The Book of Unknown Americans
Ratings34
Average rating3.9
Basically YA. Counting this as my Panama book around the world.
I agree with others that say this had great potential and failed to meet it. Could've easily been about 100 pages longer
I really, really liked this book. I think my favorite parts were the short snippets from the other people, their stories, but the main story was also so gripping. There was the teen romance and that was sweet I suppose, however it was the story of Alma and Arturo trying to find a life in America that really got to me. Theirs was the real love story.
I have a feeling this book will stay in my mind for many months to come and rank high on my list of “best books in 2016.” An absolute must-read.
★ ★ ★ 1/2
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. And is part of a group blog project, The United States of Books
Arturo climbed out first, straightened his cowboy hat, and surveyed the building. Two stories, made of cinder blocks and cement, an outdoor walkway that ran the length of the second floor with metal staircases at either end, pieces of broken Styrofoam in the grass, a chain-link fence along the perimeter of the lot, cracks in the asphalt. I had expected it to be nicer.
EW
Wayne's World
Who comes to the United States and ends up in Delaware? l for one never thought I'd be here. But I've been surprised. It's popular with the Latinos. And all because of the mushroom farms over in Pennsylvania. Half the mushrooms in the country are grown there. Back in the seventies, they used to hire Puerto Ricans to harvest everything, but now it's the Mexicans. And they used to set up the workers with housing, too. Shitty housing with rats as big as rabbits, boarded-up windows, no hot water. After Reagan's amnesty deal, the workers started bringing their families up from México. They didn't put their wives and children up in that shitty housing, though. They found other places to live. Places like Delaware. It's cheaper than Pennsylvania. And no sales tax. We have all the Spanish supermarkets now, and the school district started those English programs.
The Book of Unknown Americans
It's easy to go into a book with such a lucid title as The Book of Unknown Americans and know what you're getting. Though its subject and perspective is clearly a sensitive exploration of what it means to be of Hispanic origin in America, this novel doesn't stop there. There's so much more to it. In fact, in the end, I felt The Book of Unknown Americans more adequately tapped the subject of brain-injured Americans than any other topic.
Overall, The Book of Unknown Americans is a lovely and poignant tale. The primary narratives, told through the alternating voices of Alma and Mayor, were a pleasure to read. The secondary narratives, chapters entwined with the primary ones told in many different voices, were sometimes a little too clichéd and simple, although their purpose became clear in the end. What pulled me into this book was Maribel and her relationship with Mayor. Although that may have not been the intended subject of the novel, it is what kept me hooked. Both Maribel and Mayor were written with such sensitivities that I found myself enthralled by them, wrapped up in whatever relationship might develop.
The structure and voice all come together in the end to create a heartfelt and well-told tale. Although it was probably not the author's intention originally, I do feel as though the novel belonged to Maribel and Mayor. I'd have liked to have had more time with them, but it wasn't meant to be. The Book of Unknown Americans is the sort of novel that is a pleasure to read, but doesn't necessarily stick with you. The characters and their trials were real, but not entirely memorable. Alma's tale was excruciatingly gut wrenching, especially her final chapters, but it was her daughter's story that sticks with me. It was Maribel who remained the biggest unknown and whom I desperately wanted to know better.