by Cristina Henríquez, 2014
narrated by Various Narrators*
I remember seeing this book advertised at Target when it was first published. I took a look, determined it was some sort of young adult love story, and quickly moved on. I came back to it these three years later when, unsatisfied with the audiobook I had borrowed, I saw this was immediately available from the library. I’d heard some words of praise for the book in the intervening time, and while that doesn’t always bode well for my personal tastes, in this instance I’m so glad I decided to give it a second chance. This was so much more than I had judged it to be.
The Book of Unknown Americans follows Alma and Arturo Rivera as they journey from their home in Mexico to start a new life in Delaware. Their tale is not what typically comes to mind when we think of immigration. For the Riveras, their move is spurred by the accident that left their fifteen-year-old daughter Maribel with a traumatic brain injury. Though they are told that Maribel will never be the same, they hold onto the hope that the school in Delaware that has been recommended to them will help recover some of the girl they lost. Sponsored by the mushroom farm that has promised him a job, Arturo leaves his construction business behind and the family begins their new life in the country that has promised them so much.
Make no mistake, there is a teenage love story in here, but it is not the most important part of this well-told tale. While the Riveras are acclimating to the culture shock of the north, dismayed by what the Americans call salsa, neighbor Mayor Toro notices the beautiful young girl who has moved into his building. Beset with his own problems of high school social hierarchy and bullying, Mayor feels instantly protective of Maribel and the two begin to spend time together in the apartment building, as the Riveras forbid them to go anywhere together. This isn’t a story of instant love nor one where Mayor is the savior who can immediately see past Maribel’s flaws, but one that is born of two people feeling outcast and finding the one person who makes them feel understood. It struck me as far more real than many of the love stories in many of the books I’ve read.
While the book focuses mainly on the Riveras and the Toros, and some harrowing events that subsequently occur, there are occasional chapters dedicated to other building residents. These characters have emigrated from other Spanish-speaking countries and they relay their motivations, hardships, and heartbreaks. It is rare that we get to see so many sides of immigration, so intent are we on boxing up all the brown folk as raping, drug dealing, “bad hombres” from Mexico, hardly taking the time to realize that all that is south of us is not simply a conglomeration of Mexicans. They are doing what they can to make the best lives for themselves and their families, but they are ignored by most and they remain “unknown.”
Far from just being a story of teenage love, the book is an exploration of the American Dream. It reveals the hopes of those who come here and the difficulties they encounter along the way. Their struggles are not so different from our own and they find themselves questioning their decisions in this land that promises so much and seemingly takes everything in return. I wish I had read this sooner.
*Special praise goes to the audio performance of this book. This may be simply nostalgia for me, being of Mexican descent and growing up in New Mexico, but I loved hearing the various accents and found they added so much to my enjoyment of the story. Even if that were not the case, I would still commend the numerous narrators on a fine performance.
