The Book of Unknown Americans in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Dec 03, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, american-fiction, young-adult-fiction, latinx

This book reminded me a lot of Eleanor & Park in many ways. But its focus on the realities of Latino immigrants to the US make it, IMHO, required reading for anyone who doesn't already have an acute understanding of what it's like to be an immigrant, especially one from Latin America into the US. All of the characters, no matter how obnoxious they seem, have a story - a sympathetic one - and Henriquez employs a twist on the rotating-narrator technique to introduce those stories. The young love s ...more

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Sep 13, 2020 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction

Recommended for fans of The Great Alone.

What I didn't understand -- what I suddenly realized now -- was that if I stopped moving backwards, trying to recapture the past, there might be a future waiting for me, waiting for us, a future that would reveal itself if only I turned around and looked, and that once I did, I could start to move toward it.

cue Tina Fey eyeroll here.

I expected to really like this book, but that didn't pan out. This was excessively mawkish. If something bad can happen Recommended for fans of The Great Alone.

What I didn't understand -- what I suddenly realized now -- was that if I stopped moving backwards, trying to recapture the past, there might be a future waiting for me, waiting for us, a future that would reveal itself if only I turned around and looked, and that once I did, I could start to move toward it.

cue Tina Fey eyeroll here.

I expected to really like this book, but that didn't pan out. This was excessively mawkish. If something bad can happen, it will happen. If a deeper meaning can be ascribed to a random action, it will be.

"You're the only one who sees me."
"Maybe everyone else just needs glasses."

I preferred Mayor's sections over Alma's, partly because I didn't like the voice actor for Alma, but mostly because Mayor reminded me of Ruby in "On My Block"

But I didn't particularly like any of the characters; they were all deluded and annoying. Mayor has convinced himself that his transgressions are okay. It was gross how Mayor took advantage of Mirabel and convinced himself that it was okay, and she was the only person who truly understood him. Alma has convinced herself that the accident probably wasn't her fault, and that Maribel will get better, if only she keeps an eagle eye on her. Alma is bizarrely obsessed with a neer-do-well bully who lives in a nearby apartment complex - the kid is truly a jerk, but none of his actions justify Alma's bizarre obsession. I really disliked Alma.

I found it somewhat unbelievable that Arturo & Alma's marriage would survive the accident. I found it unbelievable that some mushroom-farming company would pay for Arturo to immigrate to the US so they could have another minimum wage worker.

I listened to the audiobook, and Random House lists it as read by "Various" - why not give each voice actor the proper credit? I choose audiobooks based on who reads them, so this is important! At the beginning of the recording, the names are read off, and I did my best to spell them correctly here: Yareli Arizmendi, Christine Avila, Jessie Cortés, Gustavo Rex, Ozzie Rodriguez, Gabriella Romero. Whichever woman reads Alma (I don't know if it's Yareli Arizmendi or Christine Avila) uses a warbly voice, as if she's constantly on the verge of tears, which annoyed me. No one maintains that intense level of emotion for an entire book. I don't know why she reads it like this, since I looked up videos of her and she does not normally speak like that. It's just one more way that this book is ridiculously melodramatic. ...more

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Oct 17, 2015 Melissa rated it it was amazing

I was hesitant to pick this book up for a while, but then it became the pick for my 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 ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Hannah added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, audio, grownups-fiction

This is a great book, and it was a really excellent choice for audio. I love when there is a full cast, even more so when the publisher has enough respect for the author and the story to get people who can actually pronounce words in Spanish. There was one narrator who was incredibly obnoxious, but everyone else was great. I wasn't really expecting the ending, and I don't know how I feel about it, but I do think it was a really touching story with all the vignettes from the neighbors. ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Ashley rated it really liked it

I listened to the audio of this book and it features different narrators for the different characters and really gave depth to the story. The story does fall flat with somewhat stereotypical characterizations and a plot that becomes predictable,which is why I couldn't give the full 5 *'s. However it does give voices to feelings and experiences of different people and their perceptions as they navigate a new place and their position in it. Definitely a recommended read! ...more

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Jun 15, 2015 Christina, Join Me on Storygraph! rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-recommend, 2015

I was very surprised to see that the author lives in Chicago, based on the little details she noted about life in northern Delaware. perhaps she too attended the University of Delaware? At any rate, this was a great story of immigration in the 21st century, of prejudices against those who are "brown" or handicapped, and about teen love. ...more

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