The Book of Unknown Americans

I really liked this book, the format told from the perspective of various characters, even the minor characters had their own chapter. Great book for high school kids. I gave three stars because the book ended so abruptly, like there should be at least a few more things the author could say.

A hard read for this sympathetic non-immigrant. All forms of Latin or Central Americans looking to leave their respective countries both legally and illegally to gain a better life. Perhaps a book for those who condemn them read this book and walk in their shoes a bit. Could change some minds but I don't hold out much hope.

An interesting study in relationships, discrimination and tragedy in this land of plenty. Each character was developed in such a way that I felt I knew them. Even being poor they found joy and bright spots in most of their days.

Here's the big, big problem with this book. It is written in supposedly the first person voices of immigrants, people who, on the whole, came to the United States without knowing the language but now can narrate their stories. There's one young man, Benny, who speaks as though he's black when he's from Central America. I couldn't get beyond fifty pages because I am so turned off when an author cannot write in first person authentically.

An interesting study in relationships, discrimination and tragedy in this land of plenty. Each character was developed in such a way that I felt I knew them. Even being poor they found joy and bright spots in most of their days.

Here's the big, big problem with this book. It is written in supposedly the first person voices of immigrants, people who, on the whole, came to the United States without knowing the language but now can narrate their stories. There's one young man, Benny, who speaks as though he's black when he's from Central America. I couldn't get beyond fifty pages because I am so turned off when an author cannot write in first person authentically.

The Book of Unknown Americans has been hailed as one of the better novels of this past year. I was eager to read it. I read it fairly quickly, pages turning, yet leaving little deep resonance in my mind. Author Cristina Henriquez is a good writer, descriptive and economic in her style. Yet, in my final assessment, it was a fairly unremarkable book.

My problem with it is that it is weighted down with far too many clichés. The characters were simple near-stereotypes, the plot a pedestrian tale of immigrants, and the finale felt forced and inconsistent. Additionally, a host of characters are introduced with little to no follow-up, each of their tired back stories presented in a page of two of text, interrupting the flow of the story. In particular, as the story came to its climax, the inclusion of these distractions was inexplicable.

Perhaps Ms. Henriquez tried to do too much with this novel. Certainly the novel didn't really benefit from the inclusion of so many unnecessary characters, nor was the climax satisfactory. It felt like a Hollywood-ized contrivance that didn't suit the story up to that point. Was the book supposed to be a young adult-ish romance or a commentary on the difficult lives of immigrants? Was the title supposed to refer to all of the "unknown" individuals who do landscaping, drive taxis, or wear masks while they do mani-pedis for indulgent Americans? If so, was this meant to be some wake-up call to everyone? Does she believe that her book will find its way into the hands of the Fox News anti-immigration crowd and change some minds? These are questions that the book never answers. I would've found those answers more valuable than this largely predictable story full of stock, two-dimensional characters.

It's an easy and superficial read, which means the author misfired on one aspect of what could've been a much more powerful story. Every immigrant has stories to tell and hardships to bear. Those stories alone, stripped of contrivances and presented in a more honest manner, are sufficient enough, and don't require stereotypes or hackneyed climaxes to compel the reader forward.

There is very little fiction covering the contemporary Latino immigrant experience so this book may have made the 2014 New York Times Notables List for its content. While the story is good, there is no subtly. The author's purpose may be to show the goodness of the "unknown Americans", but the characters are not well developed and the details of their lives are not realistic.

Can it really be that a successful couple in Mexico who has researched US schools for special needs students, found a job near that school, figured out the visa system, and arranged an apartment has not prepared themselves for their trip with even a few phrases of English? When they moved their household in a truck, did they really have room to acquire a TV and a mattress along the way? Can a diner cook really support a family of four in a single household? These are only a few of the problems in realism with this book.

The author shows several instances when parents keep their children in the dark. Rafael was not direct in telling Major want he learned at school. Alma does not help Maribel understand the assault. At the end Alma leaves Maribel guessing about something significant and life changing for her about her father, which Maribel (probably because she was kept in the dark) had not even considered at that point; Rafael leaves his son guessing about Maribel's father for far too long.

A number of first person narratives are used, perhaps to fit the title, but they do not relate to the story. Space devoted to this would have been better used in developing the characters and showing perspective on the culture and the family dynamic.

There have been some excellent non-fiction narratives on the contemporary immigrant experience such as those in Matt Taibbi's The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap . There have been only a few other cuts at this material in fiction, most notable being The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao . I think that the many favorable reviews here represent a hunger for fiction relating the the Latino immigrant experience.

Newark, Delaware is the unspectacular setting of Cristina Henríquez’ novel The Book of Unknown Americans. A small, average, American city that could be just around the corner from where you live. A wonderful choice of setting for a novel full of immigrant tales that stand for so many real immigrant tales out there. Cristina Henríquez knows how to create setting. One of my favorite scenes happens right at the beginning, when the Riveras walk down the main road trying to find a supermarket and finally have to buy groceries at the gas station instead. Within less than a page, Ms Henríquez manages to create the perfect US-American scenery, at least as it appears to strangers.

The Book of Unknown Americans focuses on the story of Maribel and Mayor (a boy from Panama) but it is alternately told from the viewpoints of Mayor and Maribel’s mother Alma. Alma is a very powerful character. She knows and loves her daughter the way only a mother does. In addition to that, Alma is the one who suggested emigrating to the United States and now she gives the reader the chance to live through all her doubts and worries. Interspersed between Mayor and Alma’s accounts, you will find an abundance of secondary characters telling their own stories. These little biographies fit in perfectly and help to understand the secondary characters’ personalities.

Like many other novels dealing with the topic of immigration, The Book of Unknown Americans starts out with the Riveras’ arrival in the United States, but where Ms Henríquez takes it from there is somewhere a little different. This book might not nearly sum up all the varying immigrant biographies out there, but it can give us a taste of what it can be like to come to a new country where most people will be prejudiced against you. The Book of Unknown Americans tells a story full of hopes and dreams and when I think of it, I’m still getting goosebumps. Cristina Henríquez wrote a novel that takes time to digest and you won’t and shouldn’t forget about it all too soon. The Book of Unknown Americans is an important book, a book that, in my opinion, should become an obligatory part of the US American high-school curriculum. Read it!

4.5. The Book of Unknown Americans is a hidden gem that I happened to pick up (as an audio book) before a long drive. It is a moving and touching story about the budding romance between Maribel Rivera, who suffered brain damage in Mexico following an accident, and Mayor Toro, a shy teenage boy who is able to see through Maribel's limitations, and even her physical allure, to the beautiful soul within. The story is told against the backdrop of a group of immigrants living in an apartment building in Delaware. The central characters are the Riveras—Arturo, Alma and Maribel—who have recently immigrated from Mexico, and the more "established" Toros—Mayor and his parents, Cecilia and Rafael—who immigrated from Panama years earlier to escape that country's violence.

The Book of Unknown Americans has a valuable place in our current national debate over immigration. At its core, it shows that immigrants—legal and illegal both—are simply human beings with human stories and problems and challenges; people who crave—and deserve—a chance at a better life and should not be condemned for pursuing better circumstances; and, for all that they might gain, immigrants pay a high price for uprooting their lives and attempting to set down roots in the U.S.

The Riveras' story is gripping and heartbreaking. Alma is the voice of this family, and she tells her tale with uncensored emotion. I was pleasantly startled by the appearance, for the first time, of Arturo in the very last chapter, when for whatever reason, we do not hear from him directly before that. Through his wife's eyes, we learn he is a good man and is an endearing character (whereas Cecilia's husband, Rafael, is not) despite the strains in their marriage and his human frailties. Nevertheless, introducing Arturo's voice at that late stage, given what had happened to him previously, was a bold if confusing creative move.

I would give this book five stars but for the extraneous characters (e.g., the building owner; the busybody neighbor "Quisqueya", who is supposed to be Puerto Rican but whose name refers to the island of Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic in particular). For me, they detracted from the plot's momentum and also injected a flippant quality to an otherwise somber tale. Perhaps that was the author's intent.

Despite some quibbles, I think The Book of Unknown Americans is a notable work that merits a thoughtful read.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez is a stunning eye opening novel that should be required reading for every person. It's raw realistic portrayal of South American immigrants leaves hope in the air and tears on the floor. The story cuts into you and changes you eternally.

I want to thank AudioBookSync.com for providing this book for free during its summer YA reading program. I would have never thought to pick it up if it wasn't provided to me thus. I am eternally grateful for this experience - because this book is truly an experience.

This book touched me in a personal way that is hard to explain. My parents immigrated to America in 1979 when I was just 7 years old from Ukraine. They brought me to this country - the land of opportunity and freedom - in the hopes to give me a better future. They carried their dreams with them while leaving all they knew behind. It was a scary time for them as they learned to navigate a new country with a different culture, a new language they had to learn, new foods and clothes, new streets, new everything. It is very difficult to imagine what an immigrant has to go through and why. This novel depicts this struggle so clearly and fluidly that it is hard to avoid it and virtually impossible to misunderstand it. It teaches the reader compassion, patience, and understanding. It shows the human aspect behind why so many want to come to America.

Let me repeat myself: this novel should be required reading for everyone.

Pick it up. Read it. Live it. Enjoy it.

Happy Reading!

This was one of those books that I knew I really should read. I had checked it out of the library a few times, but was never able to get to it before the due date (thanks to the law of "all holds must come in at once.") So, when this one came to me through one of my book clubs, I knew the time had come.

I knew immediately that this would be a book that would work for me. The characters, the main and the supporting, all vividly come to life on the page. I especially liked the shorter chapters we would get describing the smaller characters. While they aren't essential to the story, they add a depth to the novel that I appreciated.

There are a few main plots in this book, but it centers around the two teenage characters, Maribel and Mayor. I found their story and relationship to be reminiscent of Eleanor and Park (which, in my mind, is a very good thing). Mayor was both a typical teenager and a fascinating young man. Most of the books with characters such as him that I've read concentrate on the female counterpart, so it was nice to see the tables turned there.

We don't have much of a chance to get inside Maribel's head, but that is an effective choice by Henriquez, for two reasons. First of all, because of her brain injury, it makes sense that Maribel's character is closed off--both from the world and from the reader. Second, by not seeing through Maribel's eyes, Henriquez reminds the reader of how we might distance ourselves from our immigrant neighbors.

I believe, given what is happening in the world, this is the perfect time to read this book. While so many lines are being drawn (and walls being built), it is important to put yourself in someone else's shoes--and reading this book is an excellent way to do so. I regret that it took me so long to read this, but I'm glad that I finally did and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

It’s been a while since I sank into some good literary fiction. Honestly, with the chaos of the last year or so, I’ve favored neutral works or memoirs that may not demand as much from me as a reader. But it’s not fair to categorize THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS as a “tough read” — because in Henriquez’s hands, the tale digests so easily.

It’s impossible not to feel for Alma and Arturo, Maribel’s parents; as they flee their old life in Mexico, wanting to help and protect their injured daughter, they must abandon everything they know that is safe and familiar. The early moments the Riveras share at their dingy, anonymous apartment were heartbreaking. It’s impossible for me to imagine what it must be like, leaving behind a home filled with everything you love, everything you’ve built. And to come to a new country and community that may be hostile toward you — called an “outsider,” a foreigner, or worse — is gut-wrenching.

But Alma and Arturo are tenacious. They care. They try. Desperately wanting Maribel’s condition to improve, they tolerate the time she spends with Mayor and encourage her to form new relationships. Mayor was an interesting character in that he shares some of the Riveras’ experiences, but his own life in America is different. I didn’t bond with him the way I did with the Riveras, but I certainly felt with and for him throughout the novel.

Peppered between the unfolding saga of the two families are the stories of many more men and women, also immigrants who have arrived in the United States for one reason or another — and their personal narrations, sometimes only a few pages long, break up the ongoing narrative. I loved these glimpses into the lives of neighbors, coworkers and new friends. I recognized how responsible they felt for each other — even though they may have all arrived in the country as strangers. They’re Americans now.

Though the subject matter is often difficult, the pay-off is so great. Henriquez spins a powerful tale filled with memorable characters, heartbreaking narratives and incredible depth. By the time I finished THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS, I felt nearly breathless; it was so intense, so moving, that I felt I’d barely come up for air. Highly recommend.

I thought this was a great look at how different immigrants see their lives and dreams unfolding in this country. Yes, the characters who have only one chapter devoted to their story do not get developed but they do give us a glimpse into their life and overall, it is these characters who give us a varied insight into the immigrant experience.
You might want more from the central love story between the teenagers, but I thought there was just enough of that in the story. As a first generation Latino, I found many of the scenes in the book relatable and realistic. But as with all works of fiction, there are some parts that felt too good to be true as when the mother goes to an unknown neighborhood but just happens to find the person she intended to find.
I am part of a book club that seeks out books like this one to get a glimpse into other cultures and I think for that purpose, the book is a great selection.
I read the actual book but also listened to the audio book version and I really enjoyed the audio book. Each character was played by a different person and it really made the book come alive even more.
I would recommend either version, but for some of the members of my group who struggle with pronouncing different names or Spanish words, the audio book was a great companion.
I have read a few Latino immigrant experience books and I would say this one was one of the most well received by the members of the group who read or listened to it. It provided great insight to many who have no experience with this immigrant group and fulfilled the mission of our group, which is to enhance our understanding of those who may not be like us.

The Book of Unknown Americans is a simply written narrative about a family (the Riveras) who come to the United States seeking a better life for their daughter, Maribel. This story follows the Riveras as they adjust the United States, the barriers that they must overcome, and the community that they manage to find.

This story is bittersweet. It's about second chances and what we do them. It's about holding out hope and finding that ray of sunshine among the clouds. It's about community and family. It's about young love. But it's also about the trials faced when one leaves their birthplace behind, even if it is the right decision. It's about nostalgia and grief. It's about being from mixed heritage and how it can be hard to find who you really are. It's about loss.

And if it weren't for the bittersweet taste that this book leaves, if it weren't for all of those painful but yet hopeful elements of this story, then this would just be a story about overbearing parents and two kids that fall in love despite them. But this novel provides a fuller look at human lives and all of the little things that go into making us who we are. And for that, this novel is beautiful.

Thank you once again, the store, for bringing Cristina Henriquez' "The Book of Unknown Americans to my attention. And thank you, Cristina, for an enormously rewarding and moving and eye-opening reading experience. Your book is both gloriously written and an important book. Our eyes need to be opened to the efforts of immigrants from Central America and Mexico and their efforts to make a life in a country that, for them, holds a promise their own country of origin fails to. That they come here, seek to become American citizens, work, care for their children, and make a life that will sustain them all...well, it's often nothing short of heroic, to leave behind all that is familiar and attempt to fit into a country that often is unwelcoming, that often treats them as though they are invisible while they create a work force for jobs we Americans don't deign to work at...well, it may be high time that we see these people for the humanity they represent. Through a variety of voices, Cristina tells a story that is sometimes uplifting, sometimes very moving, often very sad. Loose yourself in a different world for some hours as you read...and remember...until we walk in their shoes....

The book of unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez is a timely novel which details the plight of Latin American immigrants from all over, but focuses on two families: mexican immigrants Arturo and Alma Rivera and daughter maribel; and Rafael and Celia Toro who have two sons Enrique and Mayor and have emigrated here from Panama. The plot revolves around the problems that the two families face in their lives and especially around the developing romance between maribel and mayor. Maribels family came to this country to get her proper medical care after she sustained brain injury after falling off a ladder. I will not say more about the plot to avoid spoilers. I will only say that you will not easily forget what happens in this book. The one criticism I would make is the descriptions of immigrants interspersed with the main story. While interesting they are distracting. When the first immigrant Benny was introduced I thought he would tie in with the plot later on because this is what happens in a novel. But these were nothing more than truncated case histories which were sort of left hanging and the chief purpose was to show the scope of immigrants from different places.
Like several other reviewers I read this novel for a bookclub selection and it was an exceptionally interesting and readable book as book club books go. It was interesting to note that other reviewers stated that the book was required reading for various college courses. One reviewer stated that her child was assigned the reading for a high school course and the parent complained. I would agree with that parent. Others said that this book was more a young adult reading because of the teen romance. I think the book goes beyond young adult.
I consider it a plus that this novel was easy to read and will cause the reader to really empathize with the problems of immigrants, especially Latin american immigrants.

Cristina Henríquez’s previous books have focused on the complicated story of modern Panama. In her first, COME TOGETHER, FALL APART, Henríquez used a novella and several short stories to offer a multifaceted portrait of contemporary Panama, a world unknown or only vaguely familiar to many Americans. Her debut novel, THE WORLD IN HALF, depicted a young American woman discovering the breadth of her Panamanian back story. Now, with THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS, Henríquez offers a work of fiction that is both intimate and universal, a story of a first love between two young people --- and the global twists of fate that brought them and their families together.

Arturo and Alma Rivera have come to Delaware from Mexico because they believe that here, at a special school, their beautiful but recently brain-damaged daughter Maribel may be able to be cured, or at least helped to return to herself --- and to them. Like countless immigrants before them, their story is one of adjusting (and often lowering) expectations. Arturo, who had been a construction foreman in Mexico, works long degrading hours at one of the many mushroom-harvesting facilities over the border in Pennsylvania. Alma occupies herself by trying to learn English and by attempting to maintain family culinary traditions while still keeping within their very limited budget.

As for Maribel, she immediately catches the eye not only of a vaguely threatening gringo but also of Mayor Toro, who lives with his family in the same apartment complex. Recent immigrants from Panama, the Toro family has encountered some of the same challenges as the Riveras --- economic instability, prejudice, difficulty fitting in at school --- but by virtue of their proximity and the apparent friendship between their children, the two families become friendly with one another. Maribel and Mayor's tentative romance, however, soon puts not only the young lovers, but also their entire families and tenuous future as new Americans, at risk.

The fickle winds of fate blow not only through the romance at the heart of the novel but also through the stories shared by the voices of several other minor characters, other immigrants from Central and Latin America who have arrived at this same apartment complex in Delaware. Some are here to flee persecution or violence, others arrive to pursue dreams of love or education or career advancement. Nearly all of them, whether they have been in this country for decades or only for months, are surprised at the directions fate has taken them and at the unexpected turns their stories have taken. "We had bundled up our old life and left it behind," remarks Alma, "and then hurtled into a new one with only a few of our things, each other, and hope."

Although certainly many of the stories in THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS are sad or even harrowing, it's helpful to remember that hope is what drove --- and, in many cases, still drives --- the ambition and passion of the plurality of voices Henríquez introduces here. Her novel is complex, realistic, even sad --- but also funny and, yes, fueled by optimism for a better future, for oneself or for one's children.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

More than anything, I appreciate the fresh perspective and the eye-opening nature of this story. Immigration is a sensitive topic and a political platform in our country right now, there’s no denying that. Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and tackle that issue in this review. What I will say - I walked away from this story looking at things a little differently. It made me feel like the human aspect of the situation is too easily overlooked.

I think we forget that some of these immigrants are just people looking for a better life - a way to take care of their families. That’s the case for the Rivera’s, at least. They leave behind their extended family, their home, the husband’s business; all in an effort to get their daughter some help. They’re willing to sacrifice everything to give Maribel the opportunity to attend a special school. A school that could help her make progress after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it, what parents will do for their children?”

The family ends up in an apartment building in Delaware that’s solely occupied by hispanic immigrants. The author weaves in a few chapters from each of those immigrants, a backstory of sorts on how they ended up in America. I thought it was an interesting touch. There’s a complexity to her characters that not every author manages to pull off and it did what I assume she set out to do, added more heart to the story. I have to mention, I wasn’t Mayor’s biggest fan. I didn’t buy the love story aspect. A part of me felt like he was taking advantage of Maribel somehow. Did she truly understand what was happening?

What really struck me was how this family had to essentially let go of a part of their culture. Even simple things, like having to eat processed foods because they couldn’t afford to buy the things needed for the recipes they've been eating for their entire lives. This story also made me consider just how hard it would be to live somewhere where you couldn’t understand the language, making it almost impossible to communicate. Can you imagine? How would you ask for help? At one point, Alma gets lost and struggles to figure out how to get home. I was panicking for her.

The ending left me completely heartbroken. I honestly saw things going differently and I really wish they had. Overall, I found this to be a heartfelt and thought-provoking story. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another book from this author.

Maribel Rivera and her parents are at the center of The Book of Unknown Americans. They have traveled to Delaware in the wake of a terrible accident in Mexico, an accident that has left Maribel with a Traumatic Brain Injury. Upon hearing from their doctors in Mexico that one of the best special schools are in the United States, they have decided to leave behind everything they know and come to the US in the hopes of helping their daughter.
The struggles of immigrants, particularly those who are "brown", are a very real and timely issue in our country. This book outlines many of the problems that Latino/a immigrants may encounter when they come here--language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, the search for work, and their encounters with those who harbor hate in their hearts. The Riveras' story is interspersed with shorter vignettes about the other people who live in their apartment block, all immigrants, all of whom came to the United States seeking opportunities or a better life for their family.
This was a great read, and one that I would encourage teenagers through adults to read. The two main characters, Maribel and Mayor (her downstairs neighbor), are both teenagers, and their budding romance is at the heart of this book.

The Book of Unknown Americans is written from the perspective of several people, all immigrants to the United States, living in a bare-bones apartment complex in Delaware. Most of the chapters focus on Alma, a woman who has just arrived from Mexico with her husband and brain-injured daughter, and Mayor, a boy who lives in the same apartment complex and who falls for Alma's daughter. But, every so often, lesser-known characters briefly share their stories - how they've come to be where they are, and what they've lost and gained along their unlikely journeys into the state.

The relationships between the main characters, especially, are wonderful. I loved watching the friendship, etc., develop between Mayor and Maribel. Their connection was unique and unexpected. Honestly, I wish I had been able to know Maribel more fully; I wish I had been able to read her thoughts. But she was like a treasure that Henriquez kept tightly hidden, and the only way to discover her was through Mayor. It was a strange way to reveal a character, but I still appreciated the unconventional approach. I loved how Mayor loved Maribel, and how Maribel opened up to him (and the reader) in return. "That was the thing about Maribel: No matter how many times I proved it, she didn't think I was an idiot. She just took me. She took me in. Such a simple f***ing thing."

I have to say, this book shook me more than I thought it would. It wasn't that it was overwhelmingly sad or depressing (though it was sad and depressing). I think I was just really impressed with Henriquez's ability to portray the lives of these extremely poor and mostly powerless people, in a way that was authentic and deep and meaningful - but also not patronizing. She brought to life that nebulous concept of the "immigrant experience."

And I think there was even more to it than that. I don't consider myself someone who feels entitled in life. I know life is hard, and I don't feel surprised or indignant when I experience hardship. Truth be told, the past four months of my life have been some of the most difficult I've ever faced: new baby, postpartum depression, job loss, job search, and, now, relocation to another state. But I have never felt that I was above adversity, that I was too good for bad times. In fact, I wholeheartedly agreed with Arturo when he said at the end of this book that life is difficult for everyone; most people just try to get from one end of it to the other with a little bit of dignity and honor.

However, Unknown Americans really clarified for me how, even in my low moments - even in my very low moments of the past few months - I am still so incredibly lucky. Straight lucky. And more to the point, in reality, I do expect - and legitimately can expect - quite a lot out of life. I am educated. I live in a time and place where women are, by and large, respected (physically, intellectually, and emotionally) and encouraged to engage in tasks beyond housework and childcare. I live in a safe neighborhood. I've always had enough money to feed and clothe myself and my family. I've always had a roof over my head and access to quality healthcare.

Even when my husband was without a job, I had no doubt that one of us could get one eventually. In fact, truthfully I always knew that we weren't even just looking for any job, but for the "right" one for our family's needs - and having that mindset is an incredible luxury in and of itself.

The point being, that my whole life has consisted of options - mostly dignified and respectable options - and that isn't necessarily something all of the characters in this book can claim.

In the end, Unknown Americans taught me something about a subject I didn't know much about. It gave me perspective - and all through a very interesting, creative, and complex story. For those reasons, I'd say this is one of the best books I've read in a while.

'The Book of Unknown American,' by Cristina HenriQuez is a story about immigrants from Latin America. The heart of the story revolves around two families, the Riveras and the Toros. There are some side stories about other immigrants who live in the same apartment building with these two families. Some readers describe these side stories as being detractors and unnecessary to the story. I enjoyed them and thought they were an expansive breathing part of the novel. The lines from which the author draws the title of her book come from a secondary character in one of these side stories. Macho Alvarez says, "I came from Mexico, but there's a lot of people here who, when they hear that, they think I crawled out of hell. They hear "Mexico," and they think, bad, devil." Micho, a photographer, goes on to complain about the prejudice he and others face in the US. He says, " I want them to see a guy who has just as much right to be here as they do, or a guy who works hard, or a guy who loves his family, or a guy who's just trying to do the right things. I wish just one of those people, just one, would actually talk to me, talk to my friends, man. And yes, you can talk to us in English. I know English better than you, I bet. But none of them even want to try. We're the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they've been told they're supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize we're not that bad, maybe even that we're a lot like them. And who would they hate then?"

The beating heart of 'The Book of Unknown Americans,' is the Rivera and Toro families. Arturo and Alma Rivera lived in Mexico with their daughter, Maribel. When Maribel suffers a brain injury in an accident, they decide to search for a school for her in the US where she can get better. They're on a waiting list for a year before Arturo gets a work visa. The work visa that Arturo finally gets is for work on a mushroom farm. He works in the dark picking mushrooms for ten hours without eating or drinking all day. In Mexico he had owned his construction business. Alma implores him to tell them about his qualifications, but Arturo says, "I'm not going to make waves, Alma. I'm happy just to have a job."

Rafael and Celia are from Panama and have two sons, Enrique and Mayor. They fled to the US to escape the violence of invasion. Rafael says of his home in Panama, "sometimes I think I would rather just remember it in my head, all those streets and places I loved. They way it smelled of car exhaust and sweet fruit. The thickness of the heat. The sound of dogs barking in alleyways. That's the Panama I want to hold on to. 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."

Rafael is a line cook and he believes he should be the provider for his family. He does not want Celia to go to work. One criticism of the story is that a family of four could never make it on the lone salary of a line cook. That may be valid, not sure, but for me, it did not reduce the author's credibility. The interactions and family dynamics were credibly written.

Mayor Toro develops a friendship with Maribel Rivera. Maribel is a beautiful young girl, who is different, more than a little distracted and distant. Things have to be repeated to her several times. Her family has not heard her laugh in the longest time. Mayor has trouble with bullies at school, one bully in particular, Garrett Miller. Of Miller, Mayor says, "he had basically made picking on me last year his special project." Garrett has already spent time in juvenile detention for bearing up another boy and leaving him with two broken arms. Although Garrett is only in a handful of scenes, his menacing presence will affect the beating heart of this story. Mayor is attracted to Maribel. Maribel says, "he's the only one who sees me."

Because my daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, is Hispanic, from Tijuana, Mexico, this story rang true for me. Elizabeth's manager at the cell phone company where she worked here in Wilkesboro, NC told her that any children she and my son had would be cursed because they were mixing the races. When their son, my grandson, Ethan, was born in 2011, he was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome at two months of age. Elizabeth was so upset, crying and depressed because all she could hear in her head were the prejudiced words of her old manager. Ethan has turned out to be a blessing to our entire family, the sweetest little boy that has ever graced mine and my husband's lives. Words can be so cruel. Why do we hurt each other that way?

In the novel, an unexpected climax puts everything into perspective. The author shows the beauty of a life, and how we miss that daily. I found the ending of this story achingly beautiful. This book is a tender, little jewel.

In The Book of Unknown Americans, Henriquez introduces us to the intricacies of life for a community of Latin American immigrants in Delaware. Told from multiple points of view, the story explores the histories of the families, why they came to the US, and the challenges they face, all intertwined with a story of young love. Leaving behind countries scaled by war or lives suddenly gone awry, the US is seen by many of these immigrants as the pinnacle of opportunity...until they arrive and encounter prejudice, language barriers, horrible working conditions, and a crashing economy. Will the families find the prosperity and hope that brought them here? Will Maribel's personality ever recover from her brain damage? Will the innocence of young love prevail?

The characters in this book are so well developed it's almost impossible not to relate to them. Their hopes and dreams for the future, and the cold slap of the reality they encounter in the United States, tug at the heartstrings without being simplistic or overly sentimental. Henriquez gives wonderful insight into immigrant life, and the glimpses of the lives they left behind are enlightening and imaginative. The characters and the dialogue struck me as so real in the way they were written that it would have been easy to convince me that these were true stories.

It's wonderful, it's touching, and it's an important insight into the lives of fellow Americans so many of us in the US overlook. It's not every time that a book manages to be politically important, culturally informative, and beautifully crafted all at the same time, but this book is all three. If you want a unique, intimate view of what it can be like to be those seldom acknowledged "unknown Americans," this is definitely the book for you.

--Elise Hadden, Under the Heather Books ([...])

This novel has too many narrators, all Latino, who originated in a variety of countries. Some are U.S. citizens, some have work visas, and some are undocumented. Their heritage is as diverse as are their reasons for coming to the U.S., specifically Delaware. The main families are the Toros (from Panama) and the Riveras (from Mexico). The Toros have two sons—Enrique, who is away at college on a soccer scholarship, and Mayor, who cannot possibly live up to his brother’s standard. The Riveras are new to the neighborhood, having left behind a comfortable life in order to pursue educational opportunities for their beautiful, brain-damaged daughter Maribel. She and Mayor become close friends, but Maribel is naïve and therefore at risk of being exploited. All of the characters struggle in one way or another—with their jobs, with their families, with the language, with the bigotry they endure constantly. They make some serious mistakes, particularly the young people, but Alma, Maribel’s mother, withholds information from her husband, and then wonders if things might have turned out differently if she had been more forthcoming. I really don’t like this type of foreshadowing. Why does the author feel the need to warn us that this secret will lead to serious trouble? For one thing, we know that secrets in novels rarely remain secret, and when the secret is exposed, all hell is going to break loose. Also, there are some kind and helpful non-Latinos in the novel, especially the people at Maribel’s school, but none of the bad guys are Latinos. Don’t get me wrong. Certainly the Latino population in this country needs to have a voice that touts their immense contribution—economically, culturally, intellectually. However, I agree with some other reviewers that this book’s perspective is a little skewed, and that detracts from its valuable message and its impact.Americ

A little sadder than I would have wished... The Book of Unknown Americans through present day narrative and flashbacks tells the stories of several Latino immigrant families - the reasons why they came to the USA and their struggles once they are here. Even the local busybody and the trouble she incites is rendered with a sympathetic ear. Most memorable to me, aside from the tragedies that spark and propel the action of the book, are the quiet moments of confusion and frustration many of the characters face while trying to communicate in an unknown language and navigate through an unfamiliar culture. Though we may not think of it often, most of our ancestors faced this same situation when they arrived on these shores. Hopefully The Book of Unknown Americans will open people's eyes and hearts to the immigrants who give up everything to come here seeking a better life for their families.

I was hesitant to pick this book up for a while, but then it became the pick for our book club and my fellow reader friends said they loved it. And you know what? I read it in less than a day!
The Book of Unknown Americans is a powerful and captivating read, thanks to strong lead characters and very interesting supporting characters. The descriptions allow the reader to visualize everything perfectly without taking away from the plot.
The story made me think of all I take for granted in this day and age and encourages me to think twice before judging someone, as everyone has their own story and circumstances.
I really liked the stories of the supporting characters that came up throughout the book. I think Nelia's was my favorite from that group.
I highly recommend this novel and am excited to discuss it with my book club!
Maybe because I'm watching Parenthood now, but I could easily see Xolo Maridueña (http://imdb.to/1NhYXDr) as Mayor, should this book become a movie. I'm sure Sofia Vergara could play one of the roles too (possibly Celia, Mayor's mother.)

If you grew up in a community with Latino immigrants and/or you yourself/family are immigrants , you'd be bored reading this book. I grew up in Delaware in the exact same time/place this book did. I expected this book to be memorable and intense, and to capture what life is like for the community around me. But I was disappointed.

It portrays Latino immigration in every cliche way possible. Their back stories are like any other fictional story you might have watched in other movies or books. And the writing itself is mediocre. The entire book is written in first person , similar to that of a middle-school journal entry. Despite the book being told from multiple characters, all of their dialogue sound identical. It should have been categorized under YA rather than adult. The characters seem unrealistic , and the events taking place are out of place. Random phrases in Spanish are thrown in , along with a LONG list of different Latino foods, all in an attempt to show some "culture". The only way the author made it unique to Delaware immigration was the topic of mushroom farms, but even with that, it still felt empty.

The only reason why I think this book got such good reviews is because the people reviewing them are ignorant to Latino immigration itself. There's also barely any literature focused on this topic to begin with. I felt like the author wrote this book to ONLY appeal to Americans who are against today's immigration. The book felt like it was saying the same thing over and over. "We're Americans too , we work hard and we're happy/proud that we're here." There's so much more to immigration then that. The author masks the genuine trauma that comes along with immigration by following up everyone's story with unrealistic hope/happiness. When in reality , emotions are much more complicated.
The only way I can justify this book is if it were used to INTRODUCE the topic of Latino-Immigration/American-identity to someone completely unaware of it. Even that is pushing it. If you've experienced immigration in some way, then you can most likely predict all of the cliches in this book.

This novel hit me hard...
I read a lot of non-fiction; I'm into Kundalini yoga, I'm trying to increase my level of awareness and compassion--- and found drawn to this story as I read a lot of fiction; I love historical fiction, quirky reads, and especially contemporary reads like this beaut' by Ms. Henriquez. The story builds, and there's this gentle, consistent expansion of the characters and they become no longer 'Unknown' to me... but they are the people I've passed by, Unknowns yes, perhaps, -- yet all around me... the families in this book work at the dairy and cheese factories by me, they migrate here to do the summer landscaping... Yet... I don't think I realized how their lives really may be... maybe it's less painful to know these Unknowns... I know I'll never eat a mushroom again without wondering about the hands and conditions it was picked under... I'll likely never know the sacrifice level, the things left behind, the things recovered from as the different folks have had to in this book...
Eh... I ramble...when this book needs absorbing, a feeling-the-knowing and experience to appreciate it.
If you're an open soul, ready to have a shift in Worldview, or a deepening one of compassion...read this.
And I recommend as well "The Same Sky" by Amanda Ward, and "We are Called to Rise" by Laura McBride...

As the grandchild of immigrants who came to the United States in the early part of the twentieth century, I have often marveled at their courage. Knowing no one and speaking no English, the two sought a better life for their yet unborn children and grandchildren. Cristina Henriquez’ novel “The Book of Unknown Americans” will garner both your admiration and your respect for the intrepid individuals – regardless of race or national origin – who dare to dream.

“The Book of Unknown Americans” focuses on the residents of a Delaware apartment complex. Two individuals provide the majority of the novel’s first person narrative. Mayor Toro is the son of Panamanian immigrants and Alma Rivera Mexico who came to the United States with her husband and daughter. Their lives form the basis for the novel’s primary action and storyline. Their lives and those of their families reflect the realities of life for new immigrants and first-generation Americans.

Mayor’s parents focus on their sons’ education and their opportunity to realize the American dream. Enrique, Mayor’s older brother, has achieved success on the soccer field. He attends college on scholarship. Like many first generation Americans, his focus is on assimilating and in distancing himself from the “old country” ways. Alma’s husband Arturo is an unwilling immigrant. Having left his home for the sake of obtaining special education for his daughter Maribel, Arturo alone – at his insistence - supports the family through his labor at a mushroom farm.

Interspersed between Mayor’s and Alma’s narratives are the first person observations, musings, and personal stories of other immigrants – from Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Venezuela, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Each one of these individuals tells of their hopes and dreams; each one gives the reader a differing perspective on the immigrant experience. Through these immigrants’ eyes, readers will see the economic hardship and language barrier they must overcome; the prejudices they faced, and the triumphs some experience.

In “The Book of Unknown Americans”, Cristina Henriquez presents a moving, brilliantly written story of why individuals still seek the American Dream. Arturo Rivera sums this attitude up in the final chapter – “…Maybe it’s the instinct of every immigrant, born of necessity or longing. Someplace will be better than here. And the only condition: if only I can get to that place.”

This book is so wonderful. I love how it is told from the perspective of multiple characters and yet you still feel like you intimately get to know each one of them. The writing is fantastic and really draws you in. But most importantly, the topic of the life of a Latino immigrant is so timely right now. I feel like this book should be required reading in all of the schools in America, plus by almost every adult. It really captures their plight from the decision to leave their own country to come to America, to the harrowing experience that most of them have getting here, to only be faced with horrible living conditions, and jobs that almost no one would want to do, and that are often beneath the jobs that they had in the countries that they left. What ties this book together is the story of two families, and a boy and a girl. You wind up caring very deeply for them. I know this is the type of work that is going to stay with me long after I've finished reading it.

This story illustrates how the American dream never really materializes for many immigrants who come to this country even with a job and papers in hand. Henriquez brings us into the lives of several families bound by a language and circumstance who end up living in the same building. There are the Riveras from Mexico, the Toros from Panama, there are others from Guatemala, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. One by one they all tell their story and why they came to United States. None of them are doing better than where they started except those who came from war torn countries like Panama and even they are just struggling to put food on the table.

The Rivera family is the latest addition to this diverse microcosm and their story, especially their daughter Mirabel's story, creates the common thread that links all the stories together. It follows their struggles to assimilate into the United States culture and to get accustomed to having even less than they ever had. The tale hinges around the romance that develops between Mirabel and Mayor, the son of the Toro family from Panama and creates some glimmering instances in what's a story of hard work, despair, hunger and poverty and failed dreams. Yet, the families draw strength in their togetherness and live day by day.

This story shows us how the changing times have lead to the United States becoming a far unfriendlier place for immigrants who must do everything they can to survive. Being an immigrant myself, I identified with their struggles in assimilating into the culture but was also shocked by the starkness and poverty that they faced. Is this what happens to hard working families in the USA?

The story failed to grasp my attention at times as it wavered back and forth between individual stories and the common thread of the young romance, but the human condition held my attention. Definitely worth read.

“The Book of Unknown Americans” is a moving account of those who will do and give up anything to build a future for their children. Arturo and Alma Rivera confront fear and alienation when they move from Mexico to Delaware in hopes of finding help for their 15-year-old daughter Maribel, who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. In the same building lives Mayor Toro, the son of Panamanian immigrants, who is bullied by his father and classmates. Mayor becomes enamored by Maribel and their relationship helps her socially and mentally. Their relationship, however, is misinterpreted, with people believing Mayor is predatory. Both families oppose their relationship, which results in unexpected tragedy.

Henriquez has created believable characters and poignant scenarios. The experience of adjusting to a new culture and way of life is explored in a series of testimonials by other immigrant tenants of the apartment building, and although they fit with the theme, I found that they interrupted the narrative flow of short chapters that alternate between Alma and Mayor. I so was emotionally invested in the story that I read it in one day.

I didn't expect to be as emotionally involved and attached to its characters as I was reading this book. I read it in one day, taking advantage of every free moment to immerse myself in the very real, believable characters which Cristina Henriquez portrayed in such a heartfelt manner.

Although every two or three chapters presents a peripheral characters (other Latin American immigrants who live in the same building as the main characters), the novel really focuses on two families, the Riveras and the Toros. My description which follows introduces the first few chapters of the book without providing spoilers that will give away important or unexpected developments in the plot.

Arturo and Alma Riveras have recently immigrated from Mexico to Delaware with their 16 year old stunningly attractive but also brain-damaged daughter, Maribel. Previously outgoing and well-adjusted, Maribel has become distant and disconnected, due to having had a portion of her brain removed after a traumatic accident. Although not speaking English or having family nearby, the Riveras have spent virtually all their savings to move to America and get special education for their daughter, to whom they are devoted.

The Riveras soon befriend a neighbor family, Rafael and Celia Toro, who emigrated from Panama over a decade earlier. Their son Mayor feels like a social misfit, unable to live up to the macho sports-oriented expectations of his father. He is, however, sensitive and empathic, and is drawn increasingly – both emotionally and physically – to Maribel.

Other Latin American immigrants – from many countries, such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Paraguay and Venezuela – who live in the same building become a kind of extended family, intersecting the lives of the Riveras and Toros. Some of these peripheral characters have their own chapter in the book, in which they briefly share their history and experience.

However, the our focus is on the Riveras as they struggle to cope with their rundown apartment, find and maintain jobs, learn English, navigate a foreign landscape, and deal with both financial hardship and discrimination. Their neighbors, the Toros, are caring and generous, but also increasingly concerned about their son's growing attachment to Mirabel.

Christina Henriquez subtly and skillfully enables us to transcend her words – words that are so natural that they become transparent, unnoticeable - and enter the worlds of her main characters . As she presents them in the first person, we feel their feelings and think their thoughts with them. We care about them. Amazingly, we are both outside her characters looking in, and inside them looking out.

The multiple points of view presented in each first-person chapter do not feel like interruptions as they do in novels which abruptly shift back and forth between plots and subplots. Rather, Henriquez seamlessly weaves her chapters into one quite exceptional and emotionally engaging tapestry.
Of the dozen novels I've read so far in 2014, this is one of the best. I'd rate it 4 1/2 stars.

Set in Delaware, a contemporary story of immigrants from Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala, who through first voice narratives, tell and share their experiences and struggles of living in America, not speaking English, earning an income, adapting to the culture, striving to become citizens, the economic margin they live on and risks associated in losing their jobs, and the yearning for home and the familiar. The apartment building residents become an extended family to one another sharing friendships, joys, holidays, hardships, loss, and grief with one another.
The story is centered around the Rivera family, Arturo, Alma, and their teenage daughter, Maribel. The family leaves their home in Mexico to move to Delaware for Maribel to attend a special school designed to enable regaining cognitive skills after Maribel was injured in an accident. The innocence of teenage love is explored in Maribel's relationship with her neighbor, Mayor Toro. The hardships for families struggling in poverty, drug addiction, and child abandonment/neglect touches the story through Garrett West, a skateboarder who hangs around the apartment building.
"We're the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they have been told they're supposed to be scared of us, and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we're not that bad, maybe even that we're a lot like them. And who would they hate then?"

"I know some people here think we're trying to take over, but we just want to be a part of it. We want to have our stake. This is our home, too."

So how do immigrants from Mexico and other countries south end up in Delaware of all places? There is no one answer, but this lovely novel tells the stories of several families, and does so in a eyes-wide-open way, with compassion but not blinders. Not all are likable, not all are painted with the same broad brush, each is an individual. And their stories are fascinating. The writing is straightforward, lyrical without being pretentious.

The story is told from the viewpoint of several different characters, each with his or her own voice. The characters tie together in various ways and relationships - this is not a book of disjointed stories although early in the book it may seem to be.

The story is not a preachy one. There are no miraculous answers to the immigration situation. But it does help those of us who have never wanted to live somewhere we're not wanted see a little more clearly while being entertained with a great stories.

"We are the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they've been told they're supposed to be scared of us and because if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we're not that bad, maybe even that we're a lot like them. And who would they hate then?"

Because I was given an advance readers copy of this novel for review, the quotes may be different in the published edition.

This book was so well written and emotionally engaging. Despite the way the book moved from character to character, I really felt like I was in their shoes, feeling what they felt and struggling along with them. At first I was a little confused about the characters because I don't remember much Spanish from school, and also I didn't always know from the names whether a character was male or female (yes, I'm confessing my ignorance). Even with these little hiccups, I was drawn into the world from the beginning, and soon I had most of the characters sorted out.
I really feel like everyone should read this book or one like it. I came away from it with a deeper respect for immigrants and (I think) a better understanding of what life in the U.S. is like for them. There were so many endearing moments, as well as a few when I wanted to smack people, especially the boy, Mayor. I could understand where he was coming from, but like many teen boys, he was thinking much more about what he wanted than what was best for him and others involved.
The thing is, I didn't exactly enjoy this book. The writing is fantastic, the stories intriguing, and the characters totally relatable, even to me, but it's sad. It's a story of struggle and only sometimes overcoming, not a fun tale for down time. Still, you should read it. Read it some time when you're not low on emotional energy.
Language: There's some profanity, not tons.
Sexual Content: There are a few scenes, short and not super detailed, and they're central to the story. I don't recommend this to young adults. A couple of the scenes creeped me out because of the people involved (minors and mentally disabled). I might have made it sound worse than it was, but I want to give fair warning. Still, I wouldn't pass this up because of the sexual content.
Overall Message/Plot: Fantastic. The plot was loose and woven around numerous characters, not so much leading toward a climax as it was exploring the journey, but the message was profound. I was taken in by the characters and their dilemmas, so enabled to see the world through their eyes, and thereby feel a sense of connection and sympathy with them that I wouldn't have imagined before reading it.
Note: 'The Book of Unknown Americans' is expensive whether it be hardback or ebook. I waited on a list to reserve it through my library, and recommend that you do the same. If you love it and want to read it over and over, then you can invest in your own copy.
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The Book of Unknown Americans is certainly a contender for one of the most important books I've read in 2014. Set in the unremarkable town of Newark, Delaware, we are introduced to Arturo and Alma Rivera, who along with their daughter Maribel, immigrated from Mexico in search of special schooling for Maribel following horrific injuries she sustained in an accident. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to multiple people throughout the community of Newark who have come to the United States from other lands. All of them have their own unique stories, their own unique voices. They are individuals, not simply "immigrants."

I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly relevant and timely this novel is right now. Given recent events in Texas (the so-called "closing" of the border) and the humanitarian crisis occurring in Central America, this novel should be mandatory reading across America right now. As a country we seem to have forgotten what we stand for and what this nation was built upon - our values have been lost in a sea of isolation. This is a novel that reminds us who we are. Please. Read this.

Cristina Henriquez's The Book of Unknown Americans introduces us to an engaging group of Latin American characters who have moved to Delaware and are in different degrees of having assimilated into American society.

The story begins with the Riveras arriving by truck - Arturo and Alma leave behind Arturo's thriving construction business in Mexico parents in order to give their daughter a chance to attend a school that specializes in special education. The beautiful teenage daughter Mirabel suffered a head injury and has been changed deeply. The Riveras have chosen to enter the US legally and to follow the baffling regulations to qualify for this special school - all their resources ready to be spent in this endeavor.

The Toros have been in Delaware for years. Rafael has risen to line cook in a diner after years of work. He's finally able to care for his family and to have a little left over to buy them some security. His elder son has won a soccer scholarship while his younger son, Mayor, is doing reasonably well in the local public high school. His wife Celia is lonely with Rafael at work and Mayor in school. With Rafael adamant that Celia not have to work, Celia welcomes the friendship that blossoms with her new neighbors, the Riveras.

Maribel and Mayor find friendship and love - but their relationship brings complications and pain to their families. A book with stories of hope, determination and heartbreaking luck - The Book of Unknown Americans is a wonderful read.

What an amazing novel!

I found myself loving so many characters in 'The Book of Unknown Americans'.

All speaking Spanish and coming from various Latin and Central American areas, they become a community in the state of Delaware.

Seeking a new life, a chance, an opportunity, success and a cure...the path is a hard one.

Some successes and some acceptances, there is also tragedy, coupled with hope.

As each chapter visited and revisited different characters, I became engrossed in each story.

The basics of life, the misconceptions, the assimilation, the development and the prejudices these new Americans faced awakened a new understanding.

It was a privileged walk as I shared in the beautifully written words, the mindsets and descriptive narratives.

Most ... my heart went out to Alma, Arturo, Maribel, Mayer ... and on and on...

Thank you Cristina Henriquez!

The Book of Unknown Americans, a book about Spanish-speaking immigrants who all live in the same apartment building in Delaware, is filled with day-to-day fears and concerns. Some, like finding the right bus home, are seemingly small, while others are weighty: "When I walk down the street, I don’t want people to look at me and see a criminal or someone that they can spit on or beat up. I want them to see a guy who has just as much right to be here as they do, or a guy who works hard, or a guy who loves his family, or a guy who’s just trying to do the right things. [. . .] We’re the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they’ve been told they’re supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we’re not that bad, maybe even that we’re a lot like them. And who would they hate then?"

The book largely alternates between the perspectives of Alma and Mayor. Alma is married to Arturo, and they have a daughter, Maribel. They have come to America not in search of "a better life," like so many people from their hometown, but for a very specific reason: so Maribel could attend the Evers School. As a result of a horrible accident, Maribel suffered some brain trauma and has become a shell of her former self. The doctors in Mexico have told Alma and Arturo that she could improve significantly with the proper help and schooling . . . but that simply isn’t available in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. So, they spend a year finding a company that will sponsor Arturo (he owned a construction company in Mexico, but he will work at a mushroom farm, picking mushrooms in the dark, in Delaware), pack up some of their belongings, and head north.

The first family Alma and her family befriend is the Toro family: Rafa, Celia, and their son, Mayor. The Toros are from Panama. They moved to Delaware when Mayor was only a baby, after the invasion, when the Panama they knew and loved was destroyed.

Mayor doesn’t have many friends, he gets bullied at school, and he does not have his brother’s skills on the soccer field (his brother is now on a soccer scholarship to the University of Maryland). But when Alma and her family move to Mayor’s apartment building, his life changes drastically. When he sees the beautiful Maribel, it is love at first sight. He doesn’t care that she is somewhat broken; he loves her for who she is. And she feels like he is the first person who has actually seen her since her accident. As their relationship grows stronger, she begins to show improvement.

Interspersed between Alma’s chapters and Mayor’s chapters are chapters told in the first person by and about their neighbors in the apartment building. There’s Benny Quinto from Nicaragua, who was studying to become a priest and stole money from the church to come to America illegally. And Quisqueya Solis, who moved from Venezuela to California at twelve, after her mom met and married a rich white guy. There’s Micho Alvarez, a news photographer from Mexico, who now works with a group in Wilmington that advocates for legislation reform for immigrants. Each person has a unique and interesting story and perspective. Their stories are very brief (usually only a couple of pages long), but they add depth and color to the book as a whole.

The book offers multiple perspectives from what are usually silent voices, but it doesn’t come off as preachy. It is a book about immigration, yes, but it is also a book about community and love and family and hope and struggle.

To me, the book feels a little safe, like Henríquez is treading a little too carefully, like she’s trying not to be overly political or in-your-face. I, for one, like in-your-face. It’s honest and real and unapologetic. Nevertheless, a safer approach is more palatable to a wider audience, and this book offers a perspective that should be widely read, so I understand and can appreciate the tone.

Who should read it: This is a book for people who have experienced both the joys and hardships of living in another country. And, if you appreciate the history, culture, and perspective that immigrants to the United States bring, you will love this book. It would also be a GREAT book-club book (although, if there are varied political perspectives in your book club, I imagine this book could result in some heated and passionate discussions . . . but, in addition to the wine, that’s what book clubs should be for, right??).

Good book about a family that moves to Delaware to seek better educational opportunities for their daughter who suffered a brain injury in Mexico. I did like that toward the end of the book, Maribel's parents finally talk about the accident that caused her brain damage. Both talked about guilt and how their daughter is "not like before."The book also contains testimonials of individuals from various countries who are looking for a better life. Although the testimonials are good, I felt they got in the way of learning more about the two families in this book. I wanted to learn more about Maribel and Mayor. They develop a romance that is sweet but ends in tragedy. Good book. I think it gives an honest portrayal of the immigrant experience. I really liked this quote from the book: “we're the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they've been told they're supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we're not that bad, maybe even that we're a lot like them. And who would they hate then?”

The book was so well done and the writing immediately pulls you in. It discusses all the complicated reasons that people immigrate to America - the desire for a better life, a fuller life, a safer life, more dignity, more fulfillment, a belief that there's more right on the other side of here.

It also made me really think about the unconscious biases I carry around and how narrow and inhumane the immigration debate is in the states and globally. How we choose to create distance and difference in order not to see ourselves in each other. This book doesn't let you do that and for that I'm grateful.

The ending, if its even possible, was the strongest part of the book. It was so beautifully done and left me reeling after I finished the last line. It's a book about love and about hope despite all odds. Read it now!

An excellent book , that I hope many , many Americans read and reflect on , especially at this juncture in time.
I also congratulate the author for keeping the language authentic . Newly arrived immigrants express themselves hesitantly , then progress . Henriquez has captured this process , I dare say eloquently (!) .
I have recommended this book to my local High School . Young adults should be acquainted with the plights and tribulations of our Latinos & Latinas friends .

This novel touches upon the lives of two families who immigrate from Latin America. The beginning was interesting but a little slow, as the backgrounds of the various characters are related. And then, as it moved forward, it grabbed me, and I loved it right up to the last page. The title almost put me off on this, as it sounded like an educational book (see life from the point of view of immigrants). In that sense, it is educational, but it is also a really engaging story of love, tragedy, family, surviving, and American life. I was totally drawn into these characters and their world.

The premise of this book is excellent--to give readers a glimpse into the lives of those among us who because of their immigration and/or socioeconomic status hover on the fringes of American life. Their situations are shown to be as individually arresting as are those of us "known" Americans, The daunting problem with the book is that the story which these portraits are wrapped around is so simplistic and dependent upon overwrought emotions and repeated unlikely stupid choices that it distances the reader from the character insights that are the raison d'etre of the book.

This novel has a lot of diverse characters, centered on recent immigrants to the United States. The primary plot centers on the story of Arturo Rivera and his wife Alma, who come the United States to get a better education for their daughter, Maribel who suffered a tragic head injury. Maribel has problems with her memory and processing thoughts but starts to improve with her new school and the attentions of her neighbor, Mayor Toro.

While the story mostly centers on these characters, there are plenty of other characters too and primary theme of the novel is the struggle these immigrants face through both poverty and discrimination as they try to make a better life for themselves.
The novel is well-written and enjoyable to read. My only quibble is the short vignettes of very minor characters is sometimes more distracting and while adding to the theme of the novel, showing a glimpse of someone struggle, it really didn't add to the story.

I consider this book a timeless tale. Timeless because I consider it an important work to American Literature. As timeless as Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, and Old Man and The Sea. Every once in a while an author rises from the rest and captures in beautiful prose the story of a lifetime in America. The author of this book paints a story using a language that the Latino community uses. And more importantly, how difficult it is to speak English, write it, and to assimilate in America. Her sentences in each story of the Latino community at the apartment complex captures the way that some Latinos speaking English will move the subject and verb around. And this is just one example of the sincere story-telling found in the novel.
I have read a lot of great American Literature. And I place this book in the top 10 of all time American classics. Why?
The story pin points memorable characters in their move across a country that does not want them. Their move in a economy that does not reward them. And then their movements in a neighborhood that does not want to understand them. I think this story is comparable with that of Tom Joad. And the reason why, is that the ghost of Tom Joad is always with the oppressed and the hurt.
So too, the story Maribel and her family and friends.

As I read the story I was allowed to get deep into the portrait. It was not surface level, glossed over Americana! IT was the pure truth of the matter that no matter how long you have lived everyone shares a common story of immigration to this place called America. And this story is the 21st century way of telling of it.

I consider this story an epic. An epic for America and Americans in one story. For its ability to resound with anyone who lives here and for its call to remind us that we all share a story in the story of the United States of America. However, Americans who take pride in America often forget that. And that's why its important that authors rise from the rest and tell us the truth about things. This is why I place Cristina's novel next to the greats of the country. And will keep this book's memories fresh in my soul. Because we all need to make a place for people like Maribel in our hearts and in America.

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.

4.5 Stars. "People do what they have to in this life. We try to get from one end of it to the other with dignity and with honor. We do the best we can."
This book was very unique and a departure from the genres I've been reading lately. It's an eye opening portrayal of immigrants who've come to this country to find something better only to discover the American Dream wasn't necessarily what they thought it would be. The story is told primarily from two POVs with additional POVs included throughout of various immigrant's stories. There was a budding teenage romance that although was a minor plot point, brings circumstances to light that were both heart warming and gut wrenching and presented the overall message that life isn't always what it seems and every living soul is fighting for something.

This book was mentioned by a coworker, and I read it because it sounded interesting. I'm glad I did. The main strength of the novel is its humanity. You see families struggle with their new lives in the United States, in many ways bringing out the differences between something that had been remote (when life in America, especially school and work, were easy to idealize and regard hopefully) and something that has grown near (when those same things are seen realistically). Much of the book I read in hard copy, but some of it I listened to on unabridged audio while I was walking for exercise. The multi-voice recording of the first-person voices in the text is especially good at capturing the human emotion and struggles. Some might say that the book descends into sentimentality, but I did not come away with that impression.

This is a love story, but not just. I enjoyed reading about all the different stories of all the different immigrants to the US. Yes, I realize that it's fictional, but it was a great look at how people really live and how many people come from all around (in this case, Latin America) and come from all walks of life and with all different stories. I love the way Cristina Henriquez told their stories.

It's a fast read too, maybe a little young adult, but not in a bad way at all. It's just a great story of immigrants and their lives and something that might change someone's view of the world.

(As an aside, her description of learning English from Spanish really amused me because I have learned Spanish from English and thought the exact same things about the languages.)

"The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel" by Cristina Henríquez is an intriguing and engaging novel. Each character's role in the story made me think how we are all like different colors of fiber woven together, our lives interlocking, passing over and under, into a beautiful tapestry. It is a story that gave me pause, to contemplate who the immigrant is, what challenges them, what cause fear, what brings them joy, what there hopes were, and how reality affects them.

Henriquez writes with such beautiful flow making it an enjoyable smooth read. This is a wonderful book with a great story between the covers and should not be missed.

I really enjoyed this book and the unique voice of this author. I'll be watching for more of her writing.

This book did a good job of descrbing the challenges that come with immigration, from language barriers to economic issues (it was set during the post 2008 economic crash) as well as the close friendships and dreams of hispanic Americans from diverse, unique areas of the world, from Mexico to Central and South America. Some of the writing could have been stronger, as I felt some parts lacked plausibility and detail (Maribel's statements and actions don't always match her injury; it's hard to believe Major remembers 9/11, given that its at least 2010, and he is 15; and how the ending plays out seems tragically coincidental) but overall it was still a worthwhile read.

This novel touches upon the lives of two families who immigrate from Latin America. The beginning was interesting but a little slow, as the backgrounds of the various characters are related. And then, as it moved forward, it grabbed me, and I loved it right up to the last page. The title almost put me off on this, as it sounded like an educational book (see life from the point of view of immigrants). In that sense, it is educational, but it is also a really engaging story of love, tragedy, family, surviving, and American life. I was totally drawn into these characters and their world.

The premise of this book is excellent--to give readers a glimpse into the lives of those among us who because of their immigration and/or socioeconomic status hover on the fringes of American life. Their situations are shown to be as individually arresting as are those of us "known" Americans, The daunting problem with the book is that the story which these portraits are wrapped around is so simplistic and dependent upon overwrought emotions and repeated unlikely stupid choices that it distances the reader from the character insights that are the raison d'etre of the book.

This novel has a lot of diverse characters, centered on recent immigrants to the United States. The primary plot centers on the story of Arturo Rivera and his wife Alma, who come the United States to get a better education for their daughter, Maribel who suffered a tragic head injury. Maribel has problems with her memory and processing thoughts but starts to improve with her new school and the attentions of her neighbor, Mayor Toro.

While the story mostly centers on these characters, there are plenty of other characters too and primary theme of the novel is the struggle these immigrants face through both poverty and discrimination as they try to make a better life for themselves.
The novel is well-written and enjoyable to read. My only quibble is the short vignettes of very minor characters is sometimes more distracting and while adding to the theme of the novel, showing a glimpse of someone struggle, it really didn't add to the story.

I consider this book a timeless tale. Timeless because I consider it an important work to American Literature. As timeless as Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, and Old Man and The Sea. Every once in a while an author rises from the rest and captures in beautiful prose the story of a lifetime in America. The author of this book paints a story using a language that the Latino community uses. And more importantly, how difficult it is to speak English, write it, and to assimilate in America. Her sentences in each story of the Latino community at the apartment complex captures the way that some Latinos speaking English will move the subject and verb around. And this is just one example of the sincere story-telling found in the novel.
I have read a lot of great American Literature. And I place this book in the top 10 of all time American classics. Why?
The story pin points memorable characters in their move across a country that does not want them. Their move in a economy that does not reward them. And then their movements in a neighborhood that does not want to understand them. I think this story is comparable with that of Tom Joad. And the reason why, is that the ghost of Tom Joad is always with the oppressed and the hurt.
So too, the story Maribel and her family and friends.

As I read the story I was allowed to get deep into the portrait. It was not surface level, glossed over Americana! IT was the pure truth of the matter that no matter how long you have lived everyone shares a common story of immigration to this place called America. And this story is the 21st century way of telling of it.

I consider this story an epic. An epic for America and Americans in one story. For its ability to resound with anyone who lives here and for its call to remind us that we all share a story in the story of the United States of America. However, Americans who take pride in America often forget that. And that's why its important that authors rise from the rest and tell us the truth about things. This is why I place Cristina's novel next to the greats of the country. And will keep this book's memories fresh in my soul. Because we all need to make a place for people like Maribel in our hearts and in America.

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.

4.5 Stars. "People do what they have to in this life. We try to get from one end of it to the other with dignity and with honor. We do the best we can."
This book was very unique and a departure from the genres I've been reading lately. It's an eye opening portrayal of immigrants who've come to this country to find something better only to discover the American Dream wasn't necessarily what they thought it would be. The story is told primarily from two POVs with additional POVs included throughout of various immigrant's stories. There was a budding teenage romance that although was a minor plot point, brings circumstances to light that were both heart warming and gut wrenching and presented the overall message that life isn't always what it seems and every living soul is fighting for something.

This book was mentioned by a coworker, and I read it because it sounded interesting. I'm glad I did. The main strength of the novel is its humanity. You see families struggle with their new lives in the United States, in many ways bringing out the differences between something that had been remote (when life in America, especially school and work, were easy to idealize and regard hopefully) and something that has grown near (when those same things are seen realistically). Much of the book I read in hard copy, but some of it I listened to on unabridged audio while I was walking for exercise. The multi-voice recording of the first-person voices in the text is especially good at capturing the human emotion and struggles. Some might say that the book descends into sentimentality, but I did not come away with that impression.

This is a love story, but not just. I enjoyed reading about all the different stories of all the different immigrants to the US. Yes, I realize that it's fictional, but it was a great look at how people really live and how many people come from all around (in this case, Latin America) and come from all walks of life and with all different stories. I love the way Cristina Henriquez told their stories.

It's a fast read too, maybe a little young adult, but not in a bad way at all. It's just a great story of immigrants and their lives and something that might change someone's view of the world.

(As an aside, her description of learning English from Spanish really amused me because I have learned Spanish from English and thought the exact same things about the languages.)

"The Book of Unknown Americans: A Novel" by Cristina Henríquez is an intriguing and engaging novel. Each character's role in the story made me think how we are all like different colors of fiber woven together, our lives interlocking, passing over and under, into a beautiful tapestry. It is a story that gave me pause, to contemplate who the immigrant is, what challenges them, what cause fear, what brings them joy, what there hopes were, and how reality affects them.

Henriquez writes with such beautiful flow making it an enjoyable smooth read. This is a wonderful book with a great story between the covers and should not be missed.

I really enjoyed this book and the unique voice of this author. I'll be watching for more of her writing.

This book did a good job of descrbing the challenges that come with immigration, from language barriers to economic issues (it was set during the post 2008 economic crash) as well as the close friendships and dreams of hispanic Americans from diverse, unique areas of the world, from Mexico to Central and South America. Some of the writing could have been stronger, as I felt some parts lacked plausibility and detail (Maribel's statements and actions don't always match her injury; it's hard to believe Major remembers 9/11, given that its at least 2010, and he is 15; and how the ending plays out seems tragically coincidental) but overall it was still a worthwhile read.

This book is beautiful and tragic. Weaving together stories of different immigrants within the larger story of the Riveras the depiction of the struggles of emotional isolation, family, and daily struggles makes this book rich in humanizing immigrant workers and telling familiar stories. This is a book that everyone should read. Although it starts out slow it's easy to get sucked into the detail of the stories and the characters and empathize with the helplessness and the accomplishments the Riveras face. This book definitely brings out a lot of feelings and is worth the read.

Cristina Henriquez's "The Book of Unknown Americans" tells the story of Arturo and Alma Rivera. The married couple are Mexican citizens that decide to leave their country and travel to America after their daughter Maribel has sustained a brain injury after a serious accident.

Slowly, the immigrant family adjust to life in America, learning to go to the Dollar Market, and to eat canned food rather than fresh fruits and vegetables that they were used to.

A Panamanian teenager named Mayor falls for their injured daughter, Maribel, after seeing her in a Dollar Tree store. The young girl makes Mayor feel loved.

This book provides a rich tapestry of immigrant life within America, from different countries and walks of life. I highly enjoyed it.

The only drawback to this book is its cover, which personally would cause me to overlook it on a shelf or a webpage. That's a shame because Henriquez book is a moving story of immigrants trying to establish a life in America. Arturo and his wife Alma come to the United States after their beautiful daughter is injured at her fathers job site. The brain injury leaves her nearly mute and their hope is to get her enrolled in a school that help rehabilitate her. The complex they move into is full of other men and women who have come from all over the world to the states for various reasons, and it's their stories that are threaded throughout the narrative of Arturo his family, and the neighbor boy who slowly draws Maribel out.

Those that enjoyed Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle will most likely also like this book. I loved the perspective, and I think it's one a lot of Americans simply don't have the background to have. Everyone wants the best for their families and will do what's necessary for their safety and success.

The story itself is heart-breaking. You will champion the character and agonize over their defeat. This is not a feel-good kind of book, but it is so important.

It's well- written. The character have depth. It's a quick read, but the message long-lasting. The only flaw I found was some errors in dates surrounding 9/11 and a minor character's timeline regarding it (I did read a review copy, though).

The cover and title are very relevant of the current political debate of immigration, but I just didn't find anything of substance caught my attention or made me look at the world in a new light. I agreed with the author throughout on how Latino immigrants are treated poorly and have many obstacles to hurdle when they arrive in the United States but beyond that I found this story to be too sentimental. I wonder if this book would be better served as young adult fiction.

This book provides the reader with an inside look at a community of immigrants. While we are introduced to several characters in a Latino community in the Northeast complete with backstories, the novel focuses primarily on two families: a Panamanian family who has come for better opportunities and a recently-arrive Mexican family seeking better medical care for their daughter. Henriquez does an impressive job of making the experiences and lives of these families familiar to any reader while also highlighting the elements of their lives that may be "unknown" to many modern readers. She manages to seamlessly produce a love story and an issue-driven novel that is compelling and heartbreaking.

Henríquez' novel follows the lives of several people living in the same apartment building. The narrative passes from character to character as their perspectives and experienced weave together the fabric of community.

The book deals with the complexities of real life, hard decisions, love, drastic changes of fate, family, raising kids, racism, and sexism.

The writing is beautiful, the story compelling and moving.

As the character Micho says:
"We’re the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they’ve been told they’re supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we’re not that bad, maybe even that we’re a lot like them. And who would they hate then?"

Again, this is from Robert. I enjoyed the story until the last few segments. Then I fell in love with it. The tender young love developing between Mayor and Maribel. The tension between Arturo and Alma trying to adjust to a cold, grey life in the northern climes. And yet, the love between these two, with Alma providing the spark to remind Arturo that life was still joyful. The remembrance by Alma of things past.

The differing voices of additional characters make me more aware of the difficulties that immigrants face, whether legal or no. The struggles to survive in a strange and unwelcoming country.

The book follows the lives of a group of poor immigrants to the U.S. from Latin America. Most of the characters are legal immigrants seeking a better life, but this does not mean that their experiences are less traumatic than illegal immigrants. Each character is richly drawn and believable. Their lives spotlight the difficulties all poor immigrants face when moving to a new culture with a different language and ingrained prejudices. Although this desperate longing for a better life sometimes results in heartbreak, the possibility of escape from poverty for oneself and one's children is worth the risk for the millions around the world who attempt it. This is a story as old as time itself.

When you see Hispanic immigrant people living in poor housing, do you assume they’re all from Mexico and probably illegal aliens? You need to read this story. Told by residents of a run-down apartment building, the reader’s eyes will be opened as to why people from Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua and Mexico have come to America and have probably been doing jobs no one else wants to do. The story is told mainly by two characters, Alma, who has come to America to find a better education for her mentally disabled daughter and Mayor, a teenaged neighbor, who has fallen in love with Alma’s daughter. It’s a story of struggle, the building of a community, and ultimately sadness.

I read enjoyed reading this story. It gave me some insight into how people from other countries feel about America and what this country means to them. I liked reading everyone's story, where they came from and their journey. I especially loved the three main characters and how they each got something different out of being in America, some good and some bad.

I chose to read this book after reading an excellent professional review. I found the story very enlightening, and I really appreciated the combination of stories of characters from different Hispanic countries. Each profile was well developed. However, even though the story was fiction, I could not figure out why the author did not have Maribel's parents take her to a doctor once they arrived in the US to reevaluate her condition. I also felt that the ending was disappointing--rather flat.

I really enjoyed this book because it was very honest. As an immigrant myself, I felt it touched on so many aspects of what life is like when you leave everything and everyone you know. It can take time to get your feet firmly planted and start to feel comfortable. The characters were well developed and it was very engaging throughout. I rated it with 4 stars because I suppose it was pretty emotional and sad for me at times due to my own experiences, perhaps hitting a little too close to home.

The Book of Unknown Americans was a non-stop read and the characters were amazingly alive and the author made it easy to enter their world and totally understand it. I think everyone should read this book as it gives you a clear understanding of how immigrants experience their lives here when come here to live and work.

It's a wonderful book.

This book is pretty mediocre. The writing reminds me of kind of advanced middle school level writing. The story of an immigrant family is interesting, and I really appreciated the perspective and stories. But the book overall is just average. It moves quickly and is easy to read. Some actions of the characters don't make sense, but I can't go into detail about that without giving away some of the story. It feels like the actions don't make sense because the author is just trying to conveniently put together a story, without attention to how people may truly act in any situation. Anyway, it's not a waste of time to read this book. But it is time that could be better spent.

Heartbreaking in many ways, especially given current events. A novel of the immigrant experience in America, which most of our ancestors share. Gave me insight into what my own parents/grandparents must have felt & gone through, and made me immensely proud of them.

Stories are interwoven from several immigrants' viewpoints. The main story of the Rivera family - Alma, Maribel, and Arturo - is engaging and heartbreaking. The secondary view from Mayor is well-written. However, the myriad of other views is superficial and detracts from the compelling story. The added voices seemed to be added to check off all Hispanic representation in addition to the main characters who are Mexican. Looking past these distractions, the story does shed light on the personal trials and tribulations of Hispanic immigration to the U.S.

The Book of Unknown Americans is a nice, easy read and a well-told story. The novel concerns a group of immigrants to the US (and the author is very careful to make their entry into the country legal) and their various struggles, some of which relate to being immigrants and others that simply relate to being human. The characters are all likeable and their struggles are believable. The writing is so smooth and readable--a delightful read. Enjoy!

Picked this up because of curiosity about a book set in Wilmington, DE! Enjoyed the alternating viewpoints between male and female, adult and teen. Appreciated the insight into latino immigrants to the USA: no family came for the same reason as another. It's important to note that the setting is pre-2014, so there is none of the angst of underage children arriving alone. At least one published review referred to the 'Romeo and Juliet' story. Although there is tragedy, it is not dramatically, primarily, R+J.

I won this book on Goodreads and I am really glad that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this terrific book. Henriquez tells the story of Arturo and Alma, whose only daughter Maribel suffers a traumatic brain injury due to an accident. Feeling that the best way to help her become herself again, her parents make the journey from Mexico, giving up everything they have known, to help Maribel get into the special school, which they feel will give her a miracle and give them their daughter back. Landing in an immigrant's apartment building in Delaware, we meet many other Latin American families who are all trying to live the American dream. These strong people have strong stories and I found the book to be a very interesting read, one I devoured in just over a day. Would definitely recommend this book. A good read indeed.

I really enjoyed this novel portraying the lives of the residents of an apartment building in Delaware comprised of immigrants from various countries. Each had a unique story as to how they ended up there, and each chapter is told from a different inhabitant yet the stories intertwine around the main family who recently arrived from Mexico to send their daughter to a special school.

Henriquez writes the story mainly through the voice of a young man in love and the mother of the girl. She also tells the stories of other people in the building. At points it almost feels like a distraction, I just wanted her to stick to the main story. It did give me a glimpse of what it would be like to be a Hispanic immigrant.

I picked this book based off of the reviews it had and nothing else in particular. I quite enjoyed it and it showed me the perspective of other minorities. It has the usual combination of love and friendship but also struggle. It was a great book filled with real life experiences.

This novel gently weaves the stories of people who have dreams, aspirations, and the kind of bold hope that makes them leave their various countries for America. It humanizes the stereotypical news stories that Americans hear, and reminds us that we are all beautifully, vulnerably human beings. This is not just a story for those who want insight to the challenges and plight of newcomers to our country. It is a reminder to open our hearts and minds to the Americans who have left all they know to take a chance on some form of the American dream. Like A Raisin in the Sun and Of Mice and Men, this novel draws the reader in, makes us question the status quo, and is sure to leave us thinking about the characters for years to come.

Smooth read with people who grab your heart right away. I loved every single one of these characters, with a couple of favorites, of course. For people who love character-driven stories, this is a great pick.

In this beautifully told story by Christina Henriquez, you can empathize with the characters, particularly Alma the mother of Maribel. It is the story of undocumented Mexican immigrants who are trying to make their way in America. The book is written in an alternating narrative keeps you riveted while reading this outstanding book.

Loved this book. Sometimes a book strikes you and holds on. This one did that for me. I enjoyed the story, the characters and was very emotionally attached to this story. You never know what is going on with other people until you live in their shoes.

The book was a pleasure to read. I especially enjoyed learning about each culture and the families lives once they arrived in the United States.
The stories are a loving tribute to all those who immigrate and the struggles that they endure to make a better life for themselves.

I would never have picked up this book, but it was one of my bookclub choices. I am so glad that we are reading this book. The people became real to me, and I feel that I understand a portion of our culture and society that I had not truly been exposed to in the past. I highly recommend reading this.

There was times I had to put the book down because it hit home. I can just picture my dad being Arturo or Rafael when he first came to the United States. The beginning and middle was great, until the ending Oh man so sad. I don't want kill the story, so I'll be vague. I recommend anyone to read this book. Gave me some perspective in life. I hope this book helps other understand the sacrifice people do to get by, and do for their family. Also why immigrants come to the United States ??.

I chose to read this book because it was a Book Club choice and I was very pleasantly surprised! I wasn't sure what to expect but I liked this book a lot. It really made me think about the "Unknown Americans" that I have come in contact with and, after reading it, I think I will have much more empathy for others. You really never know anyone's story but this book certainly gave me a realistic glimpse into another culture.

Beautifully written story giving many points of view yet telling a short story of just one family who recently came to America. The book gives an explanation of why & how people come and what it is like for them in a short understandable story.

This book offered a compelling perspective of people who come to America for varied reasons. The characters and their thoughts and feelings made me feel more compassionate and empathetic towards others.

I love this book. Once I started I couldn't stop. Sometimes in life we have the wrong concept about people or things, about life, about what is going on in this world. This book makes you stop an revisit your thoughts, the assumptions you have about the unknown Americans a they are called in this book. I highly recommend this reading.

This was a good story. I loved the way the family enters the story, what they experience and how they cope with their new lives. A sadness there throughout but needing to help their daughter, Maribel, her parents sacrifice all that is familiar. A sad ending though but I do recommend for a good short read.

This is kind of a fractured story told by several narrators. At first it seems to be mostly about each person's experience in leaving their homeland and commuting to the U.S. it wasn't so clear what the story was about or where it was going.

This book gave me what precious few do: a real, rich but unglamorous narrative from Latin-Americans ashore immigrant life.

The multiple perspectives kept me entertained and engaged, the love stories were real and beautiful and gritty and good. Told with the simple finality I would expect from my grandfather, this book is one I'd recommend to anyone, became they'd learn even if they didn't enjoy.

I thought the author did a good job of making Alma, Arturo, Maribel and Mayor real. The way they expressed themselves about their situations made me feel sorry for them all.
I found it hard to remember who was who in their community. Maybe that was to remind us that the mass of humanity is a blur of faces from places all over the world. To remind us that we all face the same struggles and need to help each other.

This book touched my heart. I love it when you finish a great book like this and go back and read the first page and there it is the warning the author gave you but you just forgot it because the story was so good. Read as a book borrowed from the library.

This is a very absorbing and touching story. I live in a remote area and do not know any Latin American immigrants personally. I guess I've thought of them like a statistic, with the usual complaints and fears about immigrants "sneaking" into our country and getting many of the benefits of that. This opened my eyes a little more, and helps me to think of these people as he mans, like me, struggling to make a life for themselves, and against pretty tough odds. It's a wonderful book!

This story brought me directly into the lives of these people ..... Hopes, fears, disappointments, and triumphs. It is a story about race in America for Latin Americans and it is a story about the human condition. I was deeply moved reading this and rooting for all the characters in whom I could see reflections of myself but in the midst of different circumstances. I came away understanding the impact of those circumstances more fully.

Delightful and moving story of immigrant families struggling to fulfill their desire for a better life for their children. The book follows one family whose daughter suffers some cognitive difficulties after an injury. The family moves to the US legally to find help at a special school.

Loved this book. The first few pages I thought this was too simplistic but I was defiantly wrong. You really felt like you got to know each of the characters and almost felt you were living their lives. I just wanted to know more about each one and wished I could follow them through more of their lives. A book I did not want to end.
This is a new author for me, now I can't wait to read more of her work.

The pursuit of happiness, of making a situation better, or making a dream come true. These things drive all of us and the decisions we make about which paths to take. "We're not like the rest of them, the ones they talk about." Them and they. Two words with consequences attached. Read this book. It's very good.

If you read one novel this year, make it this one. Cristina Henriquez is one of the great storytellers of our time. The Book of Unknown Americans is so engrossing, you might not even notice how perfect each sentence is, how fresh each insight. The writing is impeccable. You won't forget these characters and their voices.

This collection of people's stories, people we might not notice in our busyness, strikes a chord with how difficult life can be, how tough and resilient people are, and how we each are connected to others.

This book gave me what precious few do: a real, rich but unglamorous narrative from Latin-Americans ashore immigrant life.

The multiple perspectives kept me entertained and engaged, the love stories were real and beautiful and gritty and good. Told with the simple finality I would expect from my grandfather, this book is one I'd recommend to anyone, became they'd learn even if they didn't enjoy.

I thought the author did a good job of making Alma, Arturo, Maribel and Mayor real. The way they expressed themselves about their situations made me feel sorry for them all.
I found it hard to remember who was who in their community. Maybe that was to remind us that the mass of humanity is a blur of faces from places all over the world. To remind us that we all face the same struggles and need to help each other.

This book touched my heart. I love it when you finish a great book like this and go back and read the first page and there it is the warning the author gave you but you just forgot it because the story was so good. Read as a book borrowed from the library.

This is a very absorbing and touching story. I live in a remote area and do not know any Latin American immigrants personally. I guess I've thought of them like a statistic, with the usual complaints and fears about immigrants "sneaking" into our country and getting many of the benefits of that. This opened my eyes a little more, and helps me to think of these people as he mans, like me, struggling to make a life for themselves, and against pretty tough odds. It's a wonderful book!

This story brought me directly into the lives of these people ..... Hopes, fears, disappointments, and triumphs. It is a story about race in America for Latin Americans and it is a story about the human condition. I was deeply moved reading this and rooting for all the characters in whom I could see reflections of myself but in the midst of different circumstances. I came away understanding the impact of those circumstances more fully.

Delightful and moving story of immigrant families struggling to fulfill their desire for a better life for their children. The book follows one family whose daughter suffers some cognitive difficulties after an injury. The family moves to the US legally to find help at a special school.

Loved this book. The first few pages I thought this was too simplistic but I was defiantly wrong. You really felt like you got to know each of the characters and almost felt you were living their lives. I just wanted to know more about each one and wished I could follow them through more of their lives. A book I did not want to end.
This is a new author for me, now I can't wait to read more of her work.

The pursuit of happiness, of making a situation better, or making a dream come true. These things drive all of us and the decisions we make about which paths to take. "We're not like the rest of them, the ones they talk about." Them and they. Two words with consequences attached. Read this book. It's very good.

If you read one novel this year, make it this one. Cristina Henriquez is one of the great storytellers of our time. The Book of Unknown Americans is so engrossing, you might not even notice how perfect each sentence is, how fresh each insight. The writing is impeccable. You won't forget these characters and their voices.

This collection of people's stories, people we might not notice in our busyness, strikes a chord with how difficult life can be, how tough and resilient people are, and how we each are connected to others.

This is a novel about legal and illegal immigrants here from different countries in South America. I was reading it during all the emotional drama happening at our border with unaccompanied children being sent here by their parents. The main characters came here with visas so they could enroll their daughter, who had been brain-damaged in an accident, in a school tailored to help those types of children. Tragedy occurs and their American dream falls apart. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

The Unknown Americans in this book are Hispanic and although they come from many different countries, they all now live in a down and out apartment building in Delaware. They emigrated to the United States with the hopes and dreams that they would be better off than they would have been if they'd stayed in their native lands. The main characters are Alma, the mother of Maribel, a special needs girl, and Mayor, a neighbor teen who falls in love with her. The other characters in the book, which is told in alternating chapters, are all the other families who live in the building and we learn of their histories and dreams.

The premise sounds good but the author does not make any of the characters come alive -- they all seem to be the same and their language definitely does not sound Spanish -- just idiomatic English. I was bored by the story and would not recommend it.

A good read that you gives you something to think about. We know there are many people around us who come to this country for a better life and who have a very difficult time getting by, but this book really brings it home.

Henriquez writes with unapologetic Latino pride about the variety of lives and experiences of a group of Hispanic emigrants living in a Delaware apartment complex. A beautiful reminder we each have distinctive stories.

What this book did successfully deliver is the message that we are all people regardless of where we came from and how long we have been here. We all have dreams, hopes, struggles, love, families and unique and interesting life stories. Americans should read this and realize that immigrants are not so different from them after all. Where it fell a little short was the plot development for both, the main story and for short individual character stories, some of the characters had their stories told on only a page or two. But good overall.

Poignant, depth of feeling and love, touches the essence of being an immigrant with hopes and desire. Loved the simplicity and shuddered at the characters inability to speak the truth. Totally enjoyed reading this, but hoped for a happier ending.

The Book of Unknown Americans guides you through the challenges of living in the USA as an immigrant. It takes you easily through the events of a family and the people they encounter. Each chapter is read from a different character's perspective of the events that are occurring to the leading family. I felt the book was believable but not predictable. I'd read it again.

Supposed to be a nice ending where you learned to appreciate things but I think the sad parts got to me more. To have so little and work so hard. It seems unfair. Makes you see the other side of immigration.

I wish every American could read this book with an open mind on how the journey of each immigrant can have a different origin. Admittedly, there is the teen love story and the angst that comes with that, which I actually enjoy, but it is also so much more. I am sad that I won't lay down to read this book tonight.

I live in the area where this story takes place. I have taught the children from these families. I see them waiting at the bus stops along the highway. This book reminds me that there is a story behind every face...you can never generalize or categorize people from the hype from the media. These stories are timeless...and if most Americans look back into their ancestry I think we'd find similar stories in our family trees.

This is the second novel I have read recently regarding immigrants to the USA, the other being AMERICANAH, and both of them were excellent. This book tells the stories of a group of Latino immigrant families who came to America for various reasons, all seeking their own dreams for a better life. It is a very well written page turner that I highly recommend.

A great author draws their audience into their stories, highlights aspects for the reader to relate to the characters in the stories as scenes are woven together. I'm a blended Heinz 57 yet I just wasn't relating to the recent immigrant teenage storyline. Perhaps Unknown Americans is written for a more youthful target audience.

The book was well plotted and entertaining, but it shines most in some great set pieces...Mayor and Maribel's kiss, a Christmas party. The author works well in these small spaces like a playwright; looking forward to seeing more!

So my daughter's sophomore English/Lit teacher is having the class read this over the summer---at a CATHOLIC high school. I object. I am half way through the book and have come across vulgar words and content that should not be in a Catholic school. Oral sex, f-bombs, irreverence to the Catholic faith. I'm not ok with this. It would be refreshing and inspiring to read stories that rose above all this garbage.

And yes, I agree with other reviewers this seems like Young Adult fiction, because it's main characters Major and Maribal are teens...so yes, my kid could relate. I'm sorry for the plight of the immigrants---it's timeless, this is what people experience when they come to the "land of milk and honey and opportunity for all" who weren't born here, typically...it's not easy but those who persevere do ok eventually, or at least their children do later. It's a story told a hundred times.

But is this worthy of a English/Lit class? Not so much. Maybe a book for Social Studies or Sociology class...but Classic Literature this is not.

Beautifully written, and has important insights to share in the lives of people with whom we share this sometimes wonderful country. It is sad book, though mixed in with lots of humor and love and hope.

I read Cristina Henriquez's book on a train from Paris to Barcelona in one sitting. It is engaging and provides moving insights into the world of poor migrants in the United States. The characters are well developed and leave you with a desire to know more about what happened to them after the novel ends. As much as I enjoyed it, however, I did find the novel could be predictable at times, and for that reason feel that I can't give it five stars. Recommended reading for the summer.

Poignant and so relevant to today's border crisis. A beautifully woven story of Latin American immigrants struggling to achieve the "American Dream" with an ending that was not at all what I expected!

Incredible story full of ups and downs and twists and turns. As someone who grew up just a little south of Newark, DE, I can honestly say that the setting is depicted very accurately. A very beautiful but tragic love story

This well written, timely book provides an understanding of why so many people are willing to sacrifice so much to leave their homes and families to come to America. The two families the book centers on provide sympathetic but rounded characters.

Excellent portrayal of immigrant realities within a fictionalized framework. Cristina Henriquez delivers an emotionally charged and empathetic portrayal of life for im/migrants in the US with lots of poise and dignity.

This well written, timely book provides an understanding of why so many people are willing to sacrifice so much to leave their homes and families to come to America. The two families the book centers on provide sympathetic but rounded characters.

Excellent portrayal of immigrant realities within a fictionalized framework. Cristina Henriquez delivers an emotionally charged and empathetic portrayal of life for im/migrants in the US with lots of poise and dignity.

This book is a collection of well developed characters woven together in a real world. I like the gritty reality of the world created by the author. The characters grew in ways that are not recognized enough in most fiction.

This book was not up to my expectations. There was no character depth, the story was pointless and there were random chapters from random characters that didn't have anything to do with the story. I'm so disappointed. I'm happy I got this from the library and didn't spend any actual money on it.

I thought the entire story was very depressing. Though it is fiction, it gives the impression that all immigrants are living horrible lives in America, which is far from the truth. I felt it was very politically biased.