from Mexico in order to get the help and schooling their brain damaged daughter needs, following a horrible accident. These families settle, with other families from many different counties, in an apartment building in Delaware. There they try to make friends and a community with others like themselves.The author does a wonderful job highlighting the difficulties of these immigrants, who when first arriving speak no English and must trust in those said to be helping them. They are also notoriously easy to being taken advantage of, as many seem willing to do. The price of things are often a shock, the food so different from what they are used to, the work they are given and the salary they make is below par, to say the least. They are always a moment away from disaster, financially and emotionally.This novel gives one a great deal to think about, an opportunity to experience the many different ways these new immigrants try to fit in, how desperately they want to be considered Americans.The romance between the one family's daughter and the son of the other, is almost too sweet, but maybe given the circumstances, understandable. It is a romance that will cause disaster, and a profound change in circumstance. I would have liked to have seen and felt more tension and depth, but despite that this is a worthy, and as mentioned previously, a timely read. Many other characters tell their stories in this novel, so one does get a cross section of many different stories and the many different reasons they come to the US. ARC from the publisher.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this book more than I expected I would. Originally I picked it up because I needed to read something that took place in Deleware, but I became addicted to it fairly quickly. It tells the story of a family whose girl has immigrated to give their daughter a better chance in life after having an accident. She needs a better school, better resources, better care than what they could get elsewhere, but they find out right away that prejudice toward immigrants and the live of an immigrant can be hard in this country.This is a story about the goodness in people and it is a story about relationships. It isn't about just one family from Mexico, but about multiple Latino families, each with their own reason for coming here from their own countries. The broadness is perfectly wrapped up in good storytelling, written from the perspectives of several characters, a style which helps you to understand thoughts and feelings in the characters much more than a single perspective could provide. There are parts of this book that will probably still touch your memory, even almost a year after you have finished reading. I can still visualize where the families lived and what they went through. Very good stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a lit-fic novel that features the voices of Latinx immigrants of the US, and uses the story of Maribel's family to highlight the immigrant experience. Maribel is suffering from a traumatic brain injury, and her family has arranged to come to the US to get access to a school that will aid in their daughter's recovery. The plot is best served through the sections told from the point-of-view of Maribel's mother, Alma; and a neighbor-boy, Mayor who falls in love with Maribel; and in fact, the "other" voices are a bit contrived/cliched and superfluous. That said, there is one section from a photographer, sounding off ad hominem, whose story deserves a full length novel in its own right. :-)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed this book and it touched me sometimes. It's a little lengthy but I appreciated the voices. The descriptions for families and sights of immigrants are very relatable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was lengthy but it was worth it. Very sad, but I know some families that come to US have it very hard. This is just proof of it
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The characters in the book come to life as each tell the story through their eyes. I was immersed in their story telling and enjoyed it very much. I could feel every emotion in every word.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although this book was published in 2014, I am just now getting to it. The book is filled with the individual stories of immigrants to the U.S. in search of a better life. The characters are from Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Each person tells their unique story of how and why they came to the United States (some with documents, others undocumented). While the story centers on two families and the relationship that develops between their teenage kids (Maribel and Mayor), it also gives readers a glimpse into each of the character’s dreams, hopes, struggles and triumphs. This book made me think of how difficult and lonely life can be when you move to a country with a different language and customs. Cristina Henríquez is a delightful story-teller that brought her characters to life. I believe this book would be great for high school students .
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    3.5 stars. The book is extremely readable and I really enjoyed the vignettes of the residents. It does a great job of providing compelling glimpses into all the ways and reasons Latinx folks migrate to the US. That said, the core of the story didn’t hold me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Each summer there is a program where two audiobooks are free to download. I downloaded this novel and was hesitant about listening to it, thinking it didn’t sound that interesting. I was hooked immediately.The unknown Americans are those who have traveled to the United States mostly legally, some illegally. There are vignettes occasionally to meet various immigrants; these stories refer back to different time periods in the last fifty-ish years, explaining why people have traveled from different parts of Latin America. I recommend the audio because it’s nice to hear the accents and the personalities that I think you would miss by reading with an American English accent in your head.The main story revolves around one family: the Riveras. Arturo was a contractor in Mexico, who was very good at his job. They leave Mexico because his daughter Maribel had an accident that gave her a traumatic brain injury. There are no schools or therapy where they live. Alma, Arturo’s wife and Maribel’s mother, finds a special education school in Delaware that can help Maribel. They fill out all the required documents and come to America for their daughter. Arturo has to take jobs below his ability so that his daughter can get the help she needs. Alma tries to make their lives comfortable with normal food and by creating a home for them.The Toros also live in the building, and they are the secondary story. When their son Mayor sees Maribel, he falls in love. She’s beautiful. The Toros are kind; they invite the Riveras over to their apartment and help them find nearby stores and explain how to navigate about town. Mayor and Maribel spend more and more time together; he seems to help her more than anyone because he has patience and only expects her to be herself. Her parents expect her to be the girl she was before the accident, but her personality has changed as is common with brain injuries. He’s kind to Maribel and only wants to help.Several strange incidents, misunderstandings, and secrets lead to the inevitable destiny. This novel is not reviewed for middle school, so we won’t have it. I think it’s find for 8th grade and on because the story is really about Mayor and Maribel and how the parents misunderstand the relationship and over-protect Maribel. I think it’s a very good novel and well worth your time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received this as a gift, completely unaware of what genre it was, let alone what it was about. It took a few chapters for me to get into it, but once I was…hello. This book whispered to my heart and gave my soul a hug. It was beautiful, and sad, and yet it spun a delicate web of hope throughout the various narratives. What a grossly underrated book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story is about a number of different immigrant families who end up living in the same apartment building in Burlington, Vermont. The main characters, Arturo, Alma, and their daughter, Maribel immigrate legally in search of a good school to rehabilitate their daughter, who sustained severe brain damage from an accident in Mexico. Their neighbors become good friends with them, and their son, Mayor, falls in love with Maribel, despite their parents admonitions and best efforts to keep them apart. Their actions eventually lead to misunderstanding and tragedy for the families and their circle of friends.This is an excellent novel about the hurdles and barriers faced by immigrants in the United States, as well as the bonds and goodness of people of all cultures. I enjoyed this story, told in alternating chapters by a number of the characters. This story-telling device worked well to draw in the perspectives of each of the individuals, which enriched the story and helped the reader better understand each of the characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Arturo & Alma Riviera leave Mexico for Newark, Delaware to enroll their beautiful daughter Maribel in a special school after she is brain-damaged from a fall off a ladder. Arturo has a tiring and menial job. Alma, who does not speak English, puts most of her mental and emotional energy into protecting Maribel, who after making friends with the son of Panamanian immigrants next door, starts coming out of her shell. The book is short, simply written and quite affecting. The reader learns the many reasons that Latino families leave their homes for the United States, the challenges they meet when they get here, and how and why they sometimes become undocumented even if they initially have papers. But the novel does not descend into a Message; it is is still a story about individual families, with their misunderstandings, their guilt and their difficult choices.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Alma and Arturo Rivera have left their home in Mexico in search of a school that can help their daughter, Maribel. They move into an apartment complex and soon realize that they are a part of a community of immigrants, all with different stories, different challenges, and the resilience that comes from hard work and strong community. The story centers around a developing relationship between Maribel and Mayor Toro, a high school boy who seems to do nothing but disappoint his father. But in between the chapters about Maribel and Mayor, we hear from other immigrants whose stories add texture to the book. This is an unassuming book with short chapters and a straightforward story, but what sets it apart is the depth of empathy that I developed for the Rivera and Toro families. I came to care deeply for these characters, especially Maribel and Mayor. My heart broke when they faced hardships, but in the end, this is a story about hope, even in the face of hardship.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In a book told in voices from different Latinos who journeyed to America, the book tells the story of a community in Delaware specifically focusing mostly on the Rivera Family and their neighbors.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book follows two families who move from Latin America to an apartment complex in Delaware. There are also various chapters told from the perspectives of other immigrants who have moved to the apartment complex.

    I really liked the book, but it was also very sad. Many of the characters have a lot of struggles adapting to life in the United States and there is some tragedy.

    I have read a lot of novels that feature strong Latina women, and in doing so, these novels often seem to paint a negative portrait of Latino men. They often seem to be abusive and womanizing, or just completely absent from family life. This book features a refreshing change in the character of Arturo, a loving and supportive husband and father.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Should be required reading for all those trying to sort out the immigration issues in this country. While fictional, this book puts a human face and sympathetic spin on those who come to America. This was an excellent audio book because the different characters are represented by different readers and hearing their accents makes for an authentic experience, even at the cost of missing the meaning of the occasional phrase in Spanish. The primary narrator is Alma, who along with husband Arturo have come to the US (Delaware, specifically), legally (he is employed by the mushroom farms initially) for the sake of their 15-year-old daughter, Maribel who suffered a brain-damaging fall in Mexico the year before. They are confident that American schools and doctors can make a difference and help her be herself again. Currently, her language and processing skills are impacted, and she is suffering from horrible headaches. A beautiful girl, she is not "all there." The Riveras settle into a bare-bones apartment complex that houses many other immigrants who look and sound alike (Spanish-speaking) and that is where our prejudices begin to be tested. They each add a small portion to the narrative, recounting their immigration experiences from Paraguy, Panama, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala and they each have unique reasons for coming and for staying, not to mention a rich heritage they try to honor in absentia. The unfamiliarity with climate, language, food, customs plays a role in all their stories, not to mention the heartbreak of what they have left behind. Very eye-opening. For the Riveras, it is navigating the school system, and trying to keep Maribel safe since she is so fragile. There is a bullying menace, Garrett Miller who taunts and haunts her, but there is also Major, a neighbor boy who loves her and looks out for her. Their tale of first love is touching, but adds to the complications of misunderstanding and culture shock, especially because his whole family has become close with the Riveras. While it plays along like an interesting "light" tale for the first 2/3s, it builds to tragedy (with redemption) by the end. Overall enjoyable and worthwhile
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Quite sentimental and at time poetic story of a number of immigrants living in Wilmington, Delaware. There are a number of different narrators and that lends a bit of dis-order to the story. I'm not quite sure what genre to place this. There are young adult characters but the story is more than their love story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Back then, all we wanted was the simplest things" This first line grabbed me and took me on an unforgettable journey;one with an amazing, unexpected end.

    Love, family, hope & dreams all collide in this powerful novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was a surprise to me. I don't want to give too much away, because spoilers, but I was not expecting the ending. The Book of Unknown Americans chronicles the lives of tenants in a run-down apartment building; they are immigrants struggling to make a life in America. What is striking is the level of friendship and support they provide for each other. Alma was my favorite character, and her guilt over Maribel profoundly touching.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Not a fictional account of immigrants, or maybe, after all isn't America a story of mostly immigration? This is a story of love, hope, happiness, sacrifice and heartbreak. A story about yearning for a better education, decent health care, about walking down the street or into a store and being treated differently because the color of your skin is brown and so much more. Reading this book I just kept wondering why "The American Dream" is only for a certain privileged few. To all the Spanish or English speaking indigenous people of the America's and all people that are descendant from immigrants don't let this story pass you by.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Two Latin immigrant families, one Panamanian, one Mexican, are living in a rundown apartment building in Delaware. Told from alternating narratives, the story unfolds of how these people made their way to America and their various struggles to survive in a new country.This is a well-written novel, from an interesting perspective and captures the immigrant experience, in an honest and thoughtful manner.