Trigger Warning: The mention of violence and racism may be triggering to some readers. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Five years ago, the bookish community was unfortunately subject to the release of American Dirt, a sensational tale revolving around a mother named Lydia and her son, Luca, as they flee the Mexican cartel to cross the American border. Although the book achieved massive recognition, including a spot on Oprah’s Book Club, the plot is written out like an overdramatic bad action thriller and does not properly express the experience of the Mexican immigrant. To make matters worse, the author Jeanine Cummins is a White woman with no ties to Mexican culture. And to further shed negative light on this whole situation, Cummins continues to hold interviews, claiming that she still does not need to justify herself for her story.
Here at Bookstr, we like to keep our readers informed and raise the volume of those minority voices that deserve to have their story told. So, instead of reading American Dirt, we have provided a list of books that we feel you should read in order to hear a more accurate representation of the immigrant experience.
Solito by Javier Zamora
While his parents immigrated previously, Javier Zamora details his journey from El Salvador to the United States border in his attempt to follow his mother and father to a better life. As he treks through the 3,000 miles, his family and everything he knows are left behind him in a small town. He expresses the loneliness he encounters as he is joined by strangers led by a “coyote.” The struggles Javier faces should not be known by a nine-year-old. But fortunately, these strangers who travel with him become part of his family, helping him achieve his journey. While there are horrors in this world, Javier’s story also demonstrates the strength and kindness of humanity.
Accordion Eulogies: A Memoir of Music, Migration, and Mexico by Noé Álvarez
Sounding like a mixture of the movies Big Fish and Coco, Noé Álvarez spends his childhood being told fantastical stories about his grandfather and how, somehow, he abandoned his family. The one solid clue that Noé has left of his grandfather is that he was an accordion player. In order to reconnect with the memory and spirit of him, Noé takes up learning how to play the instrument, while retracing his family’s steps of their immigration from Mexico. Noé’s journey across the United States and Mexico sheds light on not only his family’s history but also the importance and progression of the accordion in Mexican culture.
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles
Targeted for the middle school crowd and written in prose, Güero uses his own poetry to survive the struggles of starting seventh grade and living between borders. As a member of a tribe of friends called the Los Bobbys, his physical appearance and interests also place him between cultural borders. Güero relies on his words and his friends to solve any problems a Mexican American pre-teen boy may face, including how to interact with girls.
Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
Similar to They Call Me Güero, Salazar’s publication is geared towards a middle school audience, while utilizing prose to tell their story. To combat the horrors of living in a detention center for immigrants and refugees near Los Angeles, nine-year-old Betita’s father tells her stories about Aztlan, an Aztec world that is home to the cranes. Betita believes that she herself is a crane, hoping to flee these terrors that her family faces from inhumane immigration policies and threats from the Mexican cartel. In a disturbing twist, Betita’s father is deported to Mexico by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), leaving Betita and her pregnant mother to fend for themselves.
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
Originally written in Spanish, this eye-opening novella extends beyond borders and highlights the adversities of cultural and language transitions when emigrating from one’s homeland. At the center of this exploration of immigration is Makina, a young woman who leaves her home in search of her brother, who emigrated from Mexico to the United States. With Makina, she brings alarming secrets from her family and a violent world she left behind.
All the Stars Denied by Guadalupe García McCall
This young adult historical drama is the second installment in Garcia McCall’s Shame the Stars series. The first episode of Shame the Stars told the Romeo and Juliet-style love story of Joaquin and Dulceña, a love story played out on the troubled border of Texas and Mexico. The heartache continues in All the Stars Denied as the story continues with the backdrop of a mass deportation set against The Great Depression in the United States.
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
Here is another star-crossed lovers tale. This time featuring a Panamanian boy named Mayor Toro and a Mexican girl named Maribel. After Maribel’s family immigrates to America after an accident almost claims her life, they find that adjusting to their new country is more difficult than imagined. In this new environment, Maribel meets Mayor, who sees beyond her physical appearance to something much more.
We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
After the dangers of their home country, Guatemala, become too much for close friends Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña, they decide to flee to a better life. In order to reach their dream and the borders of America, they must maneuver through a system of trains called La Bestia that extends through Central America. Based on the real-life horrors faced by actual immigrants who have made this journey, the truth of what one goes through to escape to a better life is made evident to the reader.
As our country is going through a precarious era targeting immigrants, it is important to be exposed to their narratives to better understand the situations they are living through. By becoming more aware, our society can develop a better sense of empathy and humanity towards those who need it most.
To read more books concerning immigrant life, check out our article: Powerful Books You Need on the True Hispanic Immigrant Experiences.
For more Latinx recs, explore our bookshelf: Hispanic/Latinx Recommendations: Bedtime Stories, Poetry, and Novels on Bookshop.
